Streams of Spirituality: Six Traditions in the Black Church

Abstract

African American Christian spirituality is a dynamic river with many streams. Unfortunately, the diversity of African American or Black spirituality is relatively under-examined in the academic field of Christian spirituality. Building on the work of Richard Foster, Robert M. Franklin, and Cheryl J. Sanders, this article offers a select examination of some of the diverse traditions or streams of spirituality within the Black Protestant church in the U.S. context. Specifically, the essay considers six streams of spirituality in the Black church: contemplative, liberationist, womanist, Holiness, Pentecostal/charismatic, and evangelical.