The Talking Book: African Americans and the BibleA striking narrative of the Bible’s central role in African-American history from the early days of slavery to the present The Talking Book casts the Bible as the central character in a vivid portrait of black America, tracing the origins of African-American culture from slavery’s secluded forest prayer meetings to the bright lights and bold style of today’s hip-hop artists. The Bible has profoundly influenced African Americans throughout history. From a variety of perspectives this wide-ranging book is the first to explore the Bible’s role in the triumph of the black experience. Using the Bible as a foundation, African Americans shared religious beliefs, created their own music, and shaped the ultimate key to their freedom—literacy. Allen Callahan highlights the intersection of biblical images with African-American music, politics, religion, art, and literature. The author tells a moving story of a biblically informed African-American culture, identifying four major biblical images—Exile, Exodus, Ethiopia, and Emmanuel. He brings these themes to life in a unique African-American history that grows from the harsh experience of slavery into a rich culture that endures as one of the most important forces of twenty-first-century America. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 40
... death on the cross; they claimed for themselves and their hear- ers dramatic, direct access to God's grace. These preachers proclaimed a divine salvation needed by all and available to all, boldly pitching their Gospel in the public ...
... death he rejoiced over Nineveh ” ( 14:15 ) . Nineveh , the evil capital of the Israelites ' Assyrian conquerors , had escaped judgment in the book of Jonah : there the Ninevites repented of their evil in response to Jonah's preaching ...
... death of his wife in childbirth , insists it is fitting that the name for the newborn girl that he has selected by blind bibliomancy is the name of Pilate , the man who officiated at Jesus's execu- tion . Though he " could not read a ...
... death, and its text could become noxious. The Talking Book was also a poison book. Toxic texts in the Old Testament seemed to condemn Africans and their descendants to slavery because they were Africans. Toxic texts in the New Testament ...
... death , nor life , nor principalities , nor powers , nor things present , nor things to come , should be able to separate me from the love of Christ Jesus , our Lord . " " 42 Stewart's vocation as a lay preacher of Christian virtue met ...
Contents
1 | |
21 | |
41 | |
49 | |
5 Exodus | 83 |
6 Ethiopia | 138 |
7 Emmanuel | 185 |
Postscript | 240 |
Notes | 247 |
Subject Index | 275 |
Scripture Index | 284 |