Mr. Kerr, the difference is theology. Since the late 1800s, the teachings of many, maybe most, African American churches are grounded in Christian liberation theology, which is also prevalent in South American countries, especially in Catholic congregations.

Before the Civil War, special bibles, known as “slave bibles” were printed. Instead of 1,189 chapters, slave bibles had 232 chapters (90% of the Old Testament and half of the New Testament were missing). Inasmuch as slaves might overhear sermons in white churches, those missing chapters were not preached from the pulpit or taught in Sunday schools either. After several hundred years, white Christians in America and anyone else who attended their churches, had developed an incomplete understanding of the bible and their faith.

If you are interested in more on this subject, the following article, from Baptist News Global, is a good place to start.

The African-American roots of Bonhoeffer’s Christianity

https://baptistnews.com/article/the-african-american-roots-of-bonhoeffers-christianity/#.Y1wKT3bMJPY