The African American Church: A Sociological History
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The church is also an institution, an organization...the instrument of the believing commuynity...a healing and socializing agent...There is no necessary conflict between the church's roles as an organ of the spirit and agent of liberation...The church as organ has most to do with mission; the two are inseparable (Roberts p. 12).
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About the Book
The black church has also intervened between the society and the individual, in order to address specific problems or attain specific objectives. This has been particularly the case where the church has served as a training ground for leaders of the African American community. In addition to providing for (a) goal attainment and (b) a vehicle to implement specific interests, the church has also (c) contributed a latent resource for all kinds of activities covering a wide range of interests, (d) offered germane socialization services, (e) allocated its power and influence to issues identified as critical, (f) aided social interation of either (g) members of the African American community within the community itself or (h) the African American Community, its members and priorities within the majority white community. The African American church has prevailed as all things to all African Americans.
About the Author
Little Boy Blue (Richard B. Maye, B.S., B.A., M.A., PhD) is an Assistant Professor, and he serves as Chair, Department of Sociology, at Illinois College, Jacksonville, Illinois 62650. He is Founder of the Second Timothy Baptist Church, Springfield, Illinois 62703. His passion is teaching all who would listen and understand Sociological Perspectives as well as God's Word. Maye has always been genuinely concerned about each and every person he meets. He is acutely aware of public awareness on social issues: hunger, homeless, nutrition and affordable housing, etc. Sarah Strack-Briggs wrote a newspaper article on Dr. Maye in which she quotes the following: "Dr. Maye has been and will continue to be a favorite among students who have taken his courses. His pure love of the job, unparalleled wit, and genuinely kind manner has allowed Dr. Maye to earn a special place in the hearts of those around him." Maye was the Keynote Speaker at Illinois College for the Martin Luther King Jr. Program January 2008, and an attendee wrote to the Jacksonville Courier Newspaper the following about the Program: "As I write this, it is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I have just returned from Illinois College, where I heard Dr. Richard B. Maye present a Testament of Hope: the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." He continues, "What a presentation! I have attended many events honoring the fallen civil rights leader, but has was the most provocative and inspiring yet." To some Maye is a gadfly, but to others he is a God send.