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
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... early phase of this work, Irene Monroe, for her thoughtfulness, candor, wit, and energy. I am indebted to John Wright of the University of Minnesota for sharing so generously with me his time, his texts, and his encyclopedic command of ...
... early legends of Israel's monarchy still carry traditions that are stridently antimonarchical , and Israel's greatest king is a former shepherd boy moonlighting as a musician who becomes by turns a mercenary , a murderer , and a Peeping ...
... early church. The Apostle Paul boasts that most of the people in the churches he counseled at Corinth had no pretensions to noble birth or bearing: nevertheless they shall be judges in a divine tribunal at the end of the age. Later in a ...
... early-nineteenth-century American public school movement were Evangelical members of the clergy and the religious press readily published their advocacy.4 Just as Evangelical religion required that one have the experience of saving ...
... , for respectability under the Southern slave regime . The early decades of this period gave rise to a cadre of virtually independent black preachers who shepherded black congregations. Both ideologically and THE TALKING BOOK 5.
Contents
1 | |
21 | |
41 | |
49 | |
5 Exodus | 83 |
6 Ethiopia | 138 |
7 Emmanuel | 185 |
Postscript | 240 |
Notes | 247 |
Subject Index | 275 |
Scripture Index | 284 |