Black Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians are Boosting Their Visibility in Politics − a Shift from the Past

Worshippers listen as President Joe Biden speaks at Mount Airy Church of God in Christ on July 7, 2024, in Philadelphia. Joe Lamberti for The Washington Post via Getty Images by Dara Delgado, Allegheny College Many Black leaders are swinging into action for the Harris-Walz campaign – and clergy are no exception. On Aug. 5, 2024, The Black Church PAC hosted a “Win With the Black Church” webinar to register voters, sign up volunteers and raise funds for Vice President Kamala Harris. The kickoff event, which organizers said raised US$500,000 and boasted 16,000 attendees, was hosted by the political action committee’s co-founder, Mike McBride – pastor of The Way Christian Center in California. Apart from politics, McBride shares something else with many of the people on the webinar, including gospel singer Erica Campbell, pastor Jamal Bryant and co-founder the Rev. Leah Daughtry: All draw on Pentecostal faith. As a scholar of American Pentecostalism and Black Studies, I see this event as but one example of Black Pentecostal and charismatics’ increasing visibility in American politics – a notable shift from the past. Power of the Holy Spirit Pentecostalism is a global Protestant Christian movement. As an evangelical Christian tradition, Pentecostalism emphasizes...