“What Happened to All the Protests?” Black Megachurches’ Responses to Racism in a Colorblind Era

Abstract

Before and during the Civil Rights era, mass protests were very effective in bringing attention to blatant racial inequalities. How do black churches address racism that seemingly is not there in a post-Civil Rights colorblind era? A growing trend amongst black churchgoers in the post-Civil Rights period is that of megachurches and neo-Pentecostalism. While both black megachurches and neo-Pentecostal churches tend to preach a theology of self-empowerment, this is just one of a range of theologies that may be preached in these churches. In a content analysis of the 2008 Easter sermons of three neo-Pentecostal megachurches in Maryland, I address how the type of theology preached in black megachurches can correspond with the way a collective racial identity is constructed, which could therefore influence how racism is resisted.