The Baptist Church and Benedict College Restored My Faith in God

One of the most significant factors that contributed to my educational success and survival as an African-American man has been my faith in God. This faith of mine has been strengthened in large part because of the relationship between Benedict College and the black Baptist church.

Benedict College and the black Baptist church gave me the freedom and guidance to connect my political leanings to my newly discovered religious comfort with the black Baptist church. The values of the Baptist church emphasize the importance of a civil government in society and community, and it allowed me to share an ideology of fighting injustices and prejudices towards black citizens throughout the state of South Carolina, the United States of America, and the global community. The Baptist church’s affiliation with Benedict College allowed me to understand the role of the black church in the black community. This relationship allowed me to be a liaison between Benedict College and various community organizations such as the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, the South Carolina Democratic Party, and the Office of the Mayor of the City of Columbia. These experiences, both on campus and throughout the various neighborhoods of Columbia, allowed me to provide political and spiritual leadership to black citizens. This spiritual leadership allowed me to be an inspirational role model for many young black citizens at St. John’s Baptist Church, Brookland Baptist Church and other nearby Baptist churches throughout Columbia.

This relationship between Benedict College and the black Baptist Church also strengthened my intellectual foundation. I was able to study the problems of the moral life as related to contemporary social, political and economic trends as well as the character of the individual. It was here that I was exposed to the elements in the construction of and leadership in African-American formal service of worship. It was here that I understood the fundamental of church religion and the integral role that they played in defining the culture of African-American citizens in America. The manifestation of my faith evolved over time within the black Baptist church, and it has been this manifestation and evolution that has and continues to produce positive spiritual, social, economic and political results for myself as well as black America.

About the Author

Darris Thomas graduated from historically-black Benedict College on May 9, 2015 with his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations