Is there really a monolithic “Black church”? Distilling the arguments of Anthony B. Pinn’s important and provocative work in Terror and Triumph, this brief volume asks the central question: What really is African American religion?
Sketching the religious landscape of African American communities today, Pinn makes explicit the tension in traditional conversations about Black religion that privilege either Christianity in particular or organizations (with doctrines and creeds) in general. Discussing the misunderstandings and historical inaccuracies of such views, Pinn offers an alternate theory of Black religion that begins with a basic push for embodied meaning as its core impulse. In this expanded edition, Pinn offers new reflections on the state of the Black church.
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5 reviews for What Is African American Religion?
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Edward Maxwell –
This has to be one of the most disjointed books I have ever read. He is all over the place. He makes a good point and then it becomes very discombobulated over and over. He uses terms that are completely unnecessary and thus distort whatever he is trying to say. I continuously had to reread paragraph after paragraph to try and “stay in the ball game” – to no avail. Stay away from this book unless you have some kind of magical “crystal ball” to interpret what he is expressing.
DR DEEN –
It articulated the most important aspects of African American Religion in a very useful manner. It is great as a quick and accurate reference.
Jasmine Cunningham –
He’s too all over the place. He could’ve worded differently. He used words in places he didn’t have too. It’s like reading a very loose theory. It’s like he writes as he thinks. It should be cheaper. I honestly wish I could get a refund.
amare –
This short accessible book accomplished its aim: to distill the thesis of the author’s 2003 text “Terror and Triumph: The Nature of Black Religion.” Pinn’s concise recapitulation of the main themes and arguments of the longer project is a felicitous primer for the thesis of Terror and Triumph and provides a compelling reconceptualization of African-American religion. Highly recommended!
Anony –
An excellent primer for someone approaching African American religious studies, presenting a well-reasoned praxis of engagement.