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July/August 1996--National BLACK MONITOR
"African American people are faced
today with the most serious challenge
to the quality of life in our communities
since slavery!"
That is the assessment of seven of the
“heads of our Historically Black Church
Denominations. They are, therefore, mov
ing together in an unprecedented way this
summer and fall to organize among the
members of all of their congregations what
they are calling @ GIDEON ARMY of their
"Holy Bold" membersto undertake awhole
range of spiritual, economic, educational,
and political initiatives that they now feel
we must launch by ourselves and for our
selves.
A brief review of the history of these
Black churches will establish freedom and
self-determination as traditions among
Black religious groups.
The National Baptist Convention
U.S.A,, Inc. was founded September 24,
1895. One hundred years later, it is the
largest body of African American Chris
tians in the world (8.2 million) and the
fourth largest denomination in the United
States.
Atfirst, Black Baptists maintained affilia
tion with the established associations, the
state conventions and the national de
nomination. By 1834, a new spirit of inde
pendence and self-determination was evi
dentand anew spirit of cooperationamong
local Black Baptists began to emerge.
Separate organizations sprang up on the
local, state and regional levels. The new
denomination came of age when the For
eign Mission Convention (1880), the Na
tional Baptist Education Convention
(1893), and the American National Baptist
Convention (1886) merged to form the
National Baptist Convention U.S.A.
The constitution and programs of the
NBC reflected the commitment of the
Black leaders to develop a denomination
that would be uniquely relevant to the
needs of Black Baptists. The major factors
in this development were a two-pronged
thrust toward freedom and self-determi
nation. Inthe matter of doctrine and struc
ture, Black and White Baptists continued
Just as Gideon's Army of old, which focused on justice and equity for the masses in ancient Israel, won out against the numerically far superior army of oppres
sive Midianites, we can--with God's help--be modern day "Gideon Soldiers" who can do the same between now and election time on November 5.
Page6
NATIONAL BLACK CHURCH
LEADERS MOBILIZE
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to share the same beliefs.
Only two years later, disagreement sur
rounding two vitalissues arose among the
new Baptists. Those leaders who favored
the primacy of the foreign missions and
cooperation with White Baptists withdrew
to the Lott Carey Home and Foreign Mis
sion Society, which specialized in foreign
missions. This new body, however, was
never designed to be a new denomina
tion.
In 1915 a new issue arose, which did
resultin the formation of a new denomina
tion--the National Baptist Convention of
America. This issue was the control of the
National Baptist Publishing Board.
When NBC tried to establish control over
the Publishing Board, Rev. Richard Henry
Boyd, who ran the Board as a personal
business, sued the Board of NBC. The
courtawarded most of the tangible assets
to Boyd; NBC had to begin again almost
from scratch.
Underthe leadership of Rev. Elias Camp
Morris, an ex-slave, a new publishing
house was established as the Sunday-
School Publishing Board. Black Baptists
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have always zealously guarded the right
to control their own literature.
A second schism occurred in the ranks
of NBC in 1961. This time the issues cen
tered around President Joseph H.
Jackson's insistence on a policy of gradu
alism in civil rights and his refusai to honor
the rules of tenure set up by the Board of
NBC.
Two of the key figures in the opposition
to Rev. Jackson's bid for reelection be
yond tenure were Rev. Gardner C. Taylor,
pastor of Brooklyn's Concord Baptist
Church (aspirant to the presidency of
NBC), and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.,
president of SCLC. Jackson's immense
popularity thrust him back into office. The
vote was also upheld by the civil court. A
faction of the leadership and members
splitandformed the Progressive National
Baptist Convention.
In the area of civil rights Rev. King and
Rev. Ralph Abernathy were on hand to
provide strong leadership within the ranks
of the Progressive Baptists. Under this
leadership, a cooperative program known
as Funds of Renewal developed between
the American Baptist Church (White) and
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the Progressive Baptists. This program
was designed to breathe new life and vital
ity into Black Baptist schools and colieges
andto the special urban ministry projects.
The issue of the independence of the
National Baptist Publishing Board was not
solved under the auspices of the National
Baptist Convention of America. A majority
of the delegates at the 1988 national con
vention voted to break ties with he Pub
lishing Board and to start an independent
publishing board. Those whe opposed
this resoiution met in Dallas in November
1988 and organized a new denomination
--the National Missionary Baptist Con
vention.
One year after the treaty was signed that
ended the American Revolution, Richard
Allen organized a group of Blacks into a
Prayer Band in Philadelphia. With the help
and support of Absalom Jones and other
Blacks, Allen started building a house of
worship. This action met with strong op
position from the White Methodist clergy.
The building and prayer meetings were
suspended.
In November 1787, Allen, Jones and
other Black members were ushered to a
segregated section of the newly-built gal
lery in St. George Methodist Church. Many
Blacks left the church as a group. For the
next few years they met as the Free African
Society, in spite of strong opposition from
St. George's clergy andthe threat thatthey
would be "read out of church member
ship," the church was finally built.
Allen thought that the Methodist Church
offered Blacks an ideal religion. But the
majority of the members of the African
Free Society wanted to affiliate with the
Church of England [called Episcopal in
America]. In 1794 the congregation and
edifice became St. Thomas African Epis
copal Church. Absalom Jones, ordained
as the first Black Protestant priest in the
United States, became the pastor.
In the meantime, Allen had bought a
building with his own money. It was dedi
cated by theMethodist bishop as the Bethel
Methodist Church. .