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The Augusta News-Review - February 23,1980 -
A Chronology Os Blacks And Christianity
Christianity originating in Bethlehem with the birth of Christ, is one of the three
religions of the world which hold that God is Divine, an Infinite Being and supremely
good; that He created the world, is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. The
other two faiths: Judaism, the religion of the Jews, which took shape in Palestine
several thousands of years ago; and Islam, the religion of the Muslims, which was
founded in Mecca c. 570 A.D. by Mohammad, the prophet.
Before the advent of these three monotheistic religions, Menes, c. 3100 8.C., and
Ikhnaton, c. 1357 8.C., two Ethiopian kings who reunified Egypt and became
pharaohs, were the first recorded proponents of the One God concept.
The following log will chronologically trace Black Christianity from its prehistory in
North Africa down through the continent to the New World across the Atlantic
Ocean.
- ’OOO 8.C.-Makeda (Sheba)
Queen of Ethiopia, gave birth to
King Solomon's son, Menelik,
thus creating a link between the
royal family and sons of the
nobles of Israel.
lst-4th Century A.D.-Christian
ity is introduced in North Africa.
3rd Century A.D.-St. Cyprian,
the Bishop of Carthage, wrote
On the Unity of the Catholic
Church. He died a martyr.
307 A.D.-Constantine became
the first Christian emperor and
declared it the state religion in
325 Until this time, mission
aries in North Africa practiced
with the constant spectre of per
secution and great personal
danger.
325 A.D.—King Ezana is convert
ed to Christianity and the Ethio
pian Orthodox (Coptic) Church is
established.
354 A.D.-543 A.D.-Nubia
(Sudan) becomes the birthplace
of the Christian Church among
blacks by the arrival of an emis
sary from the royal court of
Egypt, which, at that time, prac
ticed the religion. Many
churches were built and mass
conversions made
354-430 A.D.-St. Augustine, re
garded by theologians as the
founder of theology, is Bishop of
Hippo. His writings continue to
influence Catholics.
6th-15th Century-Little activity
relevant to the Black Christian
Church was recorded. Spain and
Portugal were powerful colon
izers Recognizing this, and at
tempting to minimize conflict
between the two powers, Pope
Alexander VI reserved Africa
(west of the Cape Verde Desert)
and Brazil for exploration by Por
tugal; to Spam, he gave America
and the Philippines. Hence, the
early Catholic missionaries in
Africa were Portuguese.
1520-Prince Dorn Hennque is
the first Kongolese ordained a
Catholic bishop. Schools,
churches and other reforms were
ineffective in the expansion of
Christianity after his death
1523—The Reformation (or re
volt) created Protestantism (pro
testers) from the Catholic faith,
and opened the continent of Afri
ca to an "invasion" of mission
anes from almost all of Europe's
many sects. Deep inroads into
the indigenous religions were
not significant until the 18th
century.
The dominant force during the
17th and 18th centuries in Africa
and the American colonies was
the slave trade There were,
however, some notable efforts in
Christianizing blacks on both
continents:
1693—Reverend Cotton Mathers,
a founder of Yale University, or
ganized a "Society for Negroes"
He advised the slaves "... to be
good and faithful servants in
order to enjoy the great privi
leges of Heaven "
1701—To counteract the success
that the Methodists, Baptists
and Presbyterians (to a lesser
degree) were having with the un
derclass (including slaves) in the
colonies, the Church of England
formed the Society for the Prop
agation of the Gospel in Foreign
Parts Slaves were required to
declare, under oath, that their
conversion was for the
"hereafter"
1726—Exhorters (untrained min
isters or evangelists who were
well versed in the Bible) met
with great success in proselytiz
mg free blacks in the North, and
overseers and (clandestinely)
slaves in the South.
1744—Jacobus Eliza Johannes
Capitein was the first African to
receive Protestant ordination. As
a member of the Dutch Re
formed Church, he was appoint
ed Chaplain at Cape Coast.
1764 Christian Protten, a Euro
pean educated Ghanaian, pro
duced a grammar in the Fanti
language that included selec
tions from the Bible.
