This presentation and roundtable discussions will examine the historical and contemporary role that Negro Spirituals, Black Church Music, and Contemporary Gospel have played as instruments for adult education and revolutionary spiritual development among adults.  The Round Tables comprised of scholars, students, Christians, and others who will discuss the historical roots of Black American music and how the balance between secular artistry and the movement of the charismata may conflict with their messaging designed for a diverse range of parishioners (emerging adults and church Elders) juxtaposition those outside the more formal religious spaces of African American worship and discipleship praxis.  Participants will deconstruct the impact of social media and mass media as vehicles for propaganda that has led to or promoted a phenomenon described as the "generation of the unchurched." We will also examine the fallout of singing the Life Every Voice and Sing as part of the 2024 NFL Superbowl during Black History Month.  In our analysis, we will deconstruct the Gospel Music origins of the song dubbed the Black National Anthem and its implication for triggering outcries about its performance and lyrics at the annual event.  We will explore how scholarship and empirical research might be introduced to pastoral staff and volunteers to enhance relevant civic and community engagement grounded in faith-based teaching and values.

Read the full article "Instructional Perspectives of Christian Educators in the Black Church"

Join us in person or online using a secure virtual link.

Contact:  Dr. Lisa Brown, Dreeben School of Education
Email: lrbrown5@uiwtx.edu