Vocabulary Terms from the Video
American Tract Society
A non-denominational publisher that played a major role in the propagation of evangelical literature early in the nineteenth century. Formed by a merger of the New York and Massachusetts tract societies in 1825, the American Tract Society emerged as a pioneer in publishing, printing, and distributing more than five million tracts annually by the late 1820s. Today, ATS has approximately 136 print partners in 70 countries who distribute tracts in over 100 languages.1,2
The Bible News Hour
A mid-20th-century Christian radio program hosted by Bahamian-born evangelist Berlin Martin (B.M.) Nottage (1889–1966) and produced by the Christian Workers Fellowship of Detroit, Michigan. Originating from Nottage’s home base at Bethany Tabernacle, the broadcast focused on the relevance of biblical teachings to contemporary events and gained a national reach through collaboration with Chicago’s Moody Radio. The program also served as a pivotal early platform for William “Bill” Pannell (1929–2024), who joined Nottage as an associate pastor in 1954. Pannell, a gifted vocalist and "music minister," contributed to the show by singing special music and serving as an announcer. Together, they utilized the program to become leading voices in the Plymouth Brethren movement and African American evangelicalism during the 1950s. 3-5
Billy Graham Crusades
Evangelistic campaigns conducted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association between 1947 and 2005. The first campaign, held September 13–21, 1947, at the Civic Auditorium in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was attended by 6,000 people. Concluding his last crusade in 2005 in New York, Graham had preached during 417 crusades, including 226 in the United States and 195 worldwide in over 50 countries with an estimated millions responding to his invitations to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.6
Black Revolution
The Black power movement, or Black liberation movement, emerged in the mid-1960s from the mainstream civil rights movement in the United States, reacting against its moderate and incremental tendencies and representing the demand for more immediate action to counter white supremacy. Many of its ideas were influenced by Malcolm X's criticism of Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolent protest methods. While thinkers such as Malcolm X influenced the early movement, the views of the Black Panther Party, founded in 1966, are widely seen as the cornerstone. Black power was influenced by philosophies such as pan-Africanism, Black nationalism, and socialism, as well as contemporary events such as the Cuban Revolution and the decolonization of Africa.7
Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru)
An interdenominational Christian parachurch organization. It was founded in 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles by Bill Bright and Vonette Zachary Bright as a Christian ministry focused on university students. In 2011 the organization rebranded as “Cru" to reflect its expanded outreach to a broad range of audiences. Today, the Orlando-based organization has approximately 19,000 staff members in 190 countries.8
Civil Rights Movement
A social movement in the United States from 1954 to 1968 which aimed to abolish the legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement that most commonly affected African Americans. After years of nonviolent protests and civil disobedience campaigns, the civil rights movement achieved many of its legislative goals in the 1960s, with new protections in federal law for the civil rights of all Americans, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.9
Evangelical
An “evangelical” is a Protestant Christian who believes in the authority of the Bible, the centrality of a conversion or born again experience, the primary importance of Christ’s death on the cross for salvation, and the importance of sharing their faith with others. The term has become more complicated by connections to political and cultural commitments, especially in the late 20th and early 21st century, making the term less clear and for some, less useful.
Evangelicalism
This term refers to a broad and diverse group of Christians worldwide whose beliefs and practices emerge from the influences of the Protestant Reformation, 18th and 19th century revival movements (often associated with figures like George Whitefield and John Wesley), and the 20th century efforts to uphold traditional orthodox beliefs. It includes Christians around the world of various denominations and ethnicities. It is primarily a religious movement, though not without cultural or political impact or influence.
Four Spiritual Laws
An evangelistic tool developed in 1959 by Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru). It outlines Christianity through four key principles: 1) God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life (John 3:16, 10:10); 2) Humans are sinful and separated from God (Romans 3:23); 3) Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for sin (1 Corinthians 15:3-6, Romans 5:8); and 4) We must receive Christ personally as Savior and Lord through faith (Romans 10:9-10, John 1:12). Since its launch, over 2.5 billion Four Spiritual Laws booklets have been distributed globally in more than 200 languages.10
Great Migration
One of the largest population movements in United States history. Approximately six million Black people moved from the American South to Northern, Midwestern, and Western states roughly from the 1910s until the 1970s. The driving force behind the mass movement was to escape racial violence, pursue economic and educational opportunities, and obtain freedom from the oppression of Jim Crow segregation.11
Harlem
A neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street on the south. Culturally, Harlem is a historic epicenter of African American art, music, literature, and intellectual life, famously flourishing during the Harlem Renaissance (1920s-30s) as a “Black Mecca,” but also known for its rich tapestry of diverse ethnic groups (Dutch, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Latino) and enduring spirit of community, resilience, and activism, particularly in jazz, soul, hip-hop, civil rights, and soul food.12,13
Harlem Crusade
One of many special outdoor meetings that were organized by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association at different locations in New York City as a part of its larger New York Crusade. The New York Crusade was a major campaign conducted in 1957 in New York City by Graham.14
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)
