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The Church and Black People in the Caribbean
Get PDFPrior to the 1830s, the early church in the Caribbean did not significantly alleviate the identity problem that threatened Black people. In fact, in many respects the church compounded the problem of identity for Black people, because it symbolized an institution in which slaves were not allowed to participate; and the Baptist, Methodist and Moravian Churches saw their task as saving the souls of Black people
Dark Symbols and Obscure Figures
Get PDFA few short years ago I left North Carolina a slave. (Hallelujah, oh yes.) now return a man. (Amen) I have the honor to be a regular minister of the Gospel in the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States (glory to God, Amen) and also a regularly commissioned chaplain in the American Army. (Amen) I am proud to inform you that just three weeks ago today, as black a man as you ever saw, preached in the city of Washington to the Congress of the United States; and that a short time ago another colored man was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States as a lawyer. (Long, loud and continued applause, beating on benches, etc.) One week ago you were all slaves; now you are all free. (Uproarious screamings) Thank God the armies of the Lord and of Gideon has triumphed and the rebels have been driven back in confusion and scattered like chaff before the wind. (Amen! Hallelujah!) I listened to your prayers, but I did not hear a single prayer offered for the President of the United States or for the success of the American Army. (Amen! O, yes, I prayed all last night, etc.) But I knew what you meant. You were not quite sure that you were free, therefore a little afraid to say boldly what you felt. I know how it is. I remember how we used to have to employ our dark symbols and obscure figures to cover up our real meaning. The profoundest philosopher could not understand us. (Amen! Hallelujah! That’s so.
Paul And The Individual: A Study In Pauline Anthropology
Get PDFIn an article written over thirty years ago, William R. Nelson outlined the procedures hy which discussions of Pauline anthropology have been traditionally carried out. Although this article is now dated, the present situation in Pauline studies has changed very little. Three approaches have dominated the discussion with Nelson suggesting a fourth. Although none of these approaches are pure types, they may be set out separately. First, Pauline anthropology has been approached from the point of view of the influence of Greek philosophy on Paul, especially with its dualist understanding of the structure of human personality; secondly, “On the basis of the assumption that the natural man can be understood prior to faith in Christ ... ,” Protestant Scholasticism typically approaches the issue from the standpoint of man as a sinner apart from God a third approach is the psychological approach which “puts emphasis on a scientificanalysis of the various terms that Paul uses to describe man" Nelson’s approach attempts to correlate Paul’s understanding of the individual in relation to Pauline christology and eccelesiology and places stress on the theological continuity of Paul’s thought
A Note On I Corinthians 7:21
Get PDFIn I Cor. 7:23b Paul commands, me ginesthe douloi anthropon, “Do not become slaves of human beings.” His injunction comes at the end of one of the most controversial passages of the Pauline corpus, I Cor. 7:21, to which an entire monograph has been devoted. The prevailing translation of this pericope ostensibly reads as a Pauline commandment for Christian slaves not only to remain in bondage but to reconcile themselves to their status as an appropriate exercise of their faith. The implications of this interpretation of Paul’s words were not lost on subsequent commentators in slaveholding societies. It is on the basis of this passage that Theodoret, in his commentary on I Corinthians, forbids flight from servitude on the pretext of religion.Commenting on verse 21 he writes, Grace knows not a difference between slavery and lordship. Therefore, do not flee from slavery as [being] unworthy of the faith. But if it happens that you may be free, continue being a slave
African-Hispanic-Cuban Christianity
Get PDFThe title of our paper points to this interesting and striking fact: popular religion and even Christianity in Cuba, very similar to all other Caribbean cultures, is a mixture, a sort of a melting pot in which the final product, the results of the various ingredients, is something completely different from each one of the elements and not the mere sum of those elements. In Cuba, our popular Christianity, like our Cuban culture, is a mulatto Christianity
Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Front Matter, 1987
No full textJournal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Front Matter, 198
What History and Neurobiology Teach Us About Seminary Curricular Reform?
Get PDFIn view of the declining fortunes of American theological education and its seminaries, the call for seminary curricular reform is widespread. The article offers a contribution to this discussion, first by clarifying what is old and what is new, so that all sides can truly get in conversation. It is shown that some of what critics of present curricular arrangements and pedagogy claim to be “old” is really modern, even new. And that some of the exciting new ideas of the critics are actually old, have precedents in pre-19th century curricular arrangements. Reform may best be facilitated by returning to what was – a Sankofa moment of returning to fetch what was. A sense of history, then, can contribute to our reform agenda. But we also need to combine that with attention to recent research in the field of Neurobiology, to review educational data in that light. When we do that and approach the “new” ideas of some of the curricular reformers (like Student-Centered, Contextual Learning and Design Thinking) we see that these models have largely “become the educational establishment,” are not really new, and may have difficulties accounting for the new data which seem to challenge their efficiency to facilitate long-term learning. The benefits and liabilities of online learning are also assessed in this light, and data which might support the value of older models of theological education for facilitating long-term memory are also considered in closing
A 21st Century Theological Examination of Racism: A White Paper Presented to the Take 2 America Foundation and Various African American Church Organizations in Metropolitan Atlanta
Get PDFThis paper discusses the concept of racism as a sin, defining it in various ways as understood through disparities within judicial, healthcare, legal, economic, environmental, education, theological, and employment related discrimination issues. In general, we have examined several aspects of racism and what conditions and occurrences throughout society have led to continued injustices amongst various ethnic groups today. We also touch on theological principles that have been taught against a number of acts of racism, and how these principles have been misunderstood by numerous organizations over the years with respect to fighting against racial inequalities. Finally, we also discuss and recommend what steps and actions can be taken to end institutionalized racism