Albert Raboteau’s Slave Religion: The “Invisible Institution” in the Antebellum South explores the black church as a center of social significance in African-American life. Raboteau (iv) contends that few studies have been done and even fewer books written on the black church, which represented in African-American life “An agency of social control, a source of economic cooperation, an arena for political activity, a sponsor of education, and a refuge in a hostile white world.” The black church, then, was originally an institution that was imposed upon black slaves but one they were able to in turn use to their own advantage. This was true in terms of a gathering place to read, a socializing place without fear of abuse with other blacks, and the ability to speak among themselves and form political ideas and opinions. This is not to say that all black slaves willingly let themselves be converted to Christianity by their oppressors.
Raboteau argues that most writers on black culture and history have largely ignored the significance of the black church because they believe little documentation exists that reveals any kind of detailed or insightful glimpse into the functions that the black church actually served for slaves and freed blacks. He argues they are wrong and contends that much documentation does exist, but Raboteau uses slave narratives, black autobiographies, and black folklore in order to reformulate the experiences of American slaves in regard to their deep connection to faith, spirituality, and the church. He attempts to answer a variety of questions regarding black religion in America, such as what are the origins of black religion in America and what made black religion distinct in slave quarters if, indeed, it was. In light of the lack of exploration into these kinds of questions and the significance of the black church in the lives of slaves and freed blacks, Raboteau (iv) says one of his main purpos...