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The Decline of African American Theology: From Biblical Faith to Cultural Captivity
Who were Jupiter Hammon, Lemuel Haynes and Daniel Alexander Payne? And what do they have in common with Martin Luther King Jr., Howard Thurman and James Cone? All of these were African American Christian theologians, yet their theologies are, in many ways, worlds apart. In this book, Thabiti Anyabwile offers a challenging and provocative assessment of the history of African American Christian theology, from its earliest beginnings to the present. He argues trenchantly that the modern fruit of African American theology has fallen far from the tree of its early predecessors. In doing so, Anyabwile closely examines the theological commitments of prominent African American theologians throughout American history. Chapter by chapter, he traces what he sees as the theological decline of African American theology from one generation to the next, concluding with an unflinching examination of several contemporary figures. Replete with primary texts and illustrations, this book is a gold mine for any reader interested in the history of African American Christianity. With a foreword by Mark Noll.
255 pages, Paperback
Published November 14, 2007
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276 people want to read
About the author
Thabiti M. Anyabwile
35 books90 followersThabiti Anyabwile (MS, North Carolina State University) is a pastor at Anacostia River Church in southeast Washington, DC. He serves as a council member of the Gospel Coalition, is a lead writer for 9Marks Ministries, and regularly blogs at The Front Porch and Pure Church. He and his wife, Kristie, have three children.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 17, 2012
I initially found the structure of the chapters made it more difficult to delve into the book. However, I think the author provides very valuable commentary on the history of African American theology. As someone who is black and British, it has sometimes been depressing to note the trajetory of theology and practice of the "black church" in the USA, especially as it has such far-reaching influence on the beliefs and practice of professing Christians from the African diaspora, worldwide and on indigenous black Africans. However, this book redressed the general lack of historical information on faithful, Bible believing teachers among black Americans in the past few centuries and clearly pointed out the development of doctrinal decline.
Liberalism and radicalism seem to have influenced African American theology deeply, however, the church in America which derives from a more Northern European ethnicity has also been deeply affected by liberalism. I think the impact of racism, in preventing US born blacks from accessing Evangelical seminaries, is probably underplayed in this book. However, the resilience of poor African Americans, with little access to literacy and education, in developing a solid, evangelical theology shines through. God's grace is shown to be sufficient in the face of injustice. The wisdom and maturity of these faithful men and women under persecution is demonstrated.
In addition, Anyabwile clearly demonstrates the dangers of removing the gospel distinctives and of devaluing the word of God, so as to defend a "cause". He traces the downward trajectory of preachers who moved the doctrinal goalposts in order to prove their point, when their faith was tested under the injustice of slavery and racial segregation. These theologians tried to change the nature of God, man and the meaning of the gospel, to suit their revolutionary ideals, and in doing so shipwrecked their own faith and that of others who believed their skewed message.
A very good read, even though not an easy read for me.
Liberalism and radicalism seem to have influenced African American theology deeply, however, the church in America which derives from a more Northern European ethnicity has also been deeply affected by liberalism. I think the impact of racism, in preventing US born blacks from accessing Evangelical seminaries, is probably underplayed in this book. However, the resilience of poor African Americans, with little access to literacy and education, in developing a solid, evangelical theology shines through. God's grace is shown to be sufficient in the face of injustice. The wisdom and maturity of these faithful men and women under persecution is demonstrated.
In addition, Anyabwile clearly demonstrates the dangers of removing the gospel distinctives and of devaluing the word of God, so as to defend a "cause". He traces the downward trajectory of preachers who moved the doctrinal goalposts in order to prove their point, when their faith was tested under the injustice of slavery and racial segregation. These theologians tried to change the nature of God, man and the meaning of the gospel, to suit their revolutionary ideals, and in doing so shipwrecked their own faith and that of others who believed their skewed message.
A very good read, even though not an easy read for me.
February 7, 2021
Have you ever gotten caught up in a conversation with someone who claims that Christianity is a white man’s religion (or the language of oppressors) and while you know that’s wrong, you didn’t really know how to respond to that? The first time I’ve encountered someone who thought that way, I was in college and had a run in with a group I came to know as Black Hebrew Israelites, who claim that they are the real descendents of the original 12 tribes of Israel and that the only people who can be saved are black or Native Americans. I had no idea how to respond to the BHIs at the time I had my run in because I was not really knowledgeable about church history or theology at the time. The truth is, Africans and Black Americans have contributed greatly to our theological history and that is what The Decline of African American Theology centers on.
