How To Improve Music In The Black Church

This book reflects opportunity for change in how "music" is defined and understood among churches of all denominations, (secular and religious).

Mapson's objective is to help today's pastor take the leadership in improving the worship experience through the use of music that meets the biblical norm and serves theology as a legitimate response to God.

This fully updated second edition is a selective annotated bibliography of all relevant published resources relating to church and worship music in the United States. Over the past decade, there has been a growth of literature covering everything from traditional subject matter such as the organ works of J.S. Bach to newer areas of inquiry including folk hymnology, women and African-American composers, music as a spiritual healer, to the music of Mormon, Shaker, Moravian, and other smaller sects. With multiple indices, this book will serve as an excellent tool for librarians, researchers, and scholars sorting through the massive amount of material in the field.

Churches should be the backbone of our neighborhoods . . . Many American churches are faced with the decisions of their lives. Will we live? Or will we die? . . . the question of 'Will we live or will we die' is a question of will, as in having the will to live; and it is also a question of who is included in the 'we.' --from Chapter One The State of Mainline Churches Can This Church Live? is the true story of a church that had an opportunity to thrive in the midst of a community that greatly changed its demographics. Matthews directs readers through this painful process he experienced with the pastor and church leaders as they faced a harsh dilemma--a dilemma that more and more churches are facing today--can or will a predominantly white church embrace and welcome the people of color who live within the community? Using H. R. Niebuhr's famous text Christ and Culture, Matthews uses Niebuhr's five categories to analyze churches in crisis: 1) Christ against Culture; 2) Christ of Culture; 3) Christ above Culture; 4) Christ and Culture in Paradox; and 5) Christ the Transformer of Culture. The book also discusses moral and ethical issues as they relate to the Gospel and social transformation. Clergy and lay leaders will find this a valuable resource to help them discuss ways in which they can stabilize their church before they are confronted with a similar predicament.

The Black Church Studies Reader addresses the depth and breadth of Black theological studies, from Biblical studies and ethics to homiletics and pastoral care. The book examines salient themes of social and religious significance such as gender, sexuality, race, social class, health care, and public policy. While the volume centers around African American experiences and studies, it also attends to broader African continental and Diasporan religious contexts. The contributors reflect an interdisciplinary blend of Black Church Studies scholars and practitioners from across the country. The text seeks to address the following fundamental questions: What constitutes Black Church Studies as a discipline or field of study? What is the significance of Black Church Studies for theological education? What is the relationship between Black Church Studies and the broader academic study of Black religions? What is the relationship between Black Church Studies and local congregations (as well as other faith-based entities)? The book's search for the answers to these questions is compelling and illuminating.

A nongovernmental survey of urban and rural churches of black communities based on a ten year study.

First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.