1765 Philip Quaque, ordained
by the Church of England, was
responsible for the religious
training of the Negroes on the
Gold Coast. He served the diffi
cult post for 50 years. Moravians
developed a mission in Barba
dos By the end of the century,
they had converted close to four
thousand slaves.
1772-Slavery was essentially
abolished in England by a judi
cial decree.
1773—The first black Baptist
church was founded at Silver
Bluff, South Carolina.
1779 The House of Commons in
England passed a law that al
lowed priests to allot time, each
Sunday, to the instruction of
slaves. This was not fully trans
mitted however, to the West
Indies-the remaining British
colonies in the Americas, until
1815
1780- Lemuel Haynes was li
censed to preach in the Con
gregational Church. Because he
was a gifted preacher, George
Liele was permitted, by his mas
ter, to preach at different times
to slaves and whites. After man
umission, he baptized his wife,
Hannah, Andrew Bryan, Kate
Hogg and Hogar Simpson. They
became the founders of the First
African Baptist Church in Savan
nah, Georgia.
1782 Rev Harry (Black Harry)
Hosier became the assistant to
Rev. Francis Asbury, the first
bishop of the Methodist Episco
pal Church in the U.S. Rev. Ho
sier also founded the circuit
Rider System.
1783 By the end of the Revolu
tionary War, all of the members
of the Society of Friends
(Quakers) had manumitted their
slaves.
1786 Due to the Church of En
gland’s laxity in mounting an or
ganized Christianizing program
in the West Indies, Moses Baker,
George Liele, George Lewis and
George Gibbo, black mission
aries from the U.S., were able to
engage in effective conversions
by preaching to the slaves. It
was finally prohibited by the gov
ernment for tear of instilling an
attitude of equality in the slaves.
1787 The Clapham Sect re
ceived cooperation from the
British government to establish
a settlement in Sierra Leone.
Liberated slaves were among the
411 passengers to form a nu
cleus for taking Christianity and
"civilization” to Africa. Richard
Allen and Absalom Jones orga
nized the Free African Society. It
was the first black organization
dedicated to assisting widows,
orphans, the sick, and indigent
blacks.
1789- The first Methodist Meet
ing house was built on Barbados.
It acquired few adherents and
was deeply resented by the
settlers.
1792—Twelve hundred Nova Sco
tians joined the Sierra Leone
Company. "Uncle Jack"
preached to appreciative white
audiences that raised a fund for
his freedom.
1794—St. Thomas African Epis
copal Church and Bethel Church
were founded by Jones and Allen,
and dedicated by Bishop Asbury.
Although repeated persecutions
were visited upon him. his fol
lowers and any slaves who cared
to hear him preach. Andrew
Bryan refused to become bitter;
instead, he prayed for those who
abused him The sympathy he
thus aroused created a greater
freedom for worship and allowed
him to rebuild the First African
Baptist Church. He added the
Second. Third and Fourth African
Baptist Churches to aid and en
hance the religious life of blacks
in Georgia
The Nineteenth Century was wit
ness to a tremendous surge in
the attempt to Christianize
blacks Abolitionist societies'
successful efforts to save bodies
by halting the slave trade caused
attention to focus upon saving
souls.
1800— The First African Method
ist Episcopal Zion Church was
constructed in New York City. It
was the first black-administered
church in the city. Rev. James
Varick was its first pastor. He,
along with others, decided to
separate from the Methodist
Episcopal Church after suffering
some indignities during a
sermon.
c.lßol—John Chavis was made a
missionary to the slaves by the
Presbyterian Church after having
been tutored by Dr Witherspoon
of Princeton University. After the
"black Faws" were passed in
1832, he established a school in
North Carolina.
1807—Rev. John Glouster found
ed the first black administered
church in Philadelphia.
1810-1811-Rev. Joseph Bishop,
an eloquently impressive minis
ter to a racially mixed church in
Virginia, became pastor of the
Abyssinian Baptist Church in
New York-the first black Baptist
church in the free states.
Page 4
1816—Black Methodists were the
first to establish a national
church. This was done during a
meeting in Philadelphia. Rev.
