Library Research Guides: AFR 243: The Black Church: Context & Overviews

Spotlight!

Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions
A 26-part audio series on gospel music conceived and hosted by Bernice Johnson Reagon and produced by National Public Radio in 1994.

Key Reference Works

Encyclopedia of African Religion [e-book]
Publication Date: 2009
A comprehensive collection of essays, discourses, ideas, and concepts in African religion.
African American Religious Cultures [e-book]
Publication Date: 2009
Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions [e-book]
Publication Date: 2001
Articles on many religions and religious practices, with good bibliographies for further reading. Currently available online through the National Emergency Library
Encyclopedia of Religion in America [e-book]
Publication Date: 2010
Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History [e-book]
Publication Date: 2005
Over 2,300 articles provide authoritative and comprehensive information about Black history, figures, and accomplishments throughout the Americas.
Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music [e-book]
Publication Date: 2010
A comprehensive reference source covering African American and white gospel music, from history and performers to recording techniques and styles, as well as the influence of gospel on different musical genres and cultural trends.
The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, Vol. 12: Music [e-book]
Publication Date: 2009
Includes essays on Black gospel, soul, spirituals, jazz and blues, R&B, dance, and much more, as well as biographical essays on artists.
The Cambridge Companion to Black Theology [e-book]
Call Number: Clapp Library BT82.7 .C36 2012
Currently available online through the National Emergency Library
The Cambridge Companion to Liberation Theology [e-book]
Call Number: Clapp Library BT83.57 .C343 2007
The publisher has granted complimentary access to the e-book through May 31, 2020

Cross-Disciplinary Reference Collections

Oxford African American Studies Center This link opens in a new window
Thousands of articles by scholars focused on the lives and events that have shaped African American and African history and culture, along with primary source documents, encyclopedias, and biographies.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Hundreds of full-text academic encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other sources for introductions to topics, definitions, or factual information. Includes subject-specific titles from art, literature, education, science, religion, history and more.