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Swing Low, volume 2: An Anthology of Black Christianity in the United States
A Groundbreaking Portrait of African American Christianity
The history of African American Christianity is one of the determined faith of a people driven to pursue spiritual and social uplift for themselves and others to God's glory. Yet stories of faithful Black Christians have often been forgotten or minimized. The dynamic witness of the Black church in the United States is an essential part of Christian history that must be heard and dependably retold.
In this groundbreaking two-volume work, Walter R. Strickland II does just that through a theological-intellectual history highlighting the ways theology has formed and motivated Black Christianity across the centuries. In this volume 2, an anthology of readings drawn from primary sources, Strickland and a team of editors uncover the breadth of these historical documents from throughout the centuries of Black history so that we can listen to Black Christianity in its own words.
From a 1776 sermon by pastor Lemuel Haynes to podcasts and interviews with people like Christina Edmondson and Lecrae, these selections illustrate the diversity, creativity, and resilience of the Black church throughout American history. The anthology features familiar names such as Phillis Wheatley, Gardner C. Taylor, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as authors and leaders who are largely unknown, revealing insights from the church, academy, and beyond.
Swing Low offers a defining rubric under which to observe, understand, and learn from the diverse and living entity that is African American Christianity. Volume 1, a companion narrative history, tells the story of these themes from the 1600s to the present, exploring the crucial ecclesiastical, social, and theological developments.
The history of African American Christianity is one of the determined faith of a people driven to pursue spiritual and social uplift for themselves and others to God's glory. Yet stories of faithful Black Christians have often been forgotten or minimized. The dynamic witness of the Black church in the United States is an essential part of Christian history that must be heard and dependably retold.
In this groundbreaking two-volume work, Walter R. Strickland II does just that through a theological-intellectual history highlighting the ways theology has formed and motivated Black Christianity across the centuries. In this volume 2, an anthology of readings drawn from primary sources, Strickland and a team of editors uncover the breadth of these historical documents from throughout the centuries of Black history so that we can listen to Black Christianity in its own words.
From a 1776 sermon by pastor Lemuel Haynes to podcasts and interviews with people like Christina Edmondson and Lecrae, these selections illustrate the diversity, creativity, and resilience of the Black church throughout American history. The anthology features familiar names such as Phillis Wheatley, Gardner C. Taylor, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as authors and leaders who are largely unknown, revealing insights from the church, academy, and beyond.
Swing Low offers a defining rubric under which to observe, understand, and learn from the diverse and living entity that is African American Christianity. Volume 1, a companion narrative history, tells the story of these themes from the 1600s to the present, exploring the crucial ecclesiastical, social, and theological developments.
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495 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 29, 2024
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August 7, 2025
Summary: An anthology of primary source writings on Black Christianity in America from the 1600’s to the present.
Last month I reviewed a new history of Black Christianity in the United States by Walter R. Strickland II (review at https://bobonbooks.com/2025/07/02/rev...). So, this volume is a companion to that work, providing an anthology of readings to complement the historical narrative of the first volume. In other words, if you’ve studied history, you understand how important primary sources are. Therefore, this collection is a treasure trove, both for what is represented here and the more extensive sources to which they point.
For example, here are some of the readings included:
Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”
Richard Allen “The Life, Experience, and Gospel Labours of the R. Rev. Richard Allen…”
Francis Grimke, “Christianity and Race Prejudice”
Charles Octavius Boothe “Plain Theology for Plain People”
Martin Luther King, Jr., “Our God is Able”
Howard Thurman, “Jesus and the Disinherited”
Fannie Lou Hamer, “To Praise Our Bridges: An Autobiography”
Tom Skinner, “Black and Free”
William E. Pannell, “My Friend, the Enemy”
James Cone, “A Black Theology of Liberation”
Samuel Proctor, “Samuel Proctor: My Moral Odyssey”
Like other anthologies, many of the readings are excerpts of key passages of longer works. In addition, each of the selections includes a brief biography of the author and the context in which it was written as well as the original source of the reading.
Moreover, the anthology follows the organization of Volume One, the history, in two ways. Firstly, the anthology annotates the readings with symbols for the five theological anchors Strickland elucidates in the first volume:
Anchor 1: Big God
Anchor 2: Jesus
Anchor 3: Conversion and Walking in the Spirit
Anchor 4: The Good Book
Anchor 5: Deliverance
Secondly, the sections follow the historical periods of volume one, making it well-suited for use as a companion volume in courses on Black Christianity. These sections are:
Pre-emancipation: 1619-1865
Reconstruction and Its Aftermath: 1865-1896
Civil Rights Era 1896-1968
Black Evangelicalism: 1963 and Beyond
Black Theology: 1969 and Beyond
Into the Twenty-First Century
Finally, the readings in each section are divided into four categories:
Sermons and Oratory
Theological Treatises
Worship and Liturgy
Personal Correspondence and Autobiography
I especially appreciated the Worship and Liturgy selections which included early spirituals like “Go Down Moses” and “Oh! Peter Go Ring Dem Bells,” Civil Rights protest songs like “We Shall Overcome.” and contemporary hip hop like Sho Baraka’s “Maybe Both, 1865.”
