Breaking Down Barriers: A Black Evangelical Explains the Black Church [Paperback]

Dwight Perry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1998

Born from joining the best of African culture to Christianity, today's evangelical black church is rising from the civil rights struggle to help forge a united interracial witness. Breaking Down the Barriers promotes the unification of black and white Christians and gives an understanding of the historic black church so evangelicals can help put away misconceptions.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The black church is the heart of its community, with a holistic gospel, unique preaching and music, and heartfelt worship. Perry (pastoral studies, Moody Bible Inst.) provides insight by noting its tribal priestly roots, its origins under slavery, and the development and shaping of the church both to preach the Christian gospel and to meet the needs of its people and community. The black church is also wrestling with the demands of a changing society. For example, Perry recognizes that the powerful black preaching of God's word has sometimes had an emotional fervor that nevertheless fails to address deeper spiritual needs. He offers recommendations that affect not just the black church but God's church as a whole as it seeks to break down racial barriers and answer the question, "Where do we go from here?" Recommended for all public libraries.?George Westerlund, Providence P.L.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Baker Pub Group (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801057094
• ISBN-13: 978-0801057090
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,620,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, brief but consice history of Black church roots, June 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Breaking Down Barriers: A Black Evangelical Explains the Black Church (Paperback)

A people must be understood in light of their history and Mr. Perry educates us and helps us understand the Black evangelical church in full light of their African AND African American experience. I've never put together the African American's African "roots" and how elements and roles have been carried over into practice in their history and the practice of their faith in the Americas to this present day. Books like Mr. Perry's are slowly but SURELY eroding my racial ignorance (that I never knew I had) as a white male in a multiracial society. For a relatively short book, a lot of ground is covered and covered well. I felt I was left a bit more enlightened and less prone to misunderstand my African American brothers and sisters. The first step in curing racism is admitting we posses it in varying degress and then seek a cure. Dwight Perry's "Breaking Down Barriers" is a recommended step to cure the disease of racism, especially for us "good white Christian folk"

Rosario Bellassai Student of Social Work Roberts Wesleyan College