An Anthropological View of Black Spiritual Churches in Nashville, Tennessee

Bibliographic Data

ID6013193
AuthorsH A Baer (0000-0001-8119-4051, St. John's University, corresponding author)
Year1980
Volume2
Issue2
Pages53-63
Publication date1980-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCentral Issues in Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0739-7917 • E-ISSN: 1937-6227
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1525/cia.1980.2.2.53
OpenAlexW1992122507
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited8

This article focuses attention on an essentially neglected religious movement in the Black community, namely those groups which refer to themselves as “Spiritual.” Since so little is known about Black Spiritual churches, the development and religious beliefs and practices of these groups is briefly examined. It will be noted that Spiritual churches have incorporated elements from a number of religious traditions, including Protestantism, Spiritualism, Catholicism, and Voodooism. As a result of this syncretistic process, they have created an essentially new and unique religious tradition, which for the most part has been overlooked by anthropologists and other social scientists. Based on participant‐observation fieldwork among Spiritual groups in a southern city, this article considers the multifaceted role of Spiritual churches in the Black community

Protestantism · Sociology · Spiritualism · Spirituality · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Philosophy · Race, History, and American Society · Religious studies · Religious Studies

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