The church plays a crucial role in the emancipation experience for freed slaves. The church was a source of empowerment for the black community to come together and feel inspired for more and strength when needed. The church helped educate the black community as well as building the bond of safety and faith (Franklin & Higginbotham, 2021). Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV) talks about the importance that comes with meeting and encouraging others a strong reference to the church. The churches implemented education as the school implemented religion following the emancipation (Woodson, 1921). A common issue that came after the war included preachers taking political power over the black community, on their behalf (Woodson, 1921). Dr. Jocelyn Russel Wallace references in her presentation The Worldview Analysis (2021), how life after the war and the emancipation included a turning point of transitioning from being enslaved to freedom and what it means to survive and support their own families. An interesting take away from the reading is that prior to the emancipation, there were no records of the African American history, and only until after the emancipation were records truly kept (Whitted, 2001). The church continued to grow and bring new opportunities for the freed slaves. Ephesians 2:14 (NIV) states “for he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility”. From this the biggest takeaway can be the emphasis on reconciliation and peace, and in theory will break the divide.
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Resources
Franklin, J., Higginbotham, E. (2021). From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African
Americans. Tenth Edition.
New International Bible. (NIV) biblegateway.com
Wallace, Dr. J.R. (2021). Presentation: The Worldview Analysis
Whitted, J.A. (2001). A History of the Negro Baptists of North Carolina, Chapter II- The Work
of the Northern Societies for the Colored Baptists of North Carolina. First Edition.
Woodson, C. (1921). The History of the Negro Church. Second Edition.