From Spirituality to Orthodoxy: Black American Assimilation and the Eschewal of African Spiritual Practices

Abstract

 This article investigates complex historical processes illustrating how specific mainstream Christian denominations have played a significant role in shaping the religious and cultural identity of Black Americans, particularly through "shaming" resulting in upwardly mobile Blacks eschewing African spiritual practices they may have seen a grandmother, grandfather, uncle, aunt or neighbor practice. Drawing on an anthropological approach that synthesizes ethnographic fieldwork among Black American Christian communities, a historical discourse analysis of denominational teachings, this study explores the zeal in which Blacks embraced Christian orthodoxy and orthopraxy particularly during the First Great Migration, which served as a strategic mechanism for assimilation into the dominant American culture. The research reveals that the reinforcement of negative perceptions, labeling indigenous African spiritual practices as "hocus pocus" or "mambo jambo," was not merely a passive cultural shift but an active, denominationally-driven process tied to notions of respectability, social mobility, and the rejection of perceived "primitive" or "superstitious" associations. This deliberate distancing facilitated integration into predominantly white social structures and contributed to the formation of a distinct Black American Christian identity. By examining this dynamic, the article illuminates the profound impact of religious institutions on cultural adaptation. It also provides critical insights into the ongoing negotiations of spirituality, tradition, and modernity within the Black American experience.