Richard Allen became its bishop
elect. The Vesey (1822) and
Turner (1831) insurrections in
hibited its growth, somewhat,
until the "black laws" were
repealed.
1820- Liberia was founded and
supported by the American Colo
nization Society for the purpose
of settling",. free persons of
color on the African Continent."
Rev. Lott Carey was the first
American missionary sent to Li
beria after having bought his
freedom seven years earlier.
1821- AMEZ became a national
body with Rev. James Varick as
its first bishop.
1826-B—Rev Carey adminis
tered the affairs of the Liberian
Settlement; first as vice agent,
then as administrator until his
death from an explosion.
1830- The first national conven
tion of black men, organized by
Rev. Richard Allen, was held in
Philadelphia.
1831— Legislation permitted free
“coloreds'' in Barbados to vote.
Nine years later, anyone could be
elected to the House of
Assembly.
1834—Slavery was formally abol
ished throughout the British Do
minion. The ambitious education
program developed by the
Church of England for the slaves
had founded twenty-one
churches and chapels, and 154
schools on Barbados.
1837—The Anglican Church Mis
sionary Society established a
settlement for freed slaves at
Frere Town, (Mombasa) Kenya.
1843-Samuel Johnson Prescod
was the first black Barbadian in
the Assembly.
Mid-1800s-David Livingston,
aided by Tippu Tip and Chuma
(Livingston’s "man Friday"), ex
plored the African interior and
paved the way for missionaries
to evangelize the interior around
1878. Bombay, a native of Zan
zibar, was also instrumental in
aiding Stanley, Cameron. Burton
and Speke for the same purpose
1853-73-Dr. Alexander Crum
well served as clergyman and ed
ucator in Sierra Leone and Li
beria. From 1873 until his death,
he was a prolific writer and
speaker throughout leading
cities in the States.
1857—Bishop Samuel Ajaye
Crowther, first black bishop of
the Church of England, founded
the Niger Mission.
18605-1900-Workers fromJa
maica and Antigua formed a
small Christian community on
the west coast of Africa. Mis
sions were formed with mixed
success throughout the area
Others were formed by Catholic
and Protestant orders at a tre
mendous toll: close to nine
hundred members were lost in
about sixty years of
Christianizing.
1860- French Catholic mis
sionaries established three
schools and a technical center in
Tanzania.
1861- missionaries
were the first to proselytize in
Malawi.
1868-The first Christian mission
was founded in Bagamo, Tanzan
ia by the Holy Ghost Fathers of
France. Others quickly followed
to achieve a balance of the Cath
olic and Protestant faiths.
1870— The first Zulu pastor was
ordained by American mission
anes Black members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
South, broke away to form the
Colored Methodist Episcopal
Church. This was a direct result
of the evangelistic work that the
M. E. Church did among the
(then) slaves.
1877—Christianity was intro
duced into hostile Uganda. It
was recorded that forty-five mis
sionaries suffered martyrdom
until the establishment of a Brit
ish administration in 1894.
1883 -American missionaries
translate the Bible into the Zulu
language
1886-Ricketts and Scholl, two
black missionaries from the
Northern Baptist Organization,
were appointed to the Congo.
The National Baptist Convention
was created in St. Louis. It
served.to consolidate state,ff-.,.
gional and missionary bodies
into a whole.
Mt. Canaan honors Rev. Irvin
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THE REV. ANDREW JOHNSON (right), pastor of
First Mt. MoriaJi Baptist Church, was the featured
speaker for the seventh appreciation program Sunday
honoring the Rev. Clyde Hill, pastor of Mt. Calvary
Local ministers celebrate Paine College Day
The Augusta Baptist
Ministers Conference
celebrated Paine College Day
Sunday, Feb. 17.
Although Paine is supported
principally by the United
Methodist and Christian
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THE REV. NATHANIEL IRVIN is presented with a gift at appreciation left. The Rev. R.V. Sims was the speaker.
program honoring his 21 years as pastor of Greater Mount Canaan Baptist Mrs. May dine Cummings was mistress of ceremonies.
Church. Member Bennie Brown makes the presentation. Mrs. Irvin is at
1887-In addition to being a
statesman and educator for Li
beria. Edward Wilmot Blyden bad
published Christianity, Islam and
the Negro.
