We’re starting a new feature at The Front Porch called “People to Know.” With this feature, we hope to bring onto the porch introductory information about pastors, leaders, scholars, advocates and practitioners whose work and ministry ought to be read widely by the Church.
In our inaugural post, we want Front Porch readers to know Dr. Korie Edwards, a civil engineer turned associate professor of sociology at The Ohio State University. Dr. Edwards’ “current research examines the cultural practices, social dynamics, and organizational structures within interracial churches; culturally relevant methods in cross-cultural research in American religion; religio-cultural practices of African American churches; gender in the African American church; and the role of religion in the behaviors and attitudes of American youth.” (from The Ohio State website)
Here’s a six-minute interview of Dr. Edwards discussing the relationship between race, religion and power and how White, African American, and Hispanic youth view religion:
Dr. Edwards’ published works include:
Christerson, Brad, Korie L. Edwards, and Richard Flory. 2010. Growing Up in America:The Power of Race in the Lives of Teens. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press. [Equal
contributions: Authorship in alphabetical order].
Edwards, Korie L. 2008. The Elusive Dream: The Power of Race in Interracial Churches.
New York: Oxford University Press.
Christerson, Brad, Korie L. Edwards, and Michael O. Emerson. 2005. Against All Odds: TheStruggle for Racial Integration in Religious Organizations. New York: New York
University Press. [Equal contributions: Authorship in alphabetical order]
You can find her entire CV here.
Here’s Dr. Edwards participating in a religion and public life panel on “The Black Church and Politics” at Rice University:
Look out for more from Dr. Edwards’ research and writing. She’s among those doing tremendously valuable work, especially for those interested in healthier approaches to multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and gender-unified congregational lives.
