Black religious historian Lincoln dies at 75

DURHAM, N.C. — Alabama native C. Eric Lincoln, the pre-eminent historian of black religion in the United States and a longtime professor at Duke University, died May 14 at his Durham, N.C., home. The 75-year-old was from Athens.

Lincoln wrote 22 books including the definitive study of black religious life, “The Black Church in the African-American Experience,” with former student Lawrence Mamiya.

The 1990 book raised several important issues including the failure of black churches to pay attention to young black males, who were dropping out of church life in droves.

Earlier in his career Lincoln wrote “The Black Muslims in America,” which raised the profile of the little-known movement when it was published in 1961 and caught the attention of Malcolm X, who became a friend of Lincoln’s. He also knew Martin Luther King Jr.