The Black Church in Canada

Abstract

"In his book, Reconstructing The Black Image, Gordon de la Mothe states, "Religion plays a large part in the life of Black people all over the world."1 His statement is as true of Canada as it is of anywhere else: Blacks consider themselves to be a spiritual people. Where it takes the form of Christian belief, Black religious experience has evolved in an environment dominated by racism and classism (and in the case of the female, sexism). It is my thesis that due to these "isms", for the most part, wherever Christian nurture has taken root among communities of Black people in Canada, the Black Church has found it necessary to separate from the mainstream in order to afford its members the full participation, lay empowerment, leadership development, and spiritual dignity essential to those who unite together as the body of Christ"