Good Cop, Bad Cop: A Sociological and Theological Study on the Black Muslim Movement and the Black Church

This work explores the sociological and theological impact that the black socially conscious religious movement and the traditional black church based-civil rights movement exerted upon one another throughout its history. The title is inspired by a concept or technique often utilized by law enforcement partners, where one officer appears to be belligerent and angry, so that the other "good cop" who appears more understanding and conciliatory may gain the confidence of the one being questioned. It is the contention of this project, that a sociology of good cop/bad cop interplay between the militant and traditional wings of the black freedom struggle played a role in the success of the overall movement. The first half of the study takes a dive into the sociological "consciousness of kind" concept that impacts the religious psychology of black America.

The sociological analysis and emphasis in this research were inspired by a sociology of religion class where I serve at Athens State University in Athens Alabama. Within that setting, I noticed that there was a need for students in sociology of religion classes to be exposed to black sociologists of religion who amplify the religious thought of Black America. Therefore, I took the challenge to develop a research paper on the sociology of black religion that could be used by students as a resource for their papers. In my opinion, W. E. B. Dubois and C. Eric Lincoln are the greatest black sociologists in American history, and students needed to explore their thoughts and ideas on the subjects they addressed.

C. Eric Lincoln has written books on both the black church and the black Muslims. Any curriculum that seeks to study black religion from a sociological framework, would need to make Lincoln's books as a primary text. In the first book I authored, "Reconciliation--Geopolitical Perspectives of a Black Theologian," I showed why Palestinian Christians find more in common with their Muslim neighbors in their struggle for self-determination, due to either the cluelessness of Western Christians or their lack of compassion for Palestinians whether Muslim or Christian. The same has been historically true when it comes to black Christians who are in the fight for black survival and their Muslim counterparts, because too often White Christians have either dismissed their concerns or have been opposed to their struggle. When this research references black Muslims, it is meant to also stand as a metaphor for the socially conscious movement as most of their rappers and thought leaders have been Muslim.