In conclusion, this volume is the ideal complement to the history of volume one. Not only that, the readings allow us to listen to Black Christians in their own words. In particular, I found both great comfort in the faith of these believers and great challenge as they spoke of the sins of slavery and racism. For example, consider this excerpt from William E. Pannell’s “My Friend, The Enemy”, from 1968:
“No, this man is a friend. He’s against the KKK, abhors violence, supports the Constitution and is for Negro voting rights. We read the same version, believe the same doctrines, probably have the same middle class tastes, but all he knows about me–or cares to know–is what he sees on the 6 o’clock news.… I wear a suit as good as his, yet he sees me looting a clothing store in Watts. He knows something of my temperament as its mirrored in the behavior of my sons, yet he identifies me with the muggings in Washington or Buffalo. To him, the cause of brotherhood, the disintegration of human relations–civil rights!–is my problem. Mine, because I created it and I perpetuate it.”
Certainly, it does not take a great deal of imagination to draw parallels to our own day. For this reason, this anthology is so valuable. Because the writers are believing Christians who speak biblically into their situation, they offer us a chance to shed our blinders. But will we?
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
Last month I reviewed a new history of Black Christianity in the United States by Walter R. Strickland II (review at https://bobonbooks.com/2025/07/02/rev...). So, this volume is a companion to that work, providing an anthology of readings to complement the historical narrative of the first volume. In other words, if you’ve studied history, you understand how important primary sources are. Therefore, this collection is a treasure trove, both for what is represented here and the more extensive sources to which they point.
For example, here are some of the readings included:
Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”
Richard Allen “The Life, Experience, and Gospel Labours of the R. Rev. Richard Allen…”
Francis Grimke, “Christianity and Race Prejudice”
Charles Octavius Boothe “Plain Theology for Plain People”
Martin Luther King, Jr., “Our God is Able”
Howard Thurman, “Jesus and the Disinherited”
Fannie Lou Hamer, “To Praise Our Bridges: An Autobiography”
Tom Skinner, “Black and Free”
William E. Pannell, “My Friend, the Enemy”
James Cone, “A Black Theology of Liberation”
Samuel Proctor, “Samuel Proctor: My Moral Odyssey”
Like other anthologies, many of the readings are excerpts of key passages of longer works. In addition, each of the selections includes a brief biography of the author and the context in which it was written as well as the original source of the reading.
Moreover, the anthology follows the organization of Volume One, the history, in two ways. Firstly, the anthology annotates the readings with symbols for the five theological anchors Strickland elucidates in the first volume:
Anchor 1: Big God
Anchor 2: Jesus
Anchor 3: Conversion and Walking in the Spirit
Anchor 4: The Good Book
Anchor 5: Deliverance
Secondly, the sections follow the historical periods of volume one, making it well-suited for use as a companion volume in courses on Black Christianity. These sections are:
Pre-emancipation: 1619-1865
Reconstruction and Its Aftermath: 1865-1896
Civil Rights Era 1896-1968
Black Evangelicalism: 1963 and Beyond
Black Theology: 1969 and Beyond
Into the Twenty-First Century
Finally, the readings in each section are divided into four categories:
Sermons and Oratory
Theological Treatises
Worship and Liturgy
Personal Correspondence and Autobiography
I especially appreciated the Worship and Liturgy selections which included early spirituals like “Go Down Moses” and “Oh! Peter Go Ring Dem Bells,” Civil Rights protest songs like “We Shall Overcome.” and contemporary hip hop like Sho Baraka’s “Maybe Both, 1865.”
In conclusion, this volume is the ideal complement to the history of volume one. Not only that, the readings allow us to listen to Black Christians in their own words. In particular, I found both great comfort in the faith of these believers and great challenge as they spoke of the sins of slavery and racism. For example, consider this excerpt from William E. Pannell’s “My Friend, The Enemy”, from 1968:
“No, this man is a friend. He’s against the KKK, abhors violence, supports the Constitution and is for Negro voting rights. We read the same version, believe the same doctrines, probably have the same middle class tastes, but all he knows about me–or cares to know–is what he sees on the 6 o’clock news.… I wear a suit as good as his, yet he sees me looting a clothing store in Watts. He knows something of my temperament as its mirrored in the behavior of my sons, yet he identifies me with the muggings in Washington or Buffalo. To him, the cause of brotherhood, the disintegration of human relations–civil rights!–is my problem. Mine, because I created it and I perpetuate it.”
Certainly, it does not take a great deal of imagination to draw parallels to our own day. For this reason, this anthology is so valuable. Because the writers are believing Christians who speak biblically into their situation, they offer us a chance to shed our blinders. But will we?
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
March 6, 2025
An amazing and well-organized compilation. Essential as a companion to volume 1.
Full video review: https://youtu.be/8ma6pGGi0Vs
Full video review: https://youtu.be/8ma6pGGi0Vs
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews