The Rise of the Black Church in America
Church history is saturated with our African ancestors who have contributed to the rich Christian legacy we experience today. One of the earliest record of Blacks in the New Testament occurs after the death and resurrection of Christ in Acts 8:37. Here, we read how Phillip, the Evangelist and Apostle, evangelized to the Ethiopian eunuch as he returned home from Jerusalem. Moving into the first century, Tertullian, an African theologian from Carthage, now known as Tunisia, was one of the earliest known Black Christians who lived from 155 AD to 220 AD. His writings on the trinity is still incorporated in many theological teachings today. Lactantius, another African Christian scholar was from Cirta, Numidia. He lived from 250 AD to 325 AD and is credited for writings geared toward the apologetics of the faith against Hellenistic philosophers.
In America, there were numerous men and women who paved the way for us to experience religious freedom. Slaves, many from West Africa, were displaced from their homeland all to advance the American dream. They were often savagely beaten, raped, forced into hard labor, and murdered, so that their slave owners could live lavish lifestyles through the works of their hands, sweat and tears.
In the 18th century, Methodist and Baptist preachers started what is known as the Second Great Awakening. The movement, geared toward the poor and uneducated slaves, was eventually adopted in the wider Christian faith. It was a time of great revival among Protestant Christians, who focused on righteous and moral living through salvation in Christ. Reverend John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, vehemently opposed slavery and made it his task to reach out to enslaved people. His stance was strong and unwavering as he prohibited slave owners from joining the congregation.
The message of the church was to focus on the inner life of holiness and building a relationship with Christ. As preachers spread the gospel, evangelism drove the abolitionist movement, as many embraced the message that there is “neither Jews or Gentiles, bond or free, but we are one in Christ” (Galatians 3:28). Slaves experienced true liberation of the mind knowing they were equal with their slave owners. Slave owners resisted the notion as they saw slaves as property and a means for economic stability through their servitude. They believed that such empowerment through scripture would only lead to rebellion, threatening their livelihood.
As the gospel spread throughout the colonies, slaves, such as Harry Hosier, travelled with his White counterpart, Bishop Francis Asbury, another Methodist bishop, who provided him a platform to preach the gospel. Although Mr. Hosier’s primary responsibility was to drive Bishop Asbury to his preaching engagements, it was undeniable that his gift of speaking mesmerized his mixed audience. Even more remarkable was the fact that Mr. Hosier was illiterate, and when offered the opportunity to learn to read and write, he refused. He believed that God’s power was made manifest through his “weakness” of not being able to read and write.
While the abolition of slavery was gradually accepted in the north, freed slaves made their journey to states such as Philadelphia – the city of “brotherly love” – but would further encounter resistance from many Whites in the region. They found themselves working in jobs that required them to be indentured for extensive periods.
Unfortunately, the freedom experienced by many Blacks in the “church” remained a source of contention for their White counterparts. During one of the church services at St. George’s Methodist Church, in the midst of prayer, two Black freed preachers knelt to pray, as it was their custom. Reverend Absalom Jones and Reverend Richard Allen were approached while praying by two White trustees. As the trustees began to forcefully require Reverend. Jones to move from his seat and retreat to the balcony, both men refused, and removed themselves and the other black congregants from the church. Shortly after, Reverend Allen started Bethel Methodist Church and purchased the building.
While facing a plethora of unscrupulous challenges from the Whites trying to trick them by purchasing the building, which proved to be unsuccessful, Reverend Allen and his black congregants were resolute. They would not be bullied, intimidated, or outwitted. In fact, their fight to maintain their independence was fought and won in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The Court ruling declared Reverend Allen and his church free from the White Methodist Church; and, in 1816, the first Black independent denomination, known as the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, was established.
The Black church continued to grow, and in 1906, a preacher by the name of William J. Seymour, began what is famously known as the Azusa Street Revival. Reverend Seymour was born May 2, 1870, in Centerville, Louisiana, and his parents were once slaves. After migrating to Cincinnati, he suffered from smallpox, which caused him to be blind in one eye. However, this physical infirmity did not deter him from preaching the gospel.
As the desire to fulfill the call of God on his life was unquenchable, he would later move to Houston, Texas where he attended a Bible school led by Charles Parham. Because there was a malodourous scent of racism due to the infamous Jim Crow law, which enforced segregation, he was only permitted to listen to lectures from the outside. He later left the school and found his way to Los Angeles, California, where he would preach in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Asbury. As the gospel gained momentum, it spread like wildfire throughout the world. People flocked to the Asbury home to hear Reverend Seymour, which was the start of Pentecostalism in America. Because the Asbury’s home was too small, they quickly moved to another location at Azusa St., which was an old two-story warehouse. This Azusa St. church is famously known as the Azusa St. revival, located at 312 Azusa St., at the Apostolic Faith Gospel Mission church.
Although the congregation was mixed, everyone joined forces to make the building a church. Thousands would come from near and far to hear him preach about God’s plan of salvation, and to experience the infilling of the Holy Ghost, as evidenced by speaking in unknown tongues. It is important to note, that although Reverend Seymour preached and taught about the infilling of the Holy Spirit, it would be several days before he also had that great encounter. Similarly, Apollos in Acts 18:24-28, was an “eloquent man, mighty in the scriptures”, but had to be taught by Aquilla and Prescilla the word of God “more perfectly.”
While the Pentecostal revival spread worldwide, it was also fraught with opposition from every hand, but the message of the gospel will not be thwarted. Jude vs. 3 reminds us that we must contend earnestly for the faith that was once delivered to the saints. The lives of these slaves have been intricately embedded in American history and can never be removed. We must teach and remind our children that they have the potential to flourish in a free society because of the unwavering faith and tenacity of Blacks who refused to buckle to the pressure of slavery.
By: Sis. Marlene Watson