AMERICAN EVANGELICALISM: TOWARD A THEOLOGICAL MODE OF STORYTELLING

Once upon a time not too long ago, religious historians told the story of American evangelical Protestantism - that staple of American religion and bedrock of American identity - as if, at best, black people were not central actors; as if, Ralph Ellison might say, they were “invisible.” At worst, the tale was told as if black folks existed not at all; as if black folks were not historical subjects; as if, both as a group and as distinct persons, they were persone non gratae.

But a new breed of religious historian eventually arose, and new questions dawned. The new breed recognized the incompleteness of their inherited story of American religion, generally, and American evangelicalism, particularly. The saga had to clarify the signal importance of black folks, account for chattel slavery, and foreground the rise of black evangelicalism.