Breaking Down Barriers: A Black Evangelical Explains the Black Church

In the holds of slave ships, Africans brought with them a hope for liberation, a strong oral tradition, and a sense of connectedness between their spiritual and physical lives. When Blacks converted to Christianity, these characteristics contributed to a Christian community that was, and is, distinctly different than the White church. In Breaking Down Barriers, Dwight Perry provides a brief history of the Black church in America and shows how it has survived as a shelter from a hostile world. He offers an introduction to Black evangelicalism, placing it in the context of both the traditional Black church and White evangelicalism. "The entity at the heart of the Black community in America is the Black church," writes Perry. "It has made its strong imprint not only on the Black community, but on the whole of society." Perry also provides a portrait of today's Black evangelical movement as well as ideas for multiracial ministry in the twenty-first century and beyond. Breaking Down Barriers helps Black and White Christians understand the African American church, enabling them to do away with misconceptions and build a new future together. (Originally published 1998 by Baker Book House, reprinted by permission.)