The exterior view of the Bethel African American Methodist Episcopal Church at 125 S. 6th St. in Philadelphia.
Breton, William L., circa 1773-1855 Artist via the Library of Congress, World Digital Library
Millions of enslaved Africans were forcefully converted to the Christian faith. The Black church came about when African Americans began to establish their own congregations.
The 160-year-old John Wesley AME Zion Church is one of the few predominantly African American churches that still exists in downtown Washington, D.C.
Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The church has played a vital role in America’s civil rights struggle. It was the spiritual home to MLK, to the generations that shaped the vision of the late civil rights leader, and now to Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Volunteers outside the Christian Cultural Center in New York register new voters as part of the ‘Souls to the Polls’ initiative.
AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews
From the civil rights era to the 2020 election, Black Churches have been at the forefront of encouraging voter registration – and fighting voter suppression.
Rep. John Lewis attends church services at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma.
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A choral conductor and scholar of sacred music explains what’s missing from church worship with singing banned due to the pandemic – and why live choir rehearsals are still a ways off
A funeral director calls relatives of a COVID-19 victim for a virtual viewing before cremation on May 22, 2020 in New York City.
Misha Friedman/Getty Images
Religious scholars and faith leaders reflect on the death rites cultures have developed to honor the deceased, comfort the living and share the burden of mourning.
A funeral held in July 1945 for two victims of the Ku Klux Klan, George Dorsey and his sister, Dorothy Dorsey Malcolm, of Walton County, Georgia, held at the Mt. Perry Baptist Church Sunday.
Bettman via Getty
Religion was no barrier for Southern lynch mobs intent on terror. White pastors joined the KKK, incited racial violence and took part in lynchings. Sometimes, the victim was a preacher.
Forgiveness, as we have seen in the aftermath of the Charleston killings, is a hallmark of the Black Church. But what psychic toll do these acts of forgiveness exact?