ABSTRACT

New Day Begun is an edited volume that focuses on the contemporary political nature of African American churches. The tremendous societal changes that African American churches helped to facilitate during the civil rights movement have greatly influenced the civic engagement of black churches since then. The book examines the influence of social and theological norms in black churches. The first section of the book looks at the institutional characteristics of African American church culture and has essays from historical, theoretical, and empirical perspectives. The second section examines the influence of social and theological norms in black churches. The final section explores how community and economic development concerns today impact the public influence of African American churches. The book is the first of two volumes to report research from the Public Influences of African American Churches Project directed by R. Drew Smith at Morehouse College.