The rift between black theology, with its social and political concerns, and black churches, with their emphases on pastoral care and piety, has been growing. Here, Dale Andrews offers a way to bridge this gap by redefining the paradigm of church as "refuge" in terms of a faith identity that brings together a concern for liberation with a pastoral focus on spirituality. This faith identity emerges from dominant biblical themes that shape preaching and pastoral care.

Andrews' insightful analysis of the gulf between black churches and black theology reveals the invasive influence of...