When I first saw the title of this book, I was off-put, I’ll be honest. I was already coming in at a “deficit” of sorts because I had heard quite harsh criticism of Thabiti Anyabwile that was insinuating (and outright stated it at times) that he was falling prey to theological liberalism. However, over the last year, I’ve made it a point to read content from people I disagree with (or people I think I’ll disagree with), just to see what they have to say for themselves and then hold their arguments against scripture. So, I bought it and decided to read it for myself as part of my Black History Month book readings.
One thing that I appreciate about TDAAT is that Mr. Anyabwile doesn’t assume that all of his readers are coming to this book from a reformed perspective or even a deeply knowledgeable Christian perspective. His writing style is academic, yet he manages to tell as many stories of real people as he can possibly fit in. From the intro, Mr. Anyabwile says that the writing is similar to a systematic theology and I cannot think of a more accurate descriptor. Mr. Anyabwile takes a survey of teachings by Black American teachers on given topics and outlines what they arrived at. Each chapter is focused on one topic. He introduces each topic with a poem or quote from a black theologian, then gives a general overview on what a Biblical view would be on that topic (in this case, he leans on a reformed view) and then goes through the following timeline with sources from black theologians:
- Early Slavery Era through Abolition Era (1600-1865)
- Reconstruction, “Jim Crow” Segregation, Great Migration, and the “New Negro” Movement (1865-1929)
- Depression and WWII (1930-1949)
- Civil Rights Era (1950-1979)
- End of Century, Postmodern Era (1980-Present, in this case 2004)
Because theological studies were so limited for Black Americans up until the Civil Rights Era, Mr. Anyabwile’s focus was going through sermons and what written materials are still accessible today. What he found both surprised and encouraged me. Amidst a definite turn in theological perspectives after the Civil War, there was still a strong undercurrent of God preserving his people and he ultimately ends the book with some practical calls for restoring sound theology in the church today.
The theological topics Mr. Anyabwile covers are:
- “I Once Was Blind But Now I See” - The Doctrine of Revelation in the African American Experience (so this is on the Word of God)
- “A Father to the Fatherless” - The African American Doctrine of God
- “Ain’t I A Man” - African American Anthropology
- “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” - The Christology of African Americans
- “What Must I Do To Be Saved” - African American Soteriology
- “Gettin In De Spirit” - Pneumatology in the African American Experience (pneumatology is the study of the Holy Spirit)
Contrary to what you would think about the chapter titles, reformed theology is really the star of this book. One of the biggest things that stuck out to me was that the theological decline mapped out really reflected western civilization just as much as it reflected the black church (which was pointed out on pg 43). The historical context given to the theological errors that the church at large was prone to helps to give a full picture of how current events can shape theological ideals.
Another thing that was interesting for me to learn was that northerners in early American history had different theological emphases than southerners. Southerners identified strongly with Jesus’ suffering, while northerners had a stronger emphasis on God’s sovereignty.
This book is more geared towards people who are looking to learn about Black American Christian history than just looking to read theology. That said, it makes excellent theological arguments and is quite academically written. Thabiti Anyabwile minces no words in calling a spade a spade. He willingly calls out error, but still points out the good things that could potentially be learned from a teacher.
All in all, I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. I would probably be in the minority of people wishing that the book was longer so that he could touch more on solid teachers as it got closer to the modern/postmodern ages, but I think after a certain point, what I would be asking for is a book that’s twice as long. That said, I can heartily recommend it for anyone looking to learn more about Black American Christians.
When I first saw the title of this book, I was off-put, I’ll be honest. I was already coming in at a “deficit” of sorts because I had heard quite harsh criticism of Thabiti Anyabwile that was insinuating (and outright stated it at times) that he was falling prey to theological liberalism. However, over the last year, I’ve made it a point to read content from people I disagree with (or people I think I’ll disagree with), just to see what they have to say for themselves and then hold their arguments against scripture. So, I bought it and decided to read it for myself as part of my Black History Month book readings.
One thing that I appreciate about TDAAT is that Mr. Anyabwile doesn’t assume that all of his readers are coming to this book from a reformed perspective or even a deeply knowledgeable Christian perspective. His writing style is academic, yet he manages to tell as many stories of real people as he can possibly fit in. From the intro, Mr. Anyabwile says that the writing is similar to a systematic theology and I cannot think of a more accurate descriptor. Mr. Anyabwile takes a survey of teachings by Black American teachers on given topics and outlines what they arrived at. Each chapter is focused on one topic. He introduces each topic with a poem or quote from a black theologian, then gives a general overview on what a Biblical view would be on that topic (in this case, he leans on a reformed view) and then goes through the following timeline with sources from black theologians:
- Early Slavery Era through Abolition Era (1600-1865)
- Reconstruction, “Jim Crow” Segregation, Great Migration, and the “New Negro” Movement (1865-1929)
- Depression and WWII (1930-1949)
- Civil Rights Era (1950-1979)
- End of Century, Postmodern Era (1980-Present, in this case 2004)
Because theological studies were so limited for Black Americans up until the Civil Rights Era, Mr. Anyabwile’s focus was going through sermons and what written materials are still accessible today. What he found both surprised and encouraged me. Amidst a definite turn in theological perspectives after the Civil War, there was still a strong undercurrent of God preserving his people and he ultimately ends the book with some practical calls for restoring sound theology in the church today.
