Inner-City Blues

Black Theology and Black Poverty in the United States

Darvin Anton Adams

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781666735635, 9781666792904
• eBook ISBN: 9781666792911
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

Black theology's addressing of economic poverty in the Black neighborhoods and communities of the United States gives substantive reasoning to the fact that Black poverty is a theological problem. In connecting the narrative of idolatry to the irreversible harm that is associated with all forms of poverty, this new book interlocks the racial subjugation of Black Americans with the false assumptions of capitalism. Here the inner-city blues of poverty are experienced by those who reside in metropolitan cities and rural towns. The poverty of Black Americans is described with a vision of development and reconciliation--one that is intentional in its use of cultural language and inclusive to the destructive images of Black people's deprivation. In understanding how idolatry foundationalizes deprivation in the inner-city communities, I envision the liberation motif in Black theology working with the mission of the Black church for the purposes of community empowerment and neighborhood development. As a form of material and structural poverty, Black poverty is an interdisciplinary study that requires a holistic approach to ministry. With a theological focus on deprived inner-city communities, this new volume strategically moves the conversation of Black poverty from description to construction to solution.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Demonic Idolatry and the Biblical Perspective of Poverty
• Chapter 2: Perspectives on Black Poverty in the United States
• Chapter 3: Slavery Says Black People Developed the American Economy
• Chapter 4: Why Black Theology Should Take Marx’s Critique of Capitalism Seriously
• Chapter 5: Inner-City Described, the Economic Dilemma of the Black Middle Class, and the Black Church’s Response to Black Poverty
• Chapter 6: The Images of Poverty in Black Cultural Texts, Good Times, and Mass Incarceration
• Chapter 7: The Inner-City Blues of Black Poverty and the Desperate Need for Economic Development in Black Communities
• Chapter 8: Moving Toward a Solution
• Concluding Reflections
• Bibliography