The Prophetic and the Prosperous: Religious Ideologies and the Maintenance of Group Consciousness

Abstract

Integral to the development of group consciousness is the establishment of independent entities, which allow individuals to develop a common identity and solidarity. In the case of African Americans, the black church has facilitated racial group consciousness by bringing blacks together and advocating a belief system that emphasizes justice and community, commonly referred to as the social gospel. In contrast to the social gospel, the prosperity gospel emphasizes individualism and material gain. Scholars and critics argue its growth in the black religious discourse may erode the group cohesion developed by the social gospel. Using a unique data set that measures support for these religious belief systems and black group consciousness, I find support for these assertions. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the nature of these relationships is contingent upon exposure to religious institutions.