African American churches

This thesis examines contemporary African-American church rhetoric within the Protestant evangelical tradition, focusing specifically on two influential preachers, one past and one present: Thomas Adams (1583-1652) and Thomas Dexter Jakes, also known as T.D. Jakes. I analyze sermons by both men to show common features in their strategic use of religious rhetoric. In particular, I focus on their organization of entire sermons around a guiding metaphor and on their creative use of references to various kinds of non-religious experiences to reach their targeted audience. Also, because this comparison has not been made before, I seek to discover the influential impact of early modern religious rhetoric on contemporary religious rhetoric in the church and its limitations. But finally, I argue that while Adams sees spiritual rebirth as the way to heaven, Jakes treats it as the beginning of a new life on earth.

This qualitative interpretive study was designed to understand the perspectives of Black church leaders on their roles in addressing the educational concerns of Black male students. The underlying theoretical framework drew from critical/social justice pedagogy contextualized in the transformative role of Black churches as advocated by scholars. The study investigated the critical reflections and praxis of 13 leaders, who represented three generational eras, which included Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. In a two-phase interview process, participants reflected on their roles in addressing the systems of power and privilege, which impairs the academic performance of Black male students. An analysis of the critical reflections of these leaders re-kindled the potential role of Black churches in social justice advocacy and as sources of empowerment for Black male students in the United States public education system.
The study’s findings revealed the Black church leaders’ awareness and articulation of the oppressive conditions within and outside public education, the church leaders’ acceptance of their social justice leadership roles, and an expressed desire to contribute additional actions to address the plight of Black male students. The results distinctively intimated that Black churches are potential sources of empowerment for Black males with space for increasing critical awareness; however, as pivotal organizations within Black communities they are grossly underutilized. For Black male students, Black churches offer different types of capital that may be understated, and Black church leaders as social justice leaders have not optimized their roles by routinely engaging in critical dialogues with their congregation to address the educational concerns of Black males. Recommendations highlighted the need for expanded partnerships with local schools, the initiation of critical dialogues in the church, amongst churches, in the community, and in public education.