The Souls of Black Folk Chapter X Summary & Analysis

X. Of the Faith of our Fathers

Summary

Du Bois examines the significance of religion of the Black South. He describes the unique reactions from the congregation, including intense movement and shouting, that he did not experience in the North as a child. Du Bois states that the style of religious experience is a carryover from African spiritualism. He also says that the church is the “social center of Negro life in the United States.” He says that the “Church often stands as a real conserver of morals, a strengthener of family life, and the final authority on what is Good and Right.” He points out the widespread support for the church: in most states there is a Black church for every 60 families. Du Bois attributes the success to not only spiritual access but also as a site of relief, especially during times of slavery, where the only power or structure that the slaves had control over, was their own religion. He says that the church, which is “almost entirely Baptist and Methodist,” predates the Black family home. He also stresses the important place that religion had as part of Abolition.

Du Bois describes a shift where the church, as the established cornerstone, has had difficulty keeping up with the social upheaval. The church has become less connected with the members’ civil, political, and economic status. He says that this has led to the creation of two competing ideologies. He has found hypocrisy in the North and radicalism in the South. The difference in living conditions (and socioeconomic disparity) of the two regions has fueled the division. He adds that religious life has been affected and it can be seen in elements of the “modern” (early 20th century) Black church.

Analysis

Du Bois’s experiences at Black churches in both the North and the South make him uniquely qualified to observe the differences between the cultures of these institutions and assess their roles in society. Because his Northern church experiences are so different, he can describe the Southern church and trace it back to its roots as an outside observer. Du Bois believes that by making a sociological study of the Black church, he can uncover a part of history that has not been recorded. Churches are important organizing agencies for people, and after slavery is abolished, they are among the central institutions of Black life in the South. The study of church life is important to the story of the people of the time, and Du Bois takes pains to contrast his own church experiences in the North with his church experiences in the South for a white audience to understand that both kinds of experiences are important to the Black churchgoers they serve.

Christian churches and their promise of heaven appealed to Black enslaved people because their life on Earth was a living hell, and the churches that Black people created for themselves made their suffering more bearable. Enslaved people had no sense of belonging in the new world, so they created their own church where they could express pent-up emotions, find a sense of community, and share knowledge with one another. The undeniable power of the Black church, even under the specter of slavery, allowed for Black preachers to become pillars of the community. Du Bois underscores the importance of religion because he understands its role in developing the morals and beliefs of the Black community.

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