The secular tide sweeping America? That’s a white thing.
Black people, more than any other group in the country, are more likely to say that religion is “very important” in their day-to-day lives. At least 63% say they pray at least once a day, and 97% believe in God or some other higher power. Less than 1% of black people identified as atheist and 2% as agnostic, according to a recent study.
And unlike other ethnic groups, black people are less likely to abandon the faith of their fathers. A Pew Research Center study from 2016 found that the number of black Protestant adults remains steady at nearly 16 million adults from 2007 to 2015, while the number of white Protestants declined from 41 million in 2007 to 36 million in 2015.
Leaders in the community credit the black church’s success to the fact that it is not just a religious institution, but a cultural one. The black church was forged during slavery and was instrumental in launching the civil rights movement. It’s not “just a place you attend on Sunday,” said Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr., who pastors Triumph Church in Detroit, “it is a way of life” and an important “part of our history and our legacy.”
This is evident in everything from the sermons preached from the pulpit to the expectations that churchgoers have when they walk into the auditorium. Almost half of those who go to black Protestant churches weekly said they have heard sermons on racism, inequality, and criminal justice reform, and 75% of black people said opposing racism is essential to their faith.
This sounds like mixing politics and faith. But there’s no doubt the black church in America gets down to the human level. Kenneth Keith, who attends a black church in Detroit, says that a community that relies on the church will build better neighborhoods, better families, and better individuals.
“I was an angry kid growing up. I would hang in the streets. People would tell me how church would improve my life, but I wasn’t hearing it, until I saw for myself,” Keith recalled. “After attending a few services, I started to see a change in my thinking. My outlook was more positive, and I liked the impact church made on the people around me.”
