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Blacks and Whites in Christian America
Religion and Social Transformation
GENERAL EDITORS: ANTHONY B. PINN AND STACEY M. FLOYD-THOMAS
Prophetic Activism: Progressive Religious Justice Movements in
Contemporary America
Helene Slessarev-Jamir
All You That Labor: Religious Activists and Theological Ethics in the
U.S. Living Wage Movement
C. Melissa Snarr
Blacks and Whites in Christian America: How Racial Discrimination
Shapes Religious Convictions
Jason E. Shelton and Michael O. Emerson
Blacks and Whites in Christian America
How Racial Discrimination Shapes Religious Convictions
Jason E. Shelton and Michael O. Emerson
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
www.nyupress.org
2012 by New York University
All rights reserved
References to Internet Websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shelton, Jason E.
Blacks and Whites in Christian America : how racial discrimination shapes religious convictions / Jason E. Shelton and Michael O. Emerson.
p. cm. (Religion and social transformation)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978-0-8147-2275-6 (cl : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8147-2276-3 (pb : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8147-2278-7 (ebook)
ISBN 978-0-8147-2277-0 (ebook)
1. African Americans Religion. 2. Race discrimination Religious aspects Christianity. 3. Race discrimination United States. 4. Black theology. 5. Protestant churches United States Doctrines. 6. Faith.
I. Emerson, Michael O., 1965 II. Title.
BR563.N4S49 2012
280.408900973 dc23 2012016651
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books.
Manufactured in the United States of America
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Sarah this is no ordinary love.
J.E.S.
Al mio pisello dolce, lamore della mia vita.
M.O.E.
Contents
Preface
Religion and Race
Religion and race differences have remained major sources of conflict since our nations founding. Not only were there profound religious tensions among the early European settlers, but also between them, African slaves, and Native Americans. Today nearly 250 years after Americas birth there are still deep-seated religious tensions across members of different racial groups. There are also racial tensions among followers of the same faith.
In this book, we examine the intersections of religion and race among a specific set of believers: black and white Protestants. More specifically, we assess racial differences in how black and white Protestants think about and practice their religious faith. As one might expect, we uncover profound faith-based similarities and entrenched differences. We explain these differences by focusing on African Americans and describing what we call the building blocks of black Protestant faith.
Before going any further, we must establish several important points. First, we are trained as sociologists, not as theologians or historians. Most of the existing research in this area has been produced by the latter groups, rather than the former. Sociologists systematically analyze beliefs and behaviors across groups of people. Consequently, we draw on established social science research methods such as nationally representative surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews that allow us to compare and contrast black and white Protestants attitudes, activities, and emotions.
Second, this book is purposely written to be accessible to a general audience. Although we are social scientists, we did not write this book exclusively for social scientists. People across a wide range of backgrounds are interested in the intersections between religion and race. We have taken steps to ensure that this book is as reader-friendly as possible regardless of whether the reader is a university professor, a deeply committed Christian, or a casual observer.
Jason Shelton principally authored this book, so any shortcomings in it are principally his. For all that is positive about this work, we wish to thank Craig Dykstra and Chris Coble at the Eli Lilly Endowment. Their efforts were critical in securing the generous funding for the Portraits of American Life Study (PALS), which was crucial in making this book possible. We would also like to thank Jennifer Hammer, our editor at NYU Press, for sharing her insights and expertise. Jennifer has been a staunch supporter of this project from the very beginning. We can confidently say that this book would not be as robust without her assistance.
We thank the thousands of study participants who volunteered their time in order to participate in our surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. We gladly recognize several anonymous book reviewers who helped to improve the work, as well as colleagues who provided helpful feedback after we presented chapters of this book at the following conferences: the 2011 Race and Power Mini-Conference that took place during the annual meeting of the Southern Sociological Society, the 2011 annual meeting of the Southern Conference on African American Studies, the 2011 annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, and the 2009 annual meeting of Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. We would also like to thank staff and participants at the 2010 Summer Seminar The Power of Race in American Religion at Calvin College. George Wilson of the University of Miami deserves special recognition for proofreading several early drafts of this manuscript, and Christy Davis at Executive Services transcribed many hours of in-depth interviews and focus groups. We would also like to thank colleagues, administrators, and assistants at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and Rice University. Jason Shelton is especially grateful for the extraordinary institutional support that he has received from UTA. Research funds embedded within his Stars Plus Package were critical to completing this project.
Finally, this book could not have been written without love, support, and tolerance from our families. They put up with us writing and researching for long days and nights, at inconvenient moments, and during times when they would rather have been making memories and enjoying our company. Michael Emerson would like to thank Sweet Pea, Ace, Juice, Three Scoops, and Soap Soap.
