Introducing African American Religion

Anthony B. Pinn is Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University, USA. His books include Terror and Triumph: The Nature of Black Religion (2003) and Varieties of African American Religious Experience (1999).

"An informed, very accessible text that provides a useful window into the broad sweep of African American religious life." - Larry G. Murphy, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, USA"This is a fine text, providing historical, thematic, and contemporary portraits of African American religion. An accomplished scholar, teacher, and author, Pinn provides a comprehensive treatment including Protestantism, Catholicism, and non-Christian traditions." - Sandy Dwayne Martin, University of Georgia, USA"Textbooks on broad topics rarely have the quality of being both lucid and engaging. Introducing African American Religion has certainly accomplished this feat, and without sacrificing any of the crucial points needed to grasp the range and scope of Black faith traditions." - Zain Abdullah, Temple University, USA"Pinn is a major scholar who has given us a work that for the first time embraces the entire span of the African American religious experience, not simply that which is uniquely African American. As such, it highlights the complexity of that experience in its lengthy interaction both with African and American religious cultures." - Peter W. Williams, Miami University (Ohio), USA

• Section One: The Nature, Origins, and Historical Overview of African American Religion 1. What Is African American Religion? 2. Africans in the Americas 3. Beginnings of African American Religion 4. African American Religion in the 19th Century 5. African American Religion in the 20th Century Section Two: Major Themes in African American Religion 6. Worldly Change, or a New World? 7. Religion, Race, and Racism 8. The Question of Gender 9. Dreams of Democracy 10. African American Religion and Economics 11. Liberation Theology Section Three: Issues and Concerns in Contemporary African American Religion 12. Sex and Sexuality 13. Hip Hop and the New ‘Look’ of Religion 14. The New ‘Nones’. Chronology. Glossary. Additional Resources.