Gospel, the eagerly awaited PBS four-hour docuseries, brings gospel and secular artists together for an incredibly inspiring celebration.
Through its four episodes, Gospel explores the rich history of Black spirituality through sermons and songs.
From Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., executive producer, host, and writer, the series airs February 12, and 13 on Nine PBS (Channel 9 on most cable networks). Gospel Live!, a special companion concert premiered at 8 p.m. on Friday, February 9.
The musical celebration honors the legacy and influence of gospel music in America, and several contemporary secular artists and renowned gospel singers will perform their favorite gospel classics. The event is co-hosted by Gates and Erica Campbell, and features John Legend.
“From the blues to hip hop, African Americans have been the driving force of sonic innovation for over a century,” states Gates in a release.
“Musical styles come and go, but there’s one sound that has been a constant source of strength, courage and wisdom from the pulpit to the choir lofts on any given Sunday.”
Gospel Episode Guide
The Gospel Train – Monday, February 12, 8 pm
Hour 1 follows the sonic influences of blues and jazz music.
The Golden Age of Gospel – Monday, February 12, 9 pm
Hour 2 traces the Golden Age of Gospel from the Lord’s music to the mainstream.
Take the Message Everywhere – Tuesday, February 13, 8 pm
Hour 3, gospel goes mainstream, taking the good news everywhere.
Gospel’s Second Century – Tuesday, February 13, 9 pm
Hour 4 explores how gospel and preaching achieved platinum-selling success.
Gospel will also be available via livestream at www.ninepbs.org/live A post-broadcast stream will be at www.ninepbs.org /video-app.
Having ‘none’ of it
According to a Pew Research survey, Today, about 28% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular” when asked about their religion. They are being referred to as “nones.”
However, there are fewer “nones” in the Black community. Just 2% of self-described atheists and 4% of agnostics are Black.
The racial breakdown of U.S. “nones” is like the racial breakdown of Americans who identify with a religion.
White adults make up larger shares of U.S. atheists (77%) and agnostics (69%) than of people whose religion is “nothing in particular” (57%).
According to Pew:
Most “nones” believe in God or another higher power. But very few go to religious services regularly.
Most say religion does some harm, but many also think it does some good. They are not uniformly anti-religious.
Most “nones” reject the idea that science can explain everything. But they express more positive views of science than religiously affiliated Americans do.
Some “nones” are indeed spiritual. About half say spirituality is very important in their lives or say they think of themselves as spiritual. Most “nones” believe animals other than humans can have spirits or spiritual energies – and many say this is true of parts of nature, such as mountains, rivers or trees.
But these spiritual identities and beliefs are not unique to “nones.” In fact, by many measures, people who identify with a religion tend to be just as spiritual, or even more spiritual, than “nones.”
The population of religious “nones” in the U.S. is younger than the population of Americans who identify with a religion.
Among “nones,” 69% are under the age of 50, while 31% are 50 or older. By comparison, 45% of U.S. adults who identify with a religion are under 50, while 55% are ages 50 or older.
“Nones” overall are split between men (51%) and women (47%). The populations of atheists and agnostics include far more men than women. The same is not true for people whose religion is “nothing in particular.”