Historically Black Colleges and Universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African American students. Most are in the Southern United States and were founded during the Reconstruction era (1865–1877) following the American Civil War. Their original purpose was to provide education for African Americans in an era when most colleges and universities in the United States did not allow Black students to enroll.15
InterVarsity
Since 1941, InterVarsity has established and advanced student-led witnessing communities on college campuses across the country. Today, InterVarsity is equipping students and faculty to follow Jesus with their whole lives — for the rest of their lives. InterVarsity’s history stretches back to 1877, when a group of Christian students began to meet together to study the Bible and witness to fellow students. This eventually led to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA and the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES).16
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Missions Conference
See Urbana
Jim Crow
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation. The origin of the term "Jim Crow" is obscure, but probably refers to slave songs that refer to an African dance called "Jump Jim Crow." The last of the Jim Crow laws were generally overturned in 1965 by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Formal and informal racial segregation policies were present in other areas of the United States as well, even as several states outside the South had banned discrimination in public accommodations and voting. Southern laws were enacted by white-dominated state legislatures (Redeemers) to disenfranchise and remove political and economic gains made by African Americans during the Reconstruction era. Such continuing racial segregation was also supported by the successful Lily-white movement.17
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Moody Bible Institute became a flagship institution of fundamentalism early in the twentieth century. Its primary mission remains the training of pastors and missionaries.18,19
Moody Radio
Moody Radio is one of the largest Christian radio networks in the United States. Located in downtown Chicago, Moody Radio has 58 owned and operated stations and hundreds of affiliates and outlets that carry all or part of its programming. It is owned by the Moody Bible Institute.20
Moral Majority
The Moral Majority was an American political organization and movement associated with the Christian right and the Republican Party in the United States. It was founded in 1979 by Baptist minister Jerry Falwell Sr. and associates, and dissolved in the late 1980s. It played a key role in the mobilization of conservative Christians as a political force and particularly in Republican presidential victories throughout the 1980s.21
National Association of Evangelicals (NAE)
An evangelical alternative to the Federal Council of Churches, which evangelicals regarded as too ecumenical and too liberal, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) grew out of the New England Fellowship organized by Ellwin Wright in 1929. The NAE is an American association of evangelical Christian denominations, organizations, schools, churches, and individuals, and a member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches from about 40 different Christian denominations and serves a constituency of millions. The mission of the NAE is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States.22,23
National Black Evangelical Association (NBEA)
Organized in 1963 as the National Negro Evangelical Association, the National Black Evangelical Association (NBEA) took its present name during the period between 1968 and 1970. William H. Bentley, a prominent evangelical theologian in the African American community, served as the first president of the renamed organization. Although conservative in theology, the NBEA promotes both biblical and cultural integrity, as it seeks to encourage evangelicals of all backgrounds to be responsive to both the spiritual and social needs of society. With a heritage of African-descended consciousness and culture, NBEA members are Black believers who recognize themselves as created, loved, and redeemed by God.24
National Negro Evangelical Association (NNEA)
Formed in 1963, the National Negro Evangelical Association was launched to provide Black evangelical Christians with a source of community and empowerment for their gospel-inspired goal of reaching the lost for Christ and making the wounded whole. The co-founders of NNEA (which later became the NBEA) composed an impressive gathering of dedicated servants of Christ, who were committed to the Lord’s Church. The small but powerful group included the likes of Rev. Aaron M. Hamlin, Mother Dessie Webster, Rev. Marvin Prentis, Bishop Holman, Rev. Jeremiah Rowe (host pastor). Others joined this number at the inaugural convention: Rev. William H. Bentley, Missionary Ruth Lewis (Bentley), Rev. Tom Skinner, Rev. Howard Jones, Rev. Charles Williams, and others. The organization is cross-denominational, and respects both women and men and their gifts for ministry.25, 26
Navigators
The Navigators, an organization that promotes evangelical piety as well as knowledge and memorization of the Bible, evolved out of an evangelistic outreach to sailors in San Pedro, California, begun by Dawson and Lilia Trotman in 1933.27
North Lawndale
North Lawndale is one of the 77 community areas of the city of Chicago, Illinois, located on its West Side. The area contains the K-Town Historic District, the Foundation for Homan Square, the Homan Square interrogation facility, and the greatest concentration of greystones in the city. In 1968, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stayed in an apartment in North Lawndale to highlight the dire conditions in the area and used the experience to pave the way to the Fair Housing Act.28
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren trace their history to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s, where it originated from Anglicanism. The group, unhappy with formal ritual and clericalism of the established church, sought to replicate the simplicity of New Testament Christianity in their worship and theology. Plymouth Brethren generally see themselves as a network of like-minded free churches, not as a Christian denomination.29, 30
Promise Keepers
Promise Keepers is an evangelical Christian parachurch organization for men. Founded on December 3, 1990 by Bill McCartney, head football coach at the University of Colorado, it held mass events in football stadiums fulfilling McCartney's original vision: fifty thousand men piled into Folsom Stadium for singing, hugging and exhortations to be good and faithful husbands, fathers, and church goers. In 1997 they held their largest rally, Standing in the Gap: A Sacred Assembly of Men on the Mall in Washington D.C. The movement quickly faded and by 1998, Promise Keepers laid off its entire staff and was kept afloat by an infusion of contributions and grant by the Castle Rock Foundation, a politically conservative organization controlled by the Coors brewing empire.31, 32
Scripture Press
Scripture Press equips pastors, ministry leaders, and individuals with Sunday School curriculum, church supplies, and Christian books to support faith and spiritual growth.33
Soul Liberation
With members from New York and the Midwest, Soul Liberation was a musical group that performed at Tom Skinner’s crusades touring full-time with Skinner for 20 years from 1973 to 1993 doing about 260 gigs a year. They played at Urbana ‘70 just before Tom Skinner spoke.34
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
In the early 1960s, young Black college students conducted sit-ins around America to protest the segregation of restaurants. Ella Baker, a Civil Rights activist and Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) official, invited some of those young Black activists (including Diane Nash, Marion Barry, John Lewis, and James Bevel) to a meeting at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in April of 1960. From that meeting, the group formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). It was made up mostly of Black college students, who practiced peaceful, direct action protests. Ella Baker recommended that the group keep its autonomy and to not affiliate itself with the SCLC or other civil rights groups. SNCC participated in several major civil rights events in the 1960s. One of the earliest was the Freedom Rides in 1961. Members of SNCC rode buses through the South to uphold the Supreme Court ruling that interstate travel could not be segregated. They faced violent acts from the Ku Klux Klan and law enforcement, and many members were jailed. In 1962, SNCC embarked on a voter registration campaign in the south as many believed that voting was a way to unlock political power for many African Americans. Many SNCC members again dealt with violence and arrests. The Freedom Summer of 1964 saw SNCC focus its efforts in Mississippi. Voter registration campaigns were the primary focus for SNCC members in Mississippi, and their efforts gave momentum for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.35
Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI)
UMI is the largest independent, African American-owned and operated Christian media company. Founded in 1970 by Melvin Banks with the expressed mission of filling the void in evangelical media and resources for African Americans and other communities of color, UMI publishes Christian education resources, including Bible studies, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School curriculum, books, movies, and websites designed for Black churches and individuals seeking a Christ-centered perspective on faith and life issues. Since its launch, UMI has served over 40,000 churches across the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa, and more than 100,000 Sunday school teachers have used UMI materials.36, 37
Urbana
Sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Urbana is a triennial missionary conference, one of the largest student missions conferences in the world. Urbana has called over 300,000 students to serve God’s global mission since 1946. Urbana combines gospel proclamation, dynamic worship, and missionary connection to launch students into a life of reaching people with the good news.38<
Westlawn Gospel Chapel
A Chicago-based community church with Plymouth Brethren roots. Located on the west side of Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, Westlawn was planted in 1957 against the backdrop of massive “white flight.” From 1950 to 1960, North Lawndale's racial demographic changed almost entirely from white to Black. And by 1970, nearly all local stores and other businesses closed or fled the area. Throughout this social upheaval, Westlawn Gospel Chapel has stood as a beacon of God's love to North Lawndale residents. Its outreach to youth and families reflect the biblical conviction and holistic concern of its founding elders, a group of young Black evangelicals that included Melvin E. Banks, Sr. and Derrick Rollerson, Sr.39
Wheaton College
Established in 1860 as a co-ed institution, Wheaton College is a private, residential, and interdenominational Christian liberal arts college. Wheaton is an explicitly Christian, academically rigorous, fully residential liberal arts college and graduate school located in Wheaton, Illinois. More than 40 undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts and sciences, and 18 graduate degrees are offered by top-quality professors. Wheaton College is located in suburban Wheaton, a residential community 25 miles west of downtown Chicago.40
White Flight
White flight refers to the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse to more racially homogenous usually suburban regions. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the term became popular in the United States.41
WMBI Radio
WMBI-FM (90.1 MHz) is a radio station broadcasting in Chicago, Illinois. WMBI-FM is owned and operated by the Moody Bible Institute and consists of Christian talk, teaching, and music.42
Young Life
Founded by James C. Rayburn, Jr., Young Life is a Christian ministry that reaches out to middle school, high school, and college students in all 50 of the United States and in more than 100 countries around the world. Rayburn’s evangelistic efforts grew out of his formula: make meetings fun, aim for school leaders, hold meetings in private homes, and establish personal relationships.43, 44
Zion Bible Institute
Zion Bible Institute (now NorthPoint Bible College), was founded by Pentecostal pioneer Christine A. Gibson in 1924. Christine was head of The Zion Bible Institute in East Providence, Rhode Island to train ministers for Spirit-filled ministry. She advocated “faith principles” for its operation, refusing to rely on fees or advance pledges but rather on prayer.45
People Referred to in the Video
Dr. Don Argue
is an American evangelical leader and educator who has served as president of the National Association of Evangelicals (1992–1998), North Central University (16 years), and Northwest University (9 years). He also served as chancellor of Northwest University, ambassador-at-large for Convoy of Hope, and commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Earlier in his career, Dr. Argue was director of evangelism for Teen Challenge in New York City and pastored churches in San Jose and Morgan Hill, California. He holds degrees from Central Bible College, Santa Clara University, and the University of the Pacific.
Dr. Vincent Bacote
(Ph.D., Drew University) is Professor of Theology and Director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of several books, including Reckoning with Race, Performing the Good News: In Search of a Better Evangelical Theology (2020), and The Political Disciple: A Theology of Public Life (2015), and has contributed to works such as Cultural Engagement: A Crash Course in Contemporary Issues (2019) and Black Scholars in White Space (2015). Dr. Bacote has served as assistant theology editor for Christianity Today, written for Comment Magazine, and contributed to periodicals including The Banner, Books and Culture, Think Christian, Christian Scholars Review, and The Journal for Christian Theological Research. He is a fellow at the Center for Public Justice and a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum. An avid tennis player and occasional bass guitarist, he lives in the Chicago area with his family.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr.
(1934–2021) was a pioneering Christian publisher and founder of Urban Ministries, Inc., the largest Black faith-based publishing company in the United States. He was a Wheaton College alumnus and also studied at Moody Bible Institute. Banks earned a B.A. in theology and a master’s in biblical studies from Wheaton in 1960. Recognizing the Eurocentric focus of Christian publishing, Banks developed books, Bible studies, videos, and vacation Bible school materials portraying biblical figures as people of color, creating resources specifically for the Black Christian community. For his contributions, he received the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Kenneth N. Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, and Wheaton College awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1992. The Wheaton College Welcome Center is named in his honor, with the Great Hall featuring a tribute to his legacy.
Rev. William “Bill” Hiram Bentley, Ph.D.
(1924–1993) was an American evangelical leader and former president of the National Black Evangelical Association. He was known for his advocacy of Black evangelical ministry, leadership development, and engagement in national conversations on race, faith, and social justice within the church.
Dr. Ruth Lewis Bentley
(Wheaton College ’55, M.A. ’58) is a distinguished Christian educator, counselor, and advocate for racial justice who has significantly shaped Wheaton College and the broader evangelical community. She earned her B.A. and M.A. in Christian education and ministry from Wheaton College, where she excelled academically despite facing racial discrimination as one of the few African American students in the 1950s. After graduating, she became the first Black woman on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. She later earned a Ph.D. in counseling in higher education from the University of Alabama in 1966, completing a Fulbright Fellowship and conducting research in Australia before traveling through 30 countries on her return. Dr. Bentley served on the Wheaton College Board of Trustees from 1988 to 2002, where she worked to advance racial inclusion and support minority students. She established the William Hiram Bentley Award for Ministry, named in honor of her late husband, to support African American graduate students in ministry. She was honored as Wheaton’s 2022 Alumna of the Year for Distinguished Service to Alma Mater for her decades of leadership and advocacy.
Bright, William “Bill” R.
(1921–2003) was an American evangelist and in 1951 became the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) at the University of California, Los Angeles, a ministry seeking to revitalize Christian faith among university students. Cru has expanded since, with over 2,300 active, local chapters across the United States and others internationally. Bright developed various evangelism strategies and tools like “The Four Spiritual Laws,” finding use by scores of evangelists across the globe.
Jimmy Carter
(1924–2024) was an American statesman and humanitarian best known for serving as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. Carter was a member of the Democratic Party and an evangelical Christian. Before his presidency he was 76th governor of Georgia (1971–1975) and served in the Georgia state legislature (1963–1967). After leaving the White House, Carter devoted his life to diplomacy, human rights, and public health. In 1982 he established The Carter Center, a nongovernmental, nonprofit institution aimed at “Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.”
Ellis, Jr., Carl, Ph.D.
began his ministry as a Senior Campus Minister with the Tom Skinner Associates in New York. From 1979 to 1989, he served as the assistant pastor of Forest Park Community Church in Baltimore, Maryland, was on faculty at Chesapeake Theological Seminary, and worked as a seminar instructor for Prison Fellowship, where he developed and taught “in-prison” and “in-community” seminars for inmates and community volunteers. Dr. Ellis later served as an adjunct faculty member at the Center for Urban Theological Studies and as Dean of Intercultural Studies at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In Olon, Switzerland, he studied under theologian Francis Schaeffer, completing his MAR (Theology) at Westminster Theological Seminary, and he holds a D.Phil. from Oxford Graduate School. He is the author Free at Last? The Gospel in the African-American Experience. Dr. Ellis currently serves as Provost’s Professor of Theology and Culture and Senior Fellow of the African American Leadership Initiative.
Lisa Fields
is the founder and CEO of the Jude 3 Project, a leading apologetics organization equipping the Black community to understand and articulate Christian faith. A Christian apologist, speaker, author, and film producer, she engages faith, theology, and culture through innovative and accessible content. Under her leadership, the Jude 3 Project has produced initiatives such as Courageous Conversations, an interdisciplinary apologetics conference, multiple church-based curricula, the Why I Don’t Go YouTube series, an HBCU tour addressing whether Christianity is a “White man’s religion,” and the Jude 3 Project Podcast, which explores topics spanning mental health to biblical history. Fields is the author of When Faith Disappoints and the forthcoming When Heroes Fall (2026), and a contributor to Cultural Engagement and Urban Apologetics. She has also produced the documentaries Unspoken and Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom, the latter featured on PBS. Her work has been recognized by Christianity Today and other organizations. She holds a B.S. in Communications and Religious Studies from the University of North Florida and an M.Div. in theology from Liberty University. Additionally, she serves as an advisor and board member for several national faith-based organizations.
