The Black Church
Wednesday, May 07 2008
by Frank Stasio and Lindsay Thomas
Barack Obama won handily in yesterday's North Carolina presidential primary, despite fears that his ties to Reverend Jeremiah Wright threatened his lead. Wright has called recent media criticism of his fervent sermons an "attack on the black church." There’s no such thing as a monolithic black church, but the phrase is widely used to describe predominately black congregations. Host Frank Stasio explores the history, philosophies and influence of the so-called black church with historian Laurie Maffly-Kipp; pastors Reginald Van Stephens and Carl Kenney; and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author of "Free to be Bound: Race Beyond the Color Line" (NavPress Publishing Group/2008).
