African American Church

What is the true nature and mission of the church? Is its proper Christian purpose to save souls, or to transform the social order? This question is especially fraught when the church is one built by an enslaved people and formed, from its beginning, at the center of an oppressed community's fight for personhood and freedom. Such is the central tension in the identity and mission of the Black church in the United States.

Ruth’s beau died - simply because he was a slave.She is determined to help other enslaved people as she assists with the Underground Railroad. Recently freed and illiterate, Ruth is hired to bake mouth-watering delicious bread in a Philadelphia bakery. Her boss Joseph is kind, handsome, and determined to put an end to slavery. She feels emotionally connected to him as they work together for a common cause. His presence is like a fresh splash of spring rain on her parched soul. However, Joseph has plans. He’s determined to make some major changes in his life. He desperately wants to ...

On September 15, 1963, the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL, was bombed, killing four young girls. Who were the perpetrators? Due to reluctant witnesses and racial prejudice, the FBI closed the case without any indictments. But as Martin Luther King, Jr., claimed, "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Bending Toward Justice is a detailed account of this key moment in our national struggle for equality and the long road to prosecuting those responsible for the tragedy, related by an author who played a major role in the investigation.

This book has two religious romance stories: In 'Dating a Single Minister', Derrick Hamilton a single Baptist minister found himself fascinated with Summer Reed a gorgeous fashion mogul. Although a mutual attraction existed between Minister Hamilton and Summer the minister maintained his involvement with another woman. The minister's ex further intensified the drama as she's accused of sabotaging Summer's entry into an elite fashion competition. And in the short story 'Megans Fools Paradise', Minister Terrell Crutchfield of Tabernacle Baptist Church deals with life consequences when his ...

There's always a man around the corner, and church trustee James Black should know - he's usually that very man. Meet a deliciously dysfunctional family in this riveting new novel, filled with intrigue, sex, and surprises.

New York Times best-selling author Carl Weber is a master at portraying unforgettable characters and complex, passionate relationships. Voluptuous Loraine Farrow is as successful as she is curvy, but life is never easy when you want to have your cake and eat it too. With her husband Leon confronting issues from his past, trouble arises on the homefront - and more drama is on the way in the form of Michael, an ex-lover desperate to rekindle his and Loraine’s once torrid flame.

In Jezebel Unhinged Tamura Lomax traces the use of the jezebel trope in the Black church and in Black popular culture, showing how it is pivotal to reinforcing men's cultural and institutional power to discipline and define Black girlhood and womanhood. Drawing on writing by medieval thinkers and travelers, Enlightenment theories of race, the commodification of women's bodies under slavery, and the work of Tyler Perry and Bishop T. D. Jakes, Lomax shows how Black women are written into religious and cultural history as sites of sexual deviation.

In 1838, a group of America’s most prominent Catholic priests sold 272 enslaved people to save their largest mission project, what is now Georgetown University. In this groundbreaking account, journalist, author, and professor Rachel L. Swarns follows one family through nearly two centuries of indentured servitude and enslavement to uncover the harrowing origin story of the Catholic Church in the United States. Through the saga of the Mahoney family, Swarns illustrates how the Church relied on slave labor and slave sales to sustain its operations and to help finance its expansion.

In the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, Pastor Andre’ Robertson had spent years kindling his legacy by preaching at New Light Missionary Baptist Church. Alongside his supportive wife, Angela, and two kids Andrea and Kayla, they all experienced peace and happiness. This all came to a halt when he was accused of raping a member of his flock. Trust and faith are tested to their limits between family, friends, and the congregation on if their pastor was falsely accused. Sin is always brewing in the pulpit and life is not always forgiving for guilty or the innocent.

Family over everything – that’s the motto in the Carson family, and no matter how life has tried to tear them down, these five brothers always find a way to put family first – but is it all a lie? They present a united front, but each brother has enough lies and secrets to rip the family apart forever. In this first installment, you meet big brother Ace: the glue that holds the brothers together, but even the most noble man can’t say no to temptation. He’s living the dream, but will his happiness last when his “temptation” decides she wants to be his main? Mason is willing to ...

