Historical Foundations of African American Bereavement

By

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Introduction1

Biblical Foundations1

Theological Foundations4

Theoretical Perspectives4

Context for Research5

Research Question6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW7

Historical Foundations7

Bereavement and African Americans9

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY14

Methodology14

Summary14

BIBLIOGRAPHY15

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Introduction

In respect to the implications for social work, this study revealed how grief support services are perceived by one small group of African-American church community who may someday be in need of support and the impact that strength-based interventions can make on their lives. This research has several implications for practitioners. The Black Church is a natural social support structure that is a source of strength in Black communities. Social workers and other mental health care professionals need to be trained in and sensitized to understanding the role and function of Black churches in the lives of their members. Religion and spirituality are very important to many African-Americans.

Biblical Foundations

Bereavement or feelings of profound loss may be the result from the severing of a number of types of attachments: from people to pets, and/or, from our possessions to our principles. However, the focus for this project is exclusively on the bereavement that is the result of the death of a loved one, be she or he a relative or close friend. One of the primary goals of this project is to provide a resource for churches (but also applicable to other such groups) that will train non-professional congregants to minister to bereaved people and address this need.

The Bible is the primary source for Christian faith and practice, so naturally we consult these sacred texts for guidance, although admittedly the scriptural foundations for bereavement support are not stated explicitly in the Old or New Testament. These writers were concerned with the issues of their day and time; however, there are a few texts that implicitly support this ministry. Consequently, we will seek to extract some principles for a supportive bereavement ministry from a brief survey of some of these limited citations to inform our efforts to support persons who are bereaved. The earliest and most expansive of the texts is recorded in Job, considered by most scholars to be the earliest book of the Hebrew Bible. In Job we have a powerful example of how to connect with and support a bereaved person in chapter 2:11-13: Now when Job's three friends heard of these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his home Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamanthite. They met together to go and console and comfort him.

When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud, they tore their robes and threw dust in the air over their heads. They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. Note the action. Job's three friends intentionally come upon hearing of his tragedies. They enter and share Job's suffering by joining Job in mourning silently with ...