Note to editors: Color photos of Lincoln are available as eric lincoln1.jpg and eric lincoln2.jpg on http://photo1.dukenews.duke.edu/.


C. ERIC LINCOLN, LEADING SCHOLAR OF THE BLACK CHURCH IN AMERICA, DIES SUNDAY; FUNERAL TO BE HELD AT 11 A.M. THURSDAY, MAY 18, IN DUKE CHAPEL

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University Professor Emeritus C. Eric Lincoln, one of the nation's foremost scholars of the black church in the United States and a friend of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., died Sunday. He was 75.

Lincoln was brought to the Duke Hospital emergency department shortly after noon and could not be resuscitated, officials said. Cause of death was not immediately determined.

Lincoln, an Athens, Ala., native who was cited in 1990 by Pope John Paul II for his "scholarly service to the church," was the author, co-author or editor of 22 books, written from both historical and sociological perspectives.

Among his best known books are The Black Muslims in America (1961) and The Black Church in the African-American Experience, written with former student Lawrence H. Mamiya and published by Duke University Press in 1990. The book, considered the definitive work on the subject, revealed the strength of the black church in America but also raised troubling issues, including the failure of the black church to pay attention to young black males and the lack of young blacks entering the ministry.

"Eric Lincoln was a distinguished scholar and author whose convictions and humanity made him a leading voice for racial reconciliation in our country," said Duke President Nannerl O. Keohane. "His commitment to justice was reflected in his work and in his life and we are all diminished by this loss."

Lincoln's most recent work, Coming Through the Fire: Surviving Race and Place in America (1996, Duke University Press), drew national acclaim for its insightful and personal look at racism in America. Lincoln related anecdotes as a boy growing up in Alabama, such as being given a nickel for a sack of cotton that should have brought $3.60. When he objected, he was beaten. The book's wide-ranging essays (the O.J. Simpson trial, Louis Farrakhan and black-on-black crime) as well as Lincoln's views on ending racism drew praise from critics throughout the nation

Lincoln, the William Rand Kenan Jr. professor emeritus of religion and culture at Duke and long-time member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, also is the author of a novel, The Avenue: Clayton City (1988, William Morrow), which received the 1988 Lillian Smith Book Award for best southern fiction.

"Eric Lincoln was a distinguished leader in African-American religious scholarship," said L. Gregory Jones, dean of the Duke University Divinity School. "His pioneering work has enabled those after him to stand on his shoulders."

A graduate of LeMoyne College, Lincoln earned a bachelor of divinity degree from the University of Chicago and master's degrees from Fisk University and Boston University. In 1960, he received a Ph.D. from Boston College in 1960. He began his teaching career at Clark College in Atlanta in 1954. He taught at Brown University; the University of Ghana, where he served as director of the American Forum of African Studies; Union Theological Seminary; Vassar College and Columbia University. He left his faculty position at Fisk University to come to Duke in 1976.

At Duke, he received numerous honors, including the 1989 Howard Johnson Distinguished Teaching Award. He retired in 1993, but continued to write, lecture and serve as a media expert on race relations and religion. He was a frequent media source on the black church and black political issues.

Lincoln, who lived in Durham, also was the author of several hymns -- his work appears in the United Methodist Hymnal, Songs of Zion, Lift Every Voice and Sing and elsewhere. He recently collaborated with organist David Hurd of New York City's General Theological Seminary on a hymn, "The Song of Reconciliation," which debuted in late March at Duke Chapel. Earlier this year, Lincoln said of his hymn writing: "I do it as a kind of hobby. But this hymn was very important to me. I was trying to get people to reach across dichotomies, to reach across differences and to try to understand each other.

"It's something that is very important to me. People need to forgive and forget their differences -- for the best of everyone concerned."

The second verse of "The Song of Reconciliation" offers those same thoughts:

"Walls of hatred may divide us,

"Bitter fruits of sect and race,

"But the God who walks beside us

"Folds us all in one embrace.

"Let forgiveness be our prayer,

"Friend and foe will meet us there.

"Let us praise the lord together, reconciled."

The recipient of more than a dozen honorary degrees, Lincoln's research has been supported by numerous foundations, including the Ford Foundation and the Lilly Foundation.

Survivors include his wife, Lucy Cook, and four adult children, Cecil Eric, Joyce Elaine, Hilary Anne and Less Charles.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 18, in Duke Chapel.

The Rev. Lawrence E. Johnson of the Reconciliation United Methodist Church in Durham will preside over the service. Robert Young, the former university minister at Duke, will deliver the eulogy.

In lieu of flowers, the Lincoln family asks that donations be made to the Reconciliation United Methodist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 52326, Durham, N.C. 27717.