Billy Graham
(1918–2018) was an American evangelist, an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist tradition, and a supporter of civil rights. He became widely recognized in the mid-to-late twentieth century through his preaching tours and broadcasts, which brought live sermons to audiences around the world. Over a career that lasted more than sixty years, Graham emerged as one of the most prominent evangelical Christian leaders in both the United States and internationally. Biographers have described Graham as one of the most influential Christian figures of the twentieth century. Beginning in the late 1940s and early 1950s, he drew enormous crowds, often filling stadiums and large public venues where he delivered his messages. Many of these events were transmitted by radio and television, allowing his sermons to reach millions, with some broadcasts continuing into the twenty-first century. From 1947 until his retirement in 2005, Graham led annual evangelistic crusades that became a defining feature of his public ministry.
Dr. Henry Greenidge
is a pastor, theologian, and pioneer in multiethnic church ministry within the Evangelical Covenant Church. He helped plant Irvington Covenant Church (now Portland Covenant Church) in Portland, Oregon in 1988, one of the first intentionally multiethnic congregations in the denomination. For his leadership, he received an honorary doctorate from North Park Theological Seminary in 2007 and the Irving C. Lambert Award for excellence in urban ministry in 2008. Dr. Greenidge has long been involved in worship leadership and the African American Ministers Association in the Covenant and has continued to advocate for racial reconciliation, intercultural engagement, and community ministry throughout his career.
Rev. Brenda Grier-Miller
is a native of Brooklyn, New York. She was educated in the New York City public school system and studied Early Childhood Education before earning a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Adelphi University and a Master of Science in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University in 2000. Now retired, Rev. Grier-Miller served Oberlin College for 24 years as Associate Dean of Student Support Services and Class Dean, with a focus on supporting first-generation, low-income, and disabled students. She accepted Christ in her youth and, responding to a call to ministry, was ordained as a senior minister at the House of the Lord Pentecostal Church in Brooklyn in 2003. Her work has centered on youth, families, and community development through social work, youth ministry, and creative programming. She has also served on several community and faith-based boards. Rev. Grier-Miller has been married for forty-two years to Albert G. Miller and is the mother of four children and grandmother of four grandchildren.
Rev. Aaron M. Hamlin
is an American evangelical leader best known as one of the co‑founders of the National Negro Evangelical Association (NNEA), which later became the National Black Evangelical Association (NBEA), an organization formed in 1963 to foster fellowship, ministry cooperation, and networking among Black Christian leaders committed to evangelism and church growth. His role at the founding gathering helped establish a platform for Black evangelical voices and leaders in the United States during a pivotal time for both the church and society. Hamlin also served as executive director of the NBEA and was active in leading its national conventions and initiatives.
Verna Dorsey Holley
is a retired choral music teacher and musician. She attended Dwyer Elementary School and graduated from Northern High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in music education from Wayne State University and a master’s degree in music from Michigan State University. Holley spent her career in the Lansing Public School System, serving as fine arts director at J.W. Sexton High School before retiring. She later continued teaching piano privately and became pianist and music director for the Earl Nelson Singers, an integrated ensemble founded in 1963 that performs traditional sacred songs and early gospel-style music. Her work has also been connected with the Okemos String Program. She is a member of several professional and community organizations and lives in Lansing with her husband, Melvin Holley. They have three adult children: Mark, Timothy, and Millicent.
Rev. Howard O. Jones
(1921–2010) was an African American pastor, evangelist, and author. He served congregations in Harlem and Cleveland and became the first African American associate evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, traveling widely in the U.S. and Africa. Jones also led the long-running radio program Hour of Freedom and authored Gospel Trailblazer, documenting his ministry and efforts to promote racial reconciliation in evangelicalism.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
(1929–1968) was an American Baptist minister and civil rights leader who played a central role in the U.S. civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He advocated for racial equality through nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, challenging Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination. As a prominent Black church leader, King organized and led campaigns for voting rights, desegregation, labor rights, and social justice. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, served as the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and helped organize major nonviolent protests, including those in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. That same year, he was a principal leader of the March on Washington, where he delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. King also played a key role in the Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches in 1965. The movement he helped lead resulted in major legislative achievements, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Rodney Glen King
(1965–2012) was an American man whose beating by police became a defining moment in discussions of police brutality in the United States. On March 3, 1991, King was severely beaten by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department following a high-speed pursuit related to driving while intoxicated. The incident was recorded by a bystander, George Holliday, who filmed the beating from a nearby balcony and shared the footage with a local television station. The video, which showed King being struck while on the ground, was broadcast nationally and internationally, sparking widespread public outrage and drawing global attention to issues of police violence and accountability.
Dr. Stan Long
is an educator and ministry leader who was associated with the American Tract Society before joining the faculty of Nyack College. He earned multiple academic degrees, including a Doctor of Divinity from Nyack College. Dr. Long has served on several boards, including the National Black Evangelical Association, Urban Ministries, Incorporated, and Fuller Theological Seminary. His work with the American Tract Society reflected its mission, founded in 1825, to publish and distribute Christian literature. He is married and is the father of three children, the grandfather of five grandsons, and the great-grandfather of one great-granddaughter.
Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin
is president and CEO of Christianity Today and founder and executive director of SoulFire International Ministries. She serves on the boards of the National Association of Evangelicals, Fuller Theological Seminary, the Salvation Army, and the Center for Christianity and Public Life. Dr. Martin holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is the author of three books, including Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender.
