Cari Jackson

For the Souls of Black Folks Cari Jackson

Publisher Marketing: Description: For the Souls of Black Folks examines the impact of black religious culture in shaping the ethical values and sociopolitical condition of U. S. blacks. The book reviews the nexus of theological traditions and historical factors that have formed black churches as environments where preachers serve as the moral compass for black churchgoers. For the Souls of Black Folks builds upon the work of sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois, who highlighted the presence of a double consciousness in the collective psyche of blacks stemming from racial oppression. The book explores the ways in which that double consciousness, often reflected in black preaching, socializes black Christians to subjugate their own moral authority to that of black preachers. The central argument is that this socialization to submit to preachers greatly underserves black churchgoers in developing and exercising their own power and authority as social agents, and thus significantly impedes the full sociopolitical liberation of all blacks. The book offers important new preaching strategies that more effectively facilitate the empowerment of blacks as critical agents of social transformation and healing in the twenty-first century. Contributor Bio:  Jackson, Cari Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson, founding director of Center of Spiritual Light, has served as pastor at First Congregational Church of Stamford, First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, The Church St. Paul and St. Andrew (United Methodist), and Union Theological Seminary. She is the author of Love Like You've Never Been Hurt (2013), For the Least of These (2012), and The Gift to Listen, the Courage to Hear (2003). She earned her PhD in Christian Social Ethics (Drew University), MDiv (Union Theological Seminary), and JD (University of Maryland).