ABSTRACT
During his early sociological period (1896-1914), Du Bois provided numerous contributions to the sociological study of the Black Church. He edited a book-length study on the Black Church (The Negro Church [1903a] 2003) and coedited, with Augustus Dill, a volume on the role of the Black Church in shaping African American values and morality (Morals and Manners Among Negro Americans 1914). Each study showcased Du Bois' use of methodological triangulation. In other early sociological essays, Du Bois addressed the need for the Black Church to provide avenues for social interaction (amusements) among African American youth and young adults (Du Bois [1897] 1980). He continued to discuss the social functions of the Black Church (Du Bois [1900a] 1980), and he specified the association between religion and racial inequality in the South (Washington and Du Bois [1907] 2001). One thus sees that Du Bois addressed many issues that are still relevant to contemporary sociological studies of religion.
