Understanding Black Religious Identities and Politics

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Understanding Black Religious Identities and
Politics

• Connections, Tensions, and Possibilities

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Melissa V. Harris-Lacewell

• Department of Political Science
• Program in Social Psychology
• Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and
  Culture
• Workshop on Race and Religion

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• The core values of black culture, like freedom,
  justice, equality, an African heritage, and
  racial parity at all levels of human intercourse,
  are raised to ultimate levels and legitimated in
  the black sacred cosmos...given birth and
  nurtured in the womb of the Black Church.
• -Lincoln and Mamiya

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Some Questions for Us to Consider

• Is the black church still important to
  political action?
• Can the Republican Party use faith to attract
  black voters?
• Do African Americans still have faith in politics?

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Structure of Presentation

• I will offer some background to get us to a place
  to address these questions
• The Black Church as a Political Resource
• African American Religiosity
• Content of Black Religious Ideas
• Political Possibilities

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Black Church as Political Resource Church as
Organization

• Organizational Resources Networks, Skills,
  Mobilization, Contact Opportunities
• Civil Rights Movement
• Jackson 1984, 1988 Presidential bids
• Contemporary Politics
• Psychological Resources self-esteem, internal
  efficacy, connection to God
• Church is a structure that brings actors into
  contact with one another and with resources

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Black Religiosity

• Most religious Americans
• Prophetic Social Gospel
• Conservative Private Morality
• Does Christianity encourage or discourage
  political action among African Americans?
• Opiate Theories
• Political Church Theories

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Religious Ideas

• Ideas are a church resource. Religion is an
  advice giving business.
• Centrality of Jesus
• Some possibilities
• Liberation Theology
• Social Gospel
• Prosperity Gospel
• What are the stories about Jesus told by these
  approaches and what are the political
  implications of the stories?

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Christ as Liberator

• Christ is black
• Christs essential character is the Liberator
• Christs relationship to black people is special
  and collective
• Political involvement is a religious
  responsibility
• Progressive politics

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Christ as Investment

• Christ is investment strategy
• Christ is personal life coach
• No particular teaching on race
• Relationship is individual
• More conservative politics

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Consequences for Political Activism?

• Social Gospel and Liberation Theology mandate a
  collective approach to politics that contains a
  critique of a system of inequality.
• Prosperity Gospel promotes an individualized,
  dispositional understanding, discouraging
  collective political action aimed at addressing
  the material circumstances of racial inequality.

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The Illinois Case What
Would Jesus Do?

• The Democratic primary race and the
  organizational role of churches.
• The limits of conservative religious appeals
  within black politics.

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Is the black church still relevant?

• Increasing emphasis on racial consciousness
• Black churches more socially active than white
  congregations
• 92 of black clergy nationwide advocate church
  involvement in social and political issues
• Sunday morning campaigning

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Can the GOP attract black Christians?

• Maybe...
• Distinct history means the political right does
  not own God in black politics
• But, morality wedge issues are possible
• Prosperity gospel evangelism can demobilize
• Charismatic candidate (The Clinton effect)

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Faith in Politics?

• Faith-Based Initiatives
• In 2000 Black Churches and Politics Survey 45 of
  black clergy supported government/church
  partnerships to provide social services
• Traditional Roles
• Economics, Education, Personal Salvation
• From Protest to Politics..back to protest?

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Thank You