Losing Our Religion

How the Black Church Lost Its Robust Sense of Christian Culture & Community

Once upon a time, the Black Church was not just a Sunday morning destination—it was a world. From Sunday to Sunday, your life was braided together by a rich, ubiquitous Christian culture. Monday night could be choir rehearsal, Tuesday the usher board meeting, Wednesday Bible study, Thursday the drill team, Friday the youth social, Saturday the city-wide fellowship. There were five-night revivals where preachers from across town poured into pulpits like a relay race for souls. There were musicals that were as much worship as they were artistry. Vacation Bible School lasted a whole week, not a weekend. Sunday evenings were not about winding down for work the next day; they were about gathering again, because this was your community’s living room.

This wasn’t just religion—it was a life-world. To be a Christian meant being a member of an all-encompassing subculture within a larger society. It was the place where identity, friendship, mentorship, and moral imagination were formed. For generations, this was the structure that gave the African-American community its resilience, creativity, and moral ballast.

And then, something shifted.