High Impact African-American Churches

George Barna, an Euro American sociologist, and Bishop Harry Jackson, an Afro American pastor, have co-authored this book, High Impact African-American Churches (2004).  George Barna, a skilled and experienced social researcher who is much more aware of racism/social justice issues than most Euro Americans, was amazed at how little he actually knew.  The reading and research he did for this book transformed his understanding.

Some previous research he did illustrates his ethnocentrism and ignorance.  Barna researched pastors' views on a biblical worldview.  He found that Southern Baptists had a superior understanding versus a relatively weak understanding by Afro American pastors.  But his research instrument was flawed.  His definition of a biblical worldview was narrowly conceived, highly rational, and quite Eurocentric.  It was based on six moral absolutes/truths: "the accuracy of biblical teaching, the sinless nature of Jesus, the omnipotence and omniscience of God, salvation by grace alone, and personal responsibility for evangelism."  But this is a selective list of biblical truths.  What about the Trinity, all human beings are created in the image of God, the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God as Jubilee justice, etc.

A comprehensive biblical world view must also include orthopraxy, not just orthodoxy.  Required orthopraxy might include: reconciliation across ethnic, class and gender lines, doing social justice, loving your ethnic neighbor, and ministry among the poor.  In this more holistic biblical worldview, Afro American pastors and churches come through with flying colors.  Barna comments:

     As a Caucasian, I have to admit:  analyzing the results of a large body of research focused upon the faith of the African American community blew me away.  Prior to the research I was aware of the obvious differences:  black church music is more energetic and soulful, their preachers are often spellbinding orators, .
However, I was not at all prepared for the nature and magnitude of the substantive difference I discovered between the black and white segments of the United States.

In the midst of massive injustice, past and present, something "truly spectacular was taking place in the lives of African Americans and it was ignited by the goings-on in their church."  Here are some of the facts Barna discovered:

     * Black adults are more likely to be born again Christians than are white adults.
     * Did you know that when we tested 22 common goals the people pursue, the top-rated goal among black adults is to have a close relationship with God while that same goal is ranked fifth by whites?
     * Black adults are nearly twice as likely as white adults to read the Bible during a typical week.
     * Black adults are 50 percent more likely than white adults to strongly affirm that the Bible is totally accurate in everything it teaches.
     * The typical African-American church raises more money for ministry each year than does the typical Caucasian church despite the lower levels of household income and membership in the black congregations.

Barna and Jackson state:

     Black adults are more likely to struggle with finances and substance abuse.  They often labor through feelings of loneliness and a sense of disconnection from other people.  (This is especially true for black men.)  They also fall prey to sexual temptation more often, whether that takes the form of physical intimacy with a non-spouse or enjoyment of pornographic materials.  In fact, family realities become a point of confusion and stress for millions of blacks: they are twice as likely as whites to never get married and are more than twice as likely to have a child out of wedlock.  Although black Americans recognize the importance of family and attribute their personal strength and success in large measure to what they absorbed from their family experience, millions of blacks admit that the typical black family is dysfunctional or a source of conflict rather than safety and security.

In the midst of past and continuing oppression and poverty, the church provides life integration of millions of Afro Americans.  Oppression acts like a social pressure cooker creating enormous personal and family stresses.  One-third of black youth say life is not worth living.