William Paul “Bill” McCartney
(1940–2025) was an American college football coach and evangelical leader. He was converted to evangelical Christianity in 1974 at a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting in Brighton, Michigan. McCartney served as head football coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes from 1982 to 1994, compiling a career record of 93–55–5 and winning three consecutive Big Eight Conference titles from 1989 to 1991. His 1990 team was named national champion by the Associated Press, and he received Kodak Coach of the Year honors. In recognition of his coaching career, McCartney was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013. In 1990, McCartney founded Promise Keepers, an evangelical Christian parachurch organization focused on men’s ministry.
The Reverend Dr. Walter McCray is a pastor, theologian, and educator known for his work in biblical teaching and leadership development. He is the founder of Blacklight Fellowship, an organization dedicated to equipping believers through culturally informed, biblically grounded discipleship. Dr. McCray’s ministry emphasizes Scripture, spiritual formation, and empowering faith communities through teaching and mentorship.
Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil
is an author, speaker, consultant, and president of Salter McNeil and Associates. She teaches at Seattle Pacific University, where she directs the Reconciliation Studies minor, mentoring students, partnering with the John Perkins Center for community-based initiatives, and overseeing internships to provide practical reconciliation experience. She also teaches Master of Divinity students in the seminary program, preparing them for ministry in diverse, multiethnic contexts. Dr. McNeil has received a Doctorate of Humane Letters from North Park University (2008) and an honorary doctorate from Eastern University (2017). She has lectured widely at Christian colleges and universities in the U.S. and Africa. She serves on the Board of Directors of Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA, and is an ordained clergy member of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Dwight Lyman “D. L.” Moody
(1837–1899) was an American evangelist, publisher, and Christian educator known for his influential revivalist work. He founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts (now Northfield Mount Hermon School), Moody Bible Institute, and Moody Publishers. Moody left a successful boot-and-shoe business to devote his life to ministry, initially serving Union troops during the Civil War through the YMCA’s United States Christian Commission. In Chicago, he established one of the nation’s leading evangelical centers, which remains active today. Working alongside singer Ira Sankey, Moody conducted revival tours across the United States and the British Isles, attracting large crowds with his dynamic preaching. One of his best-known quotes is: “Faith makes all things possible…Love makes all things easy.”
Dr. Joy Jittaun Moore
is a pastor, theologian, and professor from Chicago, Illinois, where she grew up on the South Side. She earned a B.A. in education and mathematics from the National College of Education at National Louis University in 1982 and a Master of Divinity from Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary in 1989. She completed a Ph.D. in Practical Theology at Brunel University in partnership with the London School of Theology in 2007, having been awarded a John Wesley Fellowship (2001–2005). Dr. Moore has held numerous academic and ministry roles. She served as director of student life at Asbury Theological Seminary (1999–2001), chaplain and director of church relations at Adrian College, and taught at Duke Divinity School. At Fuller Theological Seminary (2012–2017), she was assistant professor of preaching and founded the William E. Pannell Center for African American Church Studies in 2015. She later served as associate professor of practical theology at Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University (2017–2018) and pastored a historic African American United Methodist congregation in Flint, Michigan. In 2019, she joined Luther Seminary as professor of biblical preaching. An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, Dr. Moore also served as president of the Wesleyan Theological Society from 2021 to 2022.
Dr. Albert “A.G.” Miller
is an American pastor, scholar, and author who serves as Midwest District Minister and pastor of the Oberlin House of the Lord Fellowship in Oberlin, Ohio, a congregation he helped grow from a Bible study in his home into a vibrant church. He was ordained as a senior minister with The House of the Lord Pentecostal Church in 1981 and also serves on the denomination’s National Board of Elders. Dr. Miller had a long academic career, teaching American and African American religious history as Associate Professor of Religion at Oberlin College for 27 years before retiring in 2018. He holds B.S.W. and M.S.W. degrees in social work from Adelphi University and earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University, with further study at Union Theological Seminary and Iliff School of Theology. He is the author of Elevating the Race: Theophilus G. Steward, Black Theology, and the Making of an African American Civil Society, 1865–1924 and has contributed scholarly articles on religion and culture. Dr. Miller is married to Rev. Brenda Grier-Miller and they have four adult children and grandchildren.
Elijah Muhammad
(born Elijah Robert Poole, later Elijah Karriem; October 7, 1897, Sandersville, Georgia – February 25, 1975, Chicago, Illinois) was an American religious leader and head of the Nation of Islam from 1933 until his death. Under his leadership, the Nation of Islam grew from a small Detroit-based movement into a nationwide organization with tens of thousands of members. Muhammad promoted black nationalism and a distinctive theology, teaching that white people were created by a black scientist named Yakub and describing multiple gods, each a black man named Allah, with himself as a messenger. His leadership and teachings were influential during the civil rights era and shaped the development of the Nation of Islam in the United States.
