Blackwell 1

Spencer
Professor Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
02/11/2015
The Black Church: Hospital or Prison
Introduction/Overview
What are the leading causes that make those of the Christian faith walk away from their
local churches or turn from the entire faith as a whole, especially in the African American
Protestant (Black) churches? With so much going on in the world and the church, its causing
an effect on those who believe in the Christian faith. When those of the same faith should be
coming together, it only seems as if were falling apart.
This is a very complex issue. Some people think that the church is just fine, others think
that the faith wont last much longer, and then there are those who think all of this is bogus and a
bunch of foolishness. The main people who would be able to contribute to this are leaders of
black churches and the congregants of black churches. I will speak with leaders of different
organizations within the black church community to receive information from various aspects.

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

What are the problems that cause division within the church? What is currently going on
that has an impact in the church? How do those that have faith in another religion view the black
church? Does the government have an effect on the leading issues and concerns in these
churches? How many people turn from the Christian faith? How many people turn to the
Christian faith?

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It is fine to list several questions you have at this time, but think through which question
most intrigues you now. Pose one, and in the section below, Next Steps, you can elaborate on
other areas of inquiry you may pursue. Chances are, you will.

My Interest in this Topic

Explain why youre interested in researching this subject. What is its significance to you?
Use various prompts for freewriting like, Im interested in the status of the church because a
major part of my life is built upon it. until you generate some potentially meaningful answers.
(You might also decide you need another topic that you have more interest in.) The most
successful EIPs are most often by students who have some form of personal connection to the
topic. Be forewarned: If you THINK youll be happy as an accountant, so you THINK this
connection will help you select a topic for the semester based on your major, please THINK
again. Also, answer these questions about your interest in your topic:
1. What do you already know?
2. What do you hope to learn?

Next Steps
In this last section, state where you will go next to find more research on your topic.
Rather than stating, I will use the Internet (too broad), write, I will be visiting Facebooks
corporate PR page for statistics and various privacy watchdog websites for balance, plus
examining such reliable journalistic sources as The New York Times (and other papers), Wired
magazines website, and the librarys database to search for peer-reviewed sources that cover the
issues.

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Remember that, through the library, you have access to just about every major newspaper,
magazine, and academic journal on the planet. We will visit the library to learn more; however,
you would be wise to go to the library and ask for help from the FREE reference librarians (ask
the information desk right up front where to find them). They are paid to help students find
sources for assignments just like this one. For free.

I believe that this is an interesting topic. It is interesting to me because I am black and go

to a predominantly black church. I am eager to read the rest of your paper. The only thing that is
throwing me off is the introduction, I feel it needs more. I know this is a rough draft, but you
have something very good, very fascinating for your topic. I honestly want to read this when you
are finished. I want to see what you find.
-Shanice Tyson (02/12/2015)