Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Arts and Humanities Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Introduction, Castellano Turner Sep 2003

Introduction, Castellano Turner

Trotter Review

This issue of the Trotter Review continues a tradition of focusing on a topic to which diverse perspectives can be brought together. The central role of the church in Black communities throughout the United States is widely acknowledged. That role goes well beyond providing a venue for worship and individual spiritual development. The role of the Black church in the Civil Rights Movement was a clear demonstration of its commitment to a broader mission. Although movements may fade away, the Black church has consistently redefined itself to attend to the real and current problems facing its membership and the broader …


Democracy Through An Undemocratic Institution? The Church As Part Of Civil Society, Anne Gathuo Sep 2003

Democracy Through An Undemocratic Institution? The Church As Part Of Civil Society, Anne Gathuo

Trotter Review

With the resurgence of civil society in the last two decades, the church has risen in importance as an agency for democracy, campaigning for government reform and conducting civic education among citizens. Yet the church remains internally undemocratic and rigidly traditional. Can an institution that refuses to embrace democratic practices help enhance democracy in the wider society in which it operates? The author discusses the advantages and disadvantages that the church has in democratization, relative to other groups in civil society.


Towards Understanding The Emergence Of African-American Church Schools: Early Hypotheses And A Research Agenda, Georgia A. Persons Sep 2003

Towards Understanding The Emergence Of African-American Church Schools: Early Hypotheses And A Research Agenda, Georgia A. Persons

Trotter Review

A survey of the Atlanta metropolitan area reveals a growing trend in African-American church sponsored schools. The emergence of these schools is curious in that it is counterintuitive to the protection of the public school system on which the majority of African-Americans rely; the schools are mainly in the suburbs where the public schools offer relatively high standards of education; and there seems to be no public debate accompanying a trend that is likely to have far-reaching public policy implications. In this article, the author discusses the possible reasons for the emergence of these schools and the potential public policy …


Nation Of Islam In Civil Society: An Interview With Minister Don Muhammad, Castellano Turner Sep 2003

Nation Of Islam In Civil Society: An Interview With Minister Don Muhammad, Castellano Turner

Trotter Review

From Castellano Turner: It was a genuine pleasure to interview Minister Don Muhammad on the topic, "The Nation of Islam in civil society." The reader will be struck, as I was, by the detail and historical reach in his analysis of the Nation of Islam's consistency and evolution as a movement among Black Americans. Those who remember the Black activist rhetoric of the 1960s and 1970s will hear echoes of those volatile times. Many of the most radical groups of those times have faded into history; but like the Black church, the value and commitment of the Nation of Islam …


Delivering Social Services Through Faith-Based Organizations: Case Of United Way Of Massachusetts Bay, Kevin Peterson Sep 2003

Delivering Social Services Through Faith-Based Organizations: Case Of United Way Of Massachusetts Bay, Kevin Peterson

Trotter Review

As deliverers of social services, faith-based organizations have been stereotyped as being inefficient and focused on spiritual outcomes alone, and have therefore been largely ignored by funding agencies. The United Way of Massachusetts Bay, realizing the importance of such organizations, particularly in communities of color, has actively sought to dispel these stereotypes and work with faith-based organizations to enhance service delivery to needy Black communities in Massachusetts. Through training and participatory research, faith-based organizations have begun to appreciate the importance of measurable outcomes.


The Enduring Black Church And Its Critics: A Book Review Of Omar Mcroberts's Streets Of Glory, Kenneth D. Johnson Sep 2003

The Enduring Black Church And Its Critics: A Book Review Of Omar Mcroberts's Streets Of Glory, Kenneth D. Johnson

Trotter Review

This review examines several theses and methodologies regarding Black Church activism and contribution to community economic development in an economically depressed inner city neighborhood as presented in Omar McRoberts's Streets of Glory (University of Chicago Press, 2003). It finds the questions of interest, but empirical support for many of the author's theses lacking when considered from a cross-comparative national perspective.


The Elusive Search For The Truth: A Book Review Of Peter Gomes's Strength For The Journey: Biblical Wisdom For Daily Living, Devonya N. Havis Sep 2003

The Elusive Search For The Truth: A Book Review Of Peter Gomes's Strength For The Journey: Biblical Wisdom For Daily Living, Devonya N. Havis

Trotter Review

Through his collection of sermons, published in his book Strength for the Journey: Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living (HarperCollins Publishers, 2003), Peter Gomes sets out to evoke a transformation in the reader by offering meditations on questions that often arise when we contemplate how to lead the "good life". He offers biblical wisdom as a practical means in which to achieve happiness. Ultimately however, his solution to life's complexities is abstract and he fails to provide a roadmap with which to negotiate the complexities.


Moral Value And Market Values: The Impact On Africa In An Era Of Global Capitalism, Charles Stith Sep 2003

Moral Value And Market Values: The Impact On Africa In An Era Of Global Capitalism, Charles Stith

Trotter Review

In the era of global capitalism, the perennial tension between market and moral values has acquired new form and meaning. Ambassador Stith attempts to unravel the issues of morality within the context of a global market in recession, stagnated economies of the developing world, ever-changing technology and the reality of terrorism. Stith contends that the church has largely failed to reconcile the morality that it teaches, with the market in which it operates. He makes the argument that moral values are not just desirable; they are necessary for long-term survival of both the developing and developed world. The key, is …