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FREE AT LAST?

THE GOSPEL IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

CARL F. ELLIS JR.

Foreword by AMISHO BARAKA

An imprint of InterVarsity Press

Downers Grove, Illinois

InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
ivpress.com
email@ivpress.com

Second edition: ©1996 by Carl F. Ellis Jr.
First edition: ©1983 by Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of the United States of America, published under the title Beyond Liberation.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.

InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges, and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, visit intervarsity.org.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Text of “Great Pax Whitie” from My House by Nikki Giovanni. Copyright © 1972 by Nikki Giovanni. By permission of William Morrow and Company, Inc.

Cover design and image composite: David Fassett
Images: marble texture: © NK08gerd / iStock / Getty Imges Plus
             geometric pattern: © Kseniavasil / iStock / Getty Images Plus

ISBN 978-0-8308-4375-6 (digital)

ISBN 978-0-8308-4858-4 (print)

This digital document has been produced by Nord Compo.

To my children

CARL III AND NICOLE

who have given me the joy of fatherhood

and to my mother

MILDRED ELLIS PROTHO

whose help and support I will always treasure

Contents

Foreword by Amisho Baraka

Preface to the Signature Edition

Acknowledgments

1 Toward a Promised Land

Part I: A Primer

2 Picking Up the Pieces

3 “Oh, Freedom!”

Part II: “Reflecting Back”

4 Soul Dynamic

5 A Formative Phase

6 Two Streams

7 “De Lawd”

8 “A Shining Prince”

9 A Great Legacy

Part III: Roots and Fruits of Consciousness

10 A Little “White” Lie in the Name of Black Truth

11 “Busting Out”

12 “That Boy Sho' Can Preach!”

13 Cultural Seeding

Part IV: Toward a New Agenda

14 New Vistas

15 The Fields Are Black unto Harvest

Glossary of People, Events and Terms

Praise for Free at Last?

About the Author

Foreword

Amisho Baraka

“There are years that ask questions and there are years that answer.” The keen anthropologist and author Zora Neale Hurston made this observation. Maturity is a process that cannot be manipulated. As a young man I thought I had answers when I should have asked more questions. Some of my answers were harmful because of timidity. Some of my answers could have used more humility where certainty was applied. Some of my answers were thin when depth was necessary. Praise God ...

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About Free at Last? The Gospel in the African American Experience

The words of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech have become enshrined in US history. But after the end of King's generation of leadership, what happened to the African American struggle for freedom? Like the ancient Israelites, the African American community has survived a four-hundred-year collective trauma. What will it take for them to reach the promised land that King foresaw—to be truly free at last?

In this classic historical and cultural study, CarlEllis offers an in-depth assessment of the state of African American freedom and dignity. Stressing how important it is for African Americans to reflect on their roots, he traces the growth of Black consciousness from the days of slavery to the 1990s, noting especially the contributions of King and Malcolm X. Ellis examines elements of Black culture and offers a distinct perspective on how God is active in culture more broadly. Free at Last? concludes with a call for new generations of "jazz theologians" and cultural prophets to revitalize the African American church and expand its cultural range. The book also includes a helpful glossary of people, events, and terms.

Ellis writes, "It is my prayer that the principles contained in this book will play a role in building bridges of understanding and facilitating reconciliation where there has been alienation." With a new preface by the author, this groundbreaking book is now available as part of the IVP Signature Collection.

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