The Decline of Black Men's Attendance In Church:


Book Description

"Ecclesiastical Dissonance" explores the profound challenge of the absence of Black men in contemporary Black churches in the United States. Using empirical data, historical analysis, and biblical exploration, the book unveils the factors contributing to the decline in Black male participation in church services from the 1960s to the present. It also examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing a longstanding challenge. The narrative delves into national implications, and historical and biblical dimensions, and presents statistical data for understanding absenteeism effects and potential solutions. In a compelling call to action, the book invites readers to actively engage in this crucial conversation and offers opportunities for further involvement. For inquiries and engagement, contact the author at [email protected]. Join the dialogue to foster understanding and drive meaningful change within the ecclesiastical landscape.




The Nones


Book Description

In The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going, Second Edition, Ryan P. Burge details a comprehensive picture of an increasingly significant group--Americans who say they have no religious affiliation. The growth of the nones in American society has been dramatic. In 1972, just 5 percent of Americans claimed "no religion" on the General Social Survey. In 2018, that number rose to 23.7 percent, making the nones as numerous as both evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics. Every indication is that the nones will be the largest religious group in the United States in the next decade. Burge illustrates his precise but accessible descriptions with charts and graphs drawn from more than a dozen carefully curated datasets, some tracking changes in American religion over a long period of time, others large enough to allow a statistical deep dive on subgroups such as atheists or agnostics. Burge also draws on data that tracks how individuals move in and out of religion over time, helping readers to understand what type of people become nones and what factors lead an individual to return to religion. This second edition includes substantial updates with new chapters and current statistical and demographic information. The Nones gives readers a nuanced, accurate, and meaningful picture of the growing number of Americans who say that they have no religious affiliation. Burge explains how this rise happened, who the nones are, and what they mean for the future of American religion.




Why Men Hate Going to Church


Book Description

“Church is boring.” “It’s irrelevant.” “It’s full of hypocrites.” You’ve heard the excuses—now learn the real reasons men and boys are fleeing churches of every kind, all over the world, and what we can do about it. Women comprise more than 60% of the adults in a typical worship service in America. Some overseas congregations report ten women for every man in attendance. Men are less likely to lead, volunteer, and give in the church. They pray less, share their faith less, and read the Bible less. In Why Men Hate Going to Church, David Murrow identifies the barriers keeping many men from going to church, explains why it’s so hard to motivate the men who do attend, and also takes you inside several fast-growing congregations that are winning the hearts of men and boys. In this completely revised, reorganized, and rewritten edition of the classic book, with more than 70 percent new content, explore topics like: The increase and decrease in male church attendance during the past 500 years Why Christian churches are more feminine even though men are often still the leaders The difference between the type of God men and women like to worship The lack of volunteering and ministry opportunities for men The benefits men get from attending church regularly Men need the church but, more importantly, the church needs men. The presence of enthusiastic men is one of the surest predictors of church health, growth, giving, and expansion. Why Men Hate Going to Church does not call men back to church—it calls the church back to men.




The Whole Man


Book Description

Written by Christian Black men who speak to common issues that many men face, these 40 devotions support the spiritual development of your whole self. Organized in four sections, the head (mental health and theological truth), heart (emotional health and relationships), hands (vocation and physical health), and soul (spiritual health and community) are addressed. Prayer and reflection questions help you apply each message to those areas of your life.




Black and Not Baptist


Book Description

Known only to each other, they walk among us, invisible and undetected. Now, the secret is out! Atheists exist in the African American community. In the African American community there is an unspoken rule to never air dirty laundry in public, and for years the inner workings of the black community stayed hidden beneath a veil of dark silence, but with integration came a mingling of the races and now few secrets remain. Now, there is one there is one less. Not only do black nonbelievers exist, they walk unnoticed among the "true-believers" along with a host of other religious skeptics and freethinkers. Any hint of atheism or freethought in the African American community remain virtually invisible, camouflaged by indignant denial and indistinct expressions, which help conceal clear atheistic, agnostic or freethought connections . Despite more than 90% of African Americans claiming Christianity, Black and Not Baptist explores how there is a significant chasm between belief and behavior with a searing look at the statistics for adultery, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, gambling and other social problems in both the white and black communities. In the manner of Norm Allen's African American Humanism: An Anthology, Black and Not Baptist exposes another side of the black religious experience with the individual stories of black atheists and agnostics, including a historical and current listing of black freethinkers and nonbelievers similar to Warren Allen Smith's Who's Who in Hell.




300 PLUS YEARS of SACRIFICE, STRUGGLE, FAITH and PERSEVERANCE


Book Description

This book is the result of years of contemplating the story of the Black Church and their progress over more than 300 years. It was written in a simple style and easy to read format. It is intended to tell the story of the slaves and the progression of their church and their strong unwavering faith in their God. The book and its contents are not meant to be disturbing to any group. The book is intended to be read by the average Christian who may want to be more informed about the history of Black Church in the colonies and later in the fledging states. This is not pretty story it presents the slavery story in details as a remembrance about the horrors of slavery for all. The author identified the original denominations, groups and churches which constitutes the original Black Church. He provided a sampling of the heroes and heroines of the Church. This is a good well written book which can be useful in many ways It contains some firsthand knowledge about the civil rights issues of the 1960s and earlier. The relevance of the Black Church today is discussed. The author commented on the relevancy of churches today and the tasks which lay ahead for them in the future. The author's conclusion and recommendations have been developed throughout his reading and through his own experience as a church planter.




Something Within


Book Description

One of the first book-length studies in decades solely devoted to religion and African-American political activism, Something Within explores how Afro-Christianity encourages political activism among African-Americans. Combining ethnography, history, contextual analysis, and survey research, this book illustrates the participatory effects of Afro-Christianity by examining its institutional, psychological, and cultural influences. Moving beyond the current debates on the subject, Fredrick C. Harris advances a new theory of religion as a political resource for a "civic culture in opposition."




The Black Church in the African American Experience


Book Description

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




Christianity Exposed


Book Description

The author is at a place where many fear and don’t want to go, but in order to know and prepare for what may be coming, it requires awareness without fear. He speaks about those early white scholars who have historically used misinformed evil theories with no scientific evidence but only bias, misguided, and subjective opinions. What pursued was centuries of death, murder, and violence against the people of the world, and since then, religion would no longer be the cornerstone of American civilization. He takes the nations historical path to bring attention to the uncontrolled effects of violence in our society and confronts the origins of Christianity and delves into the beginning of its development by a violent empire and not far from the death of Jesus. These evil men created a belief system bent on world domination and control using religion, violence, scriptures, and the cross. He reveals the dawning days of Christian faith in the world and the obvious loss of morality in the western American society today at the apex of this Christian wickedness.




The 'Empty' Church Revisited


Book Description

When did churches start to appear more empty than full - and why? The very physicality of largely empty churches and chapels in Britain plays a powerful role in popular perceptions of 'religion'. Empty churches are frequently cited in the media as evidence of large scale religious decline. The 'Empty' Church Revisited presents a systematic account of British churchgoing patterns over the last two hundred years, uncovering the factors and the statistics behind the considerable process of decline in church attendence. Dispelling as myth the commonly held views that the process of secularization in British culture has led to the decline in churchgoing and resulted in the predominantly empty churches of today, Gill points to physical factors, economics and issues of social space to shed new light on the origins of empty churches. This thoroughly updated edition of Robin Gill's earlier work, The Myth of the Empty Church, presents new data throughout to explore afresh the paradox of church building activity in a context of decline, the patterns of urbanisation followed by sub-urbanisation affecting churches, changes in patterns of worship, and changes within the sociology of religion in the last decade.