W. E. B. Du Bois, American Prophet author Edward J. Blum recently discussed the inspiration for his research with the online daily magazine Religion Dispatches. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
Professionally, I felt drawn to write about religion in Du Bois’s
because it filled two important historical gaps. First, he was
basically ignored by American religious historians who tended to write
more about Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, Billy Graham, or Martin
Luther King, Jr. I wondered about the religious insights of a man who
refused to become a minister. I found that Du Bois’s life and insights
probably tell us more about the power and place of religion in American
society than any of these others. Second, American historians have
written extensively about Du Bois but have basically ignored his
interest in religion. I felt shocked to read book after book about The Souls of Black Folk that focused on the word “folk” in the title but not on “souls.”