Berlin Martin “B.M.” Nottage
(1889–1966) was a pioneering Black evangelist and church planter who, along with his brothers, helped spread the gospel in major U.S. cities in the early to mid‑20th century. Born on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera, he and his brothers Whitfield and Talbot Burton (T.B.) Nottage came to faith in Christ as a teenager and soon began witnessing locally before relocating to the United States. By 1913, Nottage was deeply involved in evangelistic work in New York City’s Black neighborhoods, helping establish Grace Gospel Chapel in Harlem. Over the next two decades, he and his brother T.B. traveled widely across the United States, sharing the gospel and establishing new assemblies in cities such as St. Louis, Birmingham, and Muskegon. In 1930, they helped launch Grace Gospel Hall in Chicago. In 1932 Nottage moved to Detroit, where he founded Bethany Tabernacle and continued his evangelistic ministry, contributing to the establishment of several other assemblies in the area. Known for his preaching and deep knowledge of Scripture, he became a respected speaker and authority on evangelism within Black communities. Nottage remained active in ministry at Bethany Tabernacle until his death in 1966 at age 76.
Talbot Burton “T.B.” Nottage
(1885–1972) was a Bahamian-born evangelist and church planter who, along with his brother Berlin Martin “B.M.” Nottage, played a key role in spreading the Christian gospel in Black communities across the United States. T.B. Nottage began his ministry in his teenage years in the Bahamas before relocating to the U.S., where he partnered with his brothers in establishing churches and assemblies in cities such as New York, St. Louis, Birmingham, Muskegon, and Chicago. In 1932, he moved to Detroit, where he continued his evangelistic work and contributed to the founding of Bethany Tabernacle and other local congregations. Known for his preaching and deep scriptural knowledge, Nottage remained active in ministry until his death in 1972 at the age of 87.
Whitfield Nottage
(born circa 1883–1986) was a Bahamian-born evangelist and church planter, one of the three Nottage brothers who helped spread the Christian gospel in Black communities across the United States. Whitfield came to faith as a teenager in the Bahamas and later joined his brothers, Berlin Martin “B.M.” Nottage and Talbot Burton “T.B.” Nottage, in establishing churches and assemblies in cities such as New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit. He was active in evangelistic ministry, helping plant and support congregations, and was known for his dedication to preaching and discipleship within urban Black communities. Specific details about his later life and date of death are not well-documented.
Dr. William “Bill” E. Pannell
(1929–2024) was an American evangelical leader, theologian, and professor of preaching at Fuller Theological Seminary. He was a pioneering advocate for racial justice within evangelicalism, challenging the movement’s racial dynamics and calling for greater inclusion and equity. Pannell authored several influential books, including My Friend, the Enemy (1968), which explored issues of racism within evangelical circles. Throughout his career, he was recognized as a critical voice for justice and reconciliation, mentoring generations of pastors and students in preaching, theology, and ethical leadership.
John M. Perkins
is an American Christian minister, civil rights activist, and author. He and his wife, Vera Mae Perkins, founded the John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation, where he serves as president emeritus. Perkins is also co-founder of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), promoting holistic community development, racial reconciliation, and Christian social action.
Rev. Ronald “Ron” C. Potter
is a theologian, historian, lecturer, and ordained minister specializing in the modern Black evangelical movement. He holds a Master of Divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center and pursued doctoral studies in Theological Ethics at Drew University. Rev. Potter has taught and lectured at numerous institutions, including Harvard Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary, Covenant Theological Seminary, Morehouse College, and Vanderbilt University. He serves on the board of the National Black Evangelical Association and is a speaker with the John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation. He resides in Jackson, Mississippi, and is active in the American Academy of Religion and the Obsidian Society.
Dr. Vanessa Wynder Quainoo
is a scholar and administrator at Wheaton College, where she serves as Chief Intercultural Engagement Officer and on the Senior Administrative Cabinet. In this role, she provides leadership in advancing biblical diversity and inclusion across campus, fostering racial unity, intercultural understanding, and inclusive pedagogy. Her work includes collaborating with faculty, staff, and students to integrate Christian faith with culturally responsive teaching, addressing issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic class. Dr. Quainoo holds a B.A. in Speech Communication from Wheaton College, a Master’s in Oral Performance from Western Illinois University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. She previously served on Wheaton’s Board of Visitors from 2014 to 2018 and specializes in social rhetoric and race discourse.
Dr. Dwight A. Radcliff Jr.
is a pastor, theologian, and educator serving as academic dean and director of the William E. Pannell Center for Black Church Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. He joined Fuller in 2019 as assistant professor of mission, theology, and culture and became academic dean of the Pannell Center in 2020. Dr. Radcliff earned his M.Div. and Ph.D. from Fuller Seminary, receiving awards including the Parish Pulpit Fellowship, Hooper/Keefe Preaching Award, Pannell Fellowship, and King Fellowship. He completed post-master’s studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas and the University of Oxford. His dissertation, The Message: A Hip Hop Hermeneutic as a Missiological Model, has been published and presented widely. With over 20 years of pastoral experience, he serves as senior pastor of The Message Center in Gardena, California, alongside his wife, DeShun Jones-Radcliff. He has also taught at Vanguard University, Azusa Pacific University, and the Southern California School of Ministry, and lectures internationally on urban church planting, theology, preaching, and social justice. Previously, he served as a deputy and chaplain with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Dr. Soong-Chan Rah
is a theologian, educator, and pastor who joined Fuller Theological Seminary in 2021 as the Robert Boyd Munger Professor of Evangelism. Previously, he served as the Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary, focusing on multicultural ministry, church growth, and evangelism. He holds a Th.D. in theology and ethics (with a secondary focus in American evangelical history) from Duke Divinity School, an MDiv and DMin in urban ministry leadership from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a ThM from Harvard University, where he studied the immigrant church. Dr. Rah has authored or coauthored multiple award-winning books, including The Next Evangelicalism, Many Colors, Prophetic Lament, Return to Justice, Unsettling Truths, and Forgive Us. An ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church, he is a member of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education, the American Academy of Religion, and the American Society of Missiology. He speaks widely on church witness, cross-cultural ministry, and social justice at conferences, seminaries, colleges, churches, and ministry gatherings worldwide.
Rev. Derrick Rollerson
is the founder and executive director of the Westlawn Youth Network (WYN) and serves as Executive Pastor of Weslawn Gospel Chapel in Chicago. Born in the North Lawndale community, where his parents helped plant Weslawn Gospel Chapel, he has deep roots in the neighborhood and a lifelong commitment to its youth. Pastor Rollerson has been in full-time ministry since 1980, beginning with six and a half years at Chicagoland Youth for Christ. In 1986, he became Youth Pastor at Westlawn Gospel Chapel, where he founded the Westlawn Youth Network. Since 1987, he has also served part-time with the Chicago Urban Reconciliation Enterprise (CURE). Married to Eilleen since 1981, they have raised three adult children and continue to serve the Lord together. Pastor Rollerson enjoys competitive table tennis, dominoes, and badminton.
Rev. Mark Soderquist is a pastor at Westlawn Gospel Chapel and board president of the Westlawn Youth Network. He earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Taylor University in 1980 and a Master’s in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton Graduate School in 1987. Mark served five years with Operation Mobilization, working in England, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan. In 1990, he founded Urban & Ethnic Ministries within International Teams, partnering with ethnic churches in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Boston, and Detroit. His work focuses on urban ministry, race, diversity, justice, poverty, and the role of the church in city contexts. He also serves on multiple nonprofit boards and a private foundation supporting minority-led urban nonprofits. Since 1990, Mark and his wife Jennifer, a singer, composer, worship leader, and college volleyball coach, have ministered in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood. They have two sons and have led numerous international short-term mission trips to Central America, Eastern Europe, Russia, China, and Hong Kong.
Rev. Tom Skinner
(1942–1994) was an American pastor and evangelist known for his dynamic preaching and leadership in urban ministry. He served as senior pastor of significant congregations, reaching diverse communities with his message of faith and empowerment. Rev. Skinner was widely recognized for his contributions to Christian education, church growth, and outreach programs before his death in 1994.
Kwame Ture; born Stokely Carmichael (1941–1998) was a Trinidadian-American activist and key figure in the U.S. civil rights and global pan-African movements. He moved to the United States at age 11 and became politically active while attending the Bronx High School of Science. Ture was a leader in the Black Power movement, serving with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Black Panther Party as “Honorary Prime Minister,” and the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP). He participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides, worked for voting rights in Mississippi and Alabama under mentors like Ella Baker and Bob Moses, and co-founded independent Black political organizations including the Lowndes County Freedom Organization. Inspired by Malcolm X, he popularized the philosophy of Black Power through speeches and writings.
Dr. Jemar Tisby
is a historian, author, and speaker focused on the history of racism and the church in America, holding a Ph.D. in history from the University of Mississippi. He is the founder of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective and has written widely on racial justice, reconciliation, and the intersection of faith and culture.
Rev. Brandon Washington
grew up in Dallas, Texas, and holds M.A. degrees in Systematic Theology and Apologetics & Ethics from Denver Seminary. He serves as a pastor at Embassy Christian Bible Church with a focus on community, discipleship, and missional living. He and his wife, Cheri, have two children, Reese and Ellis.
Jeffrey Wright
is CEO of Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI), a leading African American Christian media and publishing company serving churches and denominations. He oversees UMI’s widely used commentary and teaching resources and serves on several nonprofit and academic boards. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson and Bristol Myers Squibb. Wright is a contributing author to Non Profit Leadership in a For Profit World and Chasing Paper and lives in Chicago with his wife, Lakita Garth Wright.
Casper John “Jack” Wyrtzen
(April 22, 1913, Woodhaven, Queens, New York City – April 17, 1996) was an American evangelist, youth ministry leader, and radio broadcaster. He founded the Word of Life Fellowship, a global evangelical organization focused on youth outreach, Bible camps, and international missions. Wyrtzen was known for his dynamic preaching, large-scale youth rallies, and leadership in developing Christian educational programs, leaving a lasting impact on evangelical youth ministry in the United States and abroad.
Malcolm X
(1925–1965) was an African American Muslim minister, human rights activist, and prominent leader in the civil rights movement. He advocated for Black empowerment, self-determination, and the promotion of social and economic justice for African Americans. Initially a leader in the Nation of Islam, he later embraced Sunni Islam and a global perspective on racial justice. Malcolm X became an enduring symbol of resistance against racial oppression and remains one of the most influential figures in 20th-century American history.
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