1899-James (Holy) Johnson was
appointed assistant bishop of
the Niger Delta Church
Pastorate.
Methodist Episcopal Churches,
over 60 percent of the Paine
College student body is
Baptist. The aptist ministers
in Augusta started Paine
College Day to show their
support of the school.
Mt, Canaan salutes Rev, Hill
1900—John Chilembwe of Ma
lawi. a graduate of the Virginia
Theological Seminary and Col
lege, established the first inde
pendent (black) African operat
ed mission in his homeland His
martyrdom in the Chilembwe Re
bellion of 1915 encouraged his
countrymen to produce more
teachers, evangelists and
artisans.
Baptist Church. The Rev. Jerry Poole, pastor Trinity
C.M.E., was master of ceremonies. The Rev. Hill is seated
below with his family.
The Rev. J.S. Wright,
minister at Macedonia Baptist
Church was the principal
speaker.
Other ministers participating
in the service were: the Rev.
D.W. Hickson, Friendship
So, the circle comes full. We know that the majority of
Black America’s ancestors practiced well-developed
religions that were rich in gods; however, there
generally was one all powerful Supreme Being. When
the slaves in the New World were first imported, a
serious effort to Christianize them was begun. Many
captives readiiy accepted the new faith because of
Baptist Church; the Rev.
Johnny Bussey, Mount Zion
Baptist Church; the Rev. J.D.
Williams, Spirit Creek Baptist
Church; the Rev. E.H. Whitley
Sr., Mount Zion AMEZ
Church.
some of the striking similarities between the new and
the old.
The phenomenal growth of the Baptist and Method
ist denominations among blacks is attributed to the
high emotionalism involved in the evangelical form of
Christianity which has done much to fashion the
present form of worship.
Baptists
come to
college’s aid
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The
99-year-old National Baptist
Convention USA, Inc. voted to
give $150,000 to financially
strained Bishop College of
Dallas during the annual
mid-winter board of directors
meeting here recently.
For years President JU.
Jackson of Chicago, president,
has bemoaned the lack of
support for black educational
institutions in this country.
It is commonly believed
around the country that unless
Bishop, one of the oldest black
colleges, would have had to
close its doors, unless aid came
forward.
The $150,000 from the
Convention will go to Bishop
in three donations of $50,000
over three years.
When the Convention meets
in Birmingham in September,
which will also be the 100th
anniversary of the Convention,
it is anticipated that some
SIOO,OOO will be raised
through pledges, which also is
for education purposes.
The Convention
headquarters at Bethel Baptist
Church, 1629 32nd Ave.
North; Mrs. Bessie Estelle,
retired school principal and
Birmingham city
councilwoman is the
co-chairperson.
Mrs. Estelle reported a
reception would be held for
the officers and delegates, and
all sessions will be at the Bush
Civic Center, with the Women’s
department, headed by Dr.
Mary O. Ross of Detroit, meet
at the Municipal Auditorium.
She said, “Birmingham is no
loneer a citv of bull dogs and
Bull Conners, and is now
indicative of a “big change.”
She called the coming of
40,000 Baptists to Birmingham
“a challenge for the 600,000
Baptists of Alabama.
Among other reports during
the board sessions were those
from Dr. William J. Harvey of
Philadelphia on foreign
missions; Mrs. Grace Burt
Taylor of St. Louis on the
production (pageant) to be
presented on Friday evening of
the Convention.
This was reported to be one
of the largest turn-outs ever to
attend the Board Meeting in
this city of Hotels and Bath
Houses. Mrs. Johnnie Howard
Franklin of St. Louis directed
pre-convention musical on
Tuesday evening to a packed
auditorium.
The Convention will meet in
Tusia, Okla, in 1981; Miami
Beach, Fla., in 1982, and
Detroit has invited the Baptists
for 1983. The vice presidents
are Rev. Dr. E. Doyle Billups
of Baton Rouge, La.; Rev. dr.
David Matthews of Indianola,
Miss., and Rev. Dr. Manuel
Scott of Los Angeles.