Description: The essays in Christians and the Color Line complicate the research findings of Emerson and Smith's Divided by Faith (2000) and explore new areas of research that have opened in the years since its publication. This collection addresses the historical dimensions of racial division in religious communities and chronicle several contemporary examples of congregational attempts at racial and ethnic unity.
Review Quotes: "Christians and the Color Line does a fantastic job in advancing the conversation and provoking more critical thought."--Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
"The essays in Christians and the Color Line are challenging responses to Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith's Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America. The wide-ranging and interdisciplinary perspectives found in this book have enriched my understanding of how religious faith intertwines with race, ethnic identity, socio-economic class, family, and region in contemporary American society." --Randal Maurice Jelks, author of Benjamin Elijah Mays, Schoolmaster of the Movement: A Biography"Divided by Faith fundamentally shifted our national conversation on race. If Christian America now seeks to confront the problem of race, it is due to this singular book. Christians and the Color Line not only explains the significance of a pivotal book in American history, it provides a series of incisive analyses on the continuing challenge of the racial divide and our stumbling attempts to overcome it. As a comprehensive assessment of the religious history of our racial segregation and the prospects for truly integrating our nation's churches, this multi-voiced volume reveals the subtle yet powerful sociological and historical forces perpetuating the racial divide. It will take a long time for us to follow through on the agenda for research and practice provided in these pages." --Gerardo Marti, author of Worship across the Racial Divide
"...Christians and the Color Line is a valuable addition to the scholarship on race and evangelicalism, serving as a helpful marker on the evolution of research in the years following the work of Emerson and Smith." --Sociology of Religion
"The contributors to Christians and the Color Line have written in a clear and accessible style for the non-specialist, and the editors should be congratulated. Importantly... this book expands the consideration of race to include Asian American and Hispanic Christians. This solid collection of essays contains some real gems; it is a significant and useful for anyone interested in the history and sociology of race and religion in the United States." --The Journal of Southern Religion