The theological topics Mr. Anyabwile covers are:
- “I Once Was Blind But Now I See” - The Doctrine of Revelation in the African American Experience (so this is on the Word of God)
- “A Father to the Fatherless” - The African American Doctrine of God
- “Ain’t I A Man” - African American Anthropology
- “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” - The Christology of African Americans
- “What Must I Do To Be Saved” - African American Soteriology
- “Gettin In De Spirit” - Pneumatology in the African American Experience (pneumatology is the study of the Holy Spirit)
Contrary to what you would think about the chapter titles, reformed theology is really the star of this book. One of the biggest things that stuck out to me was that the theological decline mapped out really reflected western civilization just as much as it reflected the black church (which was pointed out on pg 43). The historical context given to the theological errors that the church at large was prone to helps to give a full picture of how current events can shape theological ideals.
Another thing that was interesting for me to learn was that northerners in early American history had different theological emphases than southerners. Southerners identified strongly with Jesus’ suffering, while northerners had a stronger emphasis on God’s sovereignty.
This book is more geared towards people who are looking to learn about Black American Christian history than just looking to read theology. That said, it makes excellent theological arguments and is quite academically written. Thabiti Anyabwile minces no words in calling a spade a spade. He willingly calls out error, but still points out the good things that could potentially be learned from a teacher.
All in all, I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. I would probably be in the minority of people wishing that the book was longer so that he could touch more on solid teachers as it got closer to the modern/postmodern ages, but I think after a certain point, what I would be asking for is a book that’s twice as long. That said, I can heartily recommend it for anyone looking to learn more about Black American Christians.
August 5, 2016
A fascinating book, made especially more so because I had recently finished James Cone's "Risk's of Faith" and Francis Shaeffer's "How Should We Then Live?" Thus, I knew, for the most part, where the story ended and what the general trajectory was.
Thought the disclaimer should be unnecessary, obviously every African-American and every African-American church doesn't have the same theology. So, Anyabwile is addressing the most common strain of AA theology in the present day, and follows it back to its roots in colonial America.
I would sum the sources of the decline of African-American theology as white academic theological liberalism, Asuza Street, and Pan-Africanism embodied by Marcus Garvey. While the first (and, to a somewhat lesser extent, the second) of these sources also impacted the decline of white American theology, the unique circumstances of Reconstruction and Jim Crow African Americans made them more susceptible to the latter two. As an oppressed people, with expectations of improvement, they were ripe for a message that promised that improvement now, that turned the eyes of the church from Christ and his kingdom to us and our kingdom. Thus, we see a decline from the theological orthodoxy of antebellum African-Americans (clearly explained by Cone when he reviews antebellum slave hymns) exemplified by Jupiter Hammond, Phyllis Wheatley, and Lemuel Haynes to the word-of-faith and prosperity message so common today.
Perhaps the greatest impact of this book, for me, was to note the early African-American pastors and writers cited by Anaybwile for my future reading. I look forward to being blessed by their faithful work.
Thought the disclaimer should be unnecessary, obviously every African-American and every African-American church doesn't have the same theology. So, Anyabwile is addressing the most common strain of AA theology in the present day, and follows it back to its roots in colonial America.
I would sum the sources of the decline of African-American theology as white academic theological liberalism, Asuza Street, and Pan-Africanism embodied by Marcus Garvey. While the first (and, to a somewhat lesser extent, the second) of these sources also impacted the decline of white American theology, the unique circumstances of Reconstruction and Jim Crow African Americans made them more susceptible to the latter two. As an oppressed people, with expectations of improvement, they were ripe for a message that promised that improvement now, that turned the eyes of the church from Christ and his kingdom to us and our kingdom. Thus, we see a decline from the theological orthodoxy of antebellum African-Americans (clearly explained by Cone when he reviews antebellum slave hymns) exemplified by Jupiter Hammond, Phyllis Wheatley, and Lemuel Haynes to the word-of-faith and prosperity message so common today.
Perhaps the greatest impact of this book, for me, was to note the early African-American pastors and writers cited by Anaybwile for my future reading. I look forward to being blessed by their faithful work.
January 16, 2022
Interesting look at an area of historical theological development that I can't say I have much experience in. As a result, I'm not sure how much I can make helpful commentary on this book. I will say, though, that I was unsure of the author's decision to focus on a pretty selective group of African-American theologians. On the one hand, it helped me understand specific theologians a lot better--and I especially appreciated this with the colonial-era theologians he was quoting.
On the other hand, when it comes down to proving the author's thesis (that African-American theology has become less conservative and more liberal over time), I was left with questions. It's clear that the authors Anyabwile focuses on show this progression. But I simply don't know enough about African-American religious history to know how representative the big-name theologians were in comparison to the average African-American Christian. I would have liked to see more about that. The reader more experienced in African-American religious history may not need that to know whether such claims are true or not, but as a less-experienced history student in this regard, I would have benefited from that.
Whether Anyabwile musters enough evidence to prove his thesis, however, I certainly appreciated the in-depth look at various African-American theologians over the years and what they taught, and I found those analyses to be quite helpful.
Rating: 3.5 Stars (Good).
On the other hand, when it comes down to proving the author's thesis (that African-American theology has become less conservative and more liberal over time), I was left with questions. It's clear that the authors Anyabwile focuses on show this progression. But I simply don't know enough about African-American religious history to know how representative the big-name theologians were in comparison to the average African-American Christian. I would have liked to see more about that. The reader more experienced in African-American religious history may not need that to know whether such claims are true or not, but as a less-experienced history student in this regard, I would have benefited from that.
Whether Anyabwile musters enough evidence to prove his thesis, however, I certainly appreciated the in-depth look at various African-American theologians over the years and what they taught, and I found those analyses to be quite helpful.
Rating: 3.5 Stars (Good).
September 28, 2025
An African-American History "Must"
The idea of a book on theology may not seem attractive to casual reader, but to one curious about African-American history, this is a treasure. Dr. Anyabwile has excavated a trove of sermons, biographies and philosophies of men who have greatly impacted generations of Americans with little public awareness. ( The bibliography is a novel itself.)
There are reading challenges. Keep a dictionary handy. The author's language skills will expand your vocabulary in theological and everyday use. The depth of the chapters may seen daunting for today's 8-second-attention-span generations, but the chapters are well organized; the anecdotes binge worthy.
Two important takeaways:
1) the lives of Black Christian pastors before the 20th century are essential to know. (There we're black pastors before Martin Luther King.)
2) there are answers for people wondering why there are various Christian denominations in the black church and how they came into being.
There are several organizational benefits that facilitate the read. Among them, the delineation of differences between how Slave-era blacks understood and interacted with the Trinity; and three eras of black theology evolution -- during slavery, from Reconstruction to Civil Rights, contemporary preachers.
Not just a must-read, it's a re-read.
The idea of a book on theology may not seem attractive to casual reader, but to one curious about African-American history, this is a treasure. Dr. Anyabwile has excavated a trove of sermons, biographies and philosophies of men who have greatly impacted generations of Americans with little public awareness. ( The bibliography is a novel itself.)
There are reading challenges. Keep a dictionary handy. The author's language skills will expand your vocabulary in theological and everyday use. The depth of the chapters may seen daunting for today's 8-second-attention-span generations, but the chapters are well organized; the anecdotes binge worthy.
Two important takeaways:
1) the lives of Black Christian pastors before the 20th century are essential to know. (There we're black pastors before Martin Luther King.)
2) there are answers for people wondering why there are various Christian denominations in the black church and how they came into being.
There are several organizational benefits that facilitate the read. Among them, the delineation of differences between how Slave-era blacks understood and interacted with the Trinity; and three eras of black theology evolution -- during slavery, from Reconstruction to Civil Rights, contemporary preachers.
Not just a must-read, it's a re-read.
December 16, 2016
great mix of theology and history
Want to read
January 24, 2008I listened to an interview with the author of this book with Dr. Albert Mohler, and his book really intriged me! I hope to read it one day. :-)
December 9, 2008
An honest look at the hurdles that BLT has faced, and ultimately an enlightening glance into the hate filled, and deconstructive world of BLT.
December 21, 2009
Definitely an interesting read regarding the history of African Americans and their understanding of God. Lots of info, and gives you some things to think about. A book I'm glad I read.
Read
November 26, 2011Traces how biblically faithful theology deteriorated in African American circles over the past couple centuries & suggests solutions
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews