Religion

Though there were indeed these differing religious expressions, from Black Muslims and Black Hebrews to Father Divine and his Peace Mission, the religious landscape of Harlem during the 1920s was overwhelmingly Christian. As such, this portion of the collage focuses on two representative men who articulated interestingly different approaches to addressing the issues of urban black Americans during this period. These two men are Reverend Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. and Reverend Frederick Asbury Cullen, father of Countee Cullen. Their respective personalities and distinct approaches toward leadership in black Harlem helped to shape the nature of the Renaissance, socially and ethically.

In Harlem, service and leadership manifested themselves in wide-ranging ways and the church was no exception. Though the titles of these two men are the same, what they used this title to show and achieve fall along different lines. For Rev. Cullen, leadership in black America was about responsibility: living in such a manner that would address the issues of the Negro people while challenging up and coming black leaders to attain to his measure of success, which he believed was the product of his ability to perform a particular notion of black masculinity.





http://www.jstor.org/pss/3042536
http://www.jcu.edu/harlem/Religion/page_1.htm
http://www.bookrags.com/tandf/religion-4-tf/