In Andy Lewter's powerful novel "The Black Pontiff," a young boy from Chicago's dangerous South Side rises to become the first African American pope in history, challenging centuries of tradition and igniting a global spiritual revolution. Elijah Turner's journey begins in the gang-infested streets of Chicago, where a chance encounter with a local priest offers him an escape through education. From Catholic school to Notre Dame University, the seminary, and beyond, Elijah navigates prejudice and politics while developing his vision of a more inclusive Church. When Pope Francis dies in 2025,...

A sweeping history of one of the nation’s most important African American churches and a profound story of courage and grace amid the fight for racial justice—from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kevin Sack.

From the New York Times best-selling author of Stony the Road and one of our most important voices on the African-American experience, a powerful new history of the Black church in America as the Black community's abiding rock and its fortress.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. The nine stories in this collection feature four generations of characters grappling with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church's double standards and their own needs and passions.

After experiencing the shock of hypocrisy, legalism, infidelity, and many other soul-crushing experiences, Leah chose to leave the confines of the traditional church to find fulfillment and define true worship, spirituality, and love. Just when things appear to turn in her favor, Leah experiences yet another painful blow. Both Leah and her sister Rebbie are blindsided by a terrible heart-wrenching secret that leaves both women dejected and in despair. Will these unfavorable events trigger an even greater attempt for Leah to detach from her former responsibilities to the church? Will she ...

Discover the Church That Changed History Dive into the extraordinary story of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church—a cornerstone of faith, freedom, and social justice. This beginner’s guide is your key to understanding a denomination that shaped history, empowered communities, and inspired generations. Experience a Remarkable Journey: Follow the AME Zion Church from its humble beginnings to its pivotal role in abolition, civil rights, and education. Learn how faith and resilience transformed a people and a nation. Uncover the Heroes of the Freedom Church: Meet the towering ...

Bishop Eddie Long. A Scandal. The Black Church. What do they all have in common? The Hidden Hand of Satan BISHOP EDDIE LONG had it all – money, fame and power. Then a shocking sex scandal toppled his kingdom and shook the Black church to its core. You know the story, but a key part of it has never been told – until now. Inside the book, you’ll discover a disturbing and sinister conspiracy aimed at making African American Christians bow down at the feet of one of the most dangerous agendas ever devised. Based on court documents, government reports and sound spiritual insights, ...

Burned by his faith. Abandoned by his family. Coming out was nothing compared to finding a reason to forgive… Embittered, Lawrence Greene can't catch a break. He loathes his dead-end job, and his love life is pitiful. When his religious mother returns seeking reconciliation, he’s torn between resentment and his need to heal. As his mother fights for a place in her son's life, her presence conjures painful memories for Lawrence. But when a sexy and good-hearted man named Hakee Mitchell comes knocking, will Lawrence let go of his grief and embrace a fresh start? The Freed Church Boy is a ...

What’s done in the dark always comes to the light, doesn’t it? In part two of this jaw-dropping series, Ace's revelation has the family reeling with shock, but Paris is on cloud nine as she finally has the man of her dreams with no interruption—but will her bliss be short-lived as she and Ace struggle with choosing a hard right over an easy wrong? A lucrative record deal promises to bring Majesty the fame and fortune they’ve always dreamed of, but once the money is laid on the table, things take a treacherous detour when Danger’s true motives come spilling forth with a shock-wave ...

From the outside looking in, Deacon Devlyn Dubose is exceedingly blessed and highly esteemed. His charismatic personality and overwhelming magnetism make most instinctively gravitate toward him. He appears to be a chief example of a true man of God. However, his wife, Azrielle, has come to see him differently. She knows first-hand how fast the seemingly compassionate man can turn into a double-faced monster, a saint on Sunday but a devil in the streets. For over a year, she has lived her own double life, a contented wife in the public eye, but a prisoner to her husband’s whims behind ...