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Black Ecumenism and The Liberation Struggle
Full text linkThe theme “Black Ecumenism and the Liberation Struggle" is important, because it connects the movement for unity among thechurches with the struggle for freedom in the larger society. When the World Council of Churches was formed at Amsterdam in 1948, the term “ecumenical” had acquired a modern meaning that referred to “the relations between and unity of two or more churches (or of Christians of various confessions).”1 This definition remained dominant in theological and church contexts until the recent appearance of highly articulate and radical theological voices from Asia, Latin America, Africa and its diaspora. Third World theologians began to insist on a definition of ecumenism that moved beyond the traditional interconfessional issues to the problems of poverty and the struggle for social and economic justice in a global context. In their attempt to connect ecumenism with the economic and political struggle for a fuller human life for all, Third World theologians also began to uncover the original and more comprehensive meaning of the term oikoumene. In the Greco-Roman world generally and also in the New Testament, oikoumene referred to the whole inhabited world2 and not simply religious activities. With this broader perspective in mind, it is appropriate to apply the term “ecumenical” to “both secular and religious aspirations toward achieving a united human family living in harmony with its global habitat.”3 In this essay, I will examine the meaning of black ecumenism in the context of black people's struggle for freedom
Black Christian Theology: A Challenge To The Black Clergy
Full text linkA relatively recent development in the field of Christian theology has been the emergence of black Christian theology. The major themesof black theology first appeared in the early 1960s in the writings of Joseph Washington and James Cone. These themes reflected a classical interpretation of the Christian faith; yet at the same time, the writings of Washington and Cone served as an impetus for the formulation of theological concepts emphasizing both the uniqueness of the black experience of oppression and the necessity of an interpretation of this experience in light of the gospel theme of liberation. In rejecting the imposition of white theology on black experience, experience becomes a dominant consideration in Christian interpretation. Black theologians insist on a reinterpretation of the sources of the Christian faith as they relate to all historical manifestations of black experience-from the African religious tradition and perspective, to the slave experience, to the black power movement. As a result, the emphasis of black theology differs from the logical, abstract creedal systems typical of white theological tradition in that black theology reinterprets traditional beliefs primarily in political and social terms. Thus, black theology is a theology of revolution. Its goal is to challenge black people to participate with God in the struggle to liberate all people from political and social oppression. As a suffering people, blacks are chosen to witness to liberation and to challenge injustice
A Theologian’s Reflection: The Church And The Cuban Revolution
Full text linkA group of theologians, pastors and laity, was invited by the Ecumenical Council of Cuba to participate in a week-long seminar, June 22-29, 1984. We focused on the theme, “Theological Homage in Memory of Martin Luther King, Jr.” The Ecumenical Council extended the invitation through the Black Theology Project, a group of black theologians, pastors and laity who are committed to reflection on the black religious experience as the point of departure for talk about God, people and the world. Local participants at this seminar were the Baptist Student Council which represents over two hundred Baptist churches in Cuba, the Evangelical Theological Seminary at Matanzas, the Methodist, the Presbyterian, the Episcopal and Pentecostal churches. Although the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church attended a worship service in homage to Martin Luther King, Jr., in which he was embraced by Fidel Castro, the Roman Catholic Church did not actively participate in the seminar
Jupiter Hammon And His Works: A Discussion Of The First Black Preacher To Publish Poems, Sermons And Essays In America
Full text linkPerhaps no writer who published in the eighteenth century has been more consistently misunderstood than the first published Black American poet and essayist, Jupiter Hammon. He was the first preacher of the gospel in America who managed to write aesthetic expression while in the throes of slavery. In all of his works and public protestations he espoused the tenets of Christian thought as the only bases for individual freedom and equality and for national reconciliation. Yet he has not received the same historical acclaim for this position as Jonathan Edwards, John Woolman, Francis Asbury, William Atterbein, or other minister/writers of the era
Martin Luther King, Jr., The Black Church, and the Black Messianic Vision
Full text linkAll of the studies of Martin Luther King, Jr. thus far have failed to adequately treat the black experience and the black church as sources in the shaping of his life, thought and commitment to social justice. Those who have written books and articles about King have strongly emphasized his debt to Biblical categories, to Mahatma Ghandi, to American democratic principles, and to liberal Christian theology and ethics, thereby giving the impression that he owed little to his cultural heritage as a black American. I want to suggest that the black experience and the black tradition are essential to an understanding of King—that these were immensely important influences in determining who he was, what he believed, and the strategy he adopted in his struggle to translate an ethical ideal into practical reality. Furthermore, I want to submit that some of King’s ideas can be found in pristine or primal form in antebellum slave thought
Medicine and Theology: Partners in Holistic Health
Full text linkI wish to begin an exploration of this very important topic by sharing with you a few preliminary thoughts, which might serve to indicate the context in which I propose to make this presentation.First, there is a statement from Hippocrates which goes like this: “The trouble with doctors today is that they separate the soul from the body. They do not recognize that the soul and the body are one.” The patron of medical practice, Hippocrates, was in this respect a 20th century Christian theologian in his witness against any form of dualism in the human person. Second, St. Paul wrote to the early Christians at Corinth to register his utter detestation against their gross immorality, and he challenged his converts with this question: “Do you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body”.(I Cor. 6:19,20). Our bodies are understood to be more than just centers of emotion and feeling, they are places of abode for that which is greater than what we can ever become or understand. Thirdly, the symbol of medicine is that of two serpents entwined on a staff—representing wisdom and the healing power of mother nature. We are told that the priests of Asclepius the father of medicine used theserpent as the sacred animal in the mystery cult. The serpent is also portrayed in the Bible as the animal of cunning which is associated with the origin of sin in the human race in the Garden of Eden. The question posed by the continuous crawl of the serpent is this: is there a connection between wisdom, nature, and sin? If so, what is it? Fourth, we have been growing quite accustomed to hearing a great deal about law-suits against donors for medical mal-practices. We have encouraged mixed feelings about this escalating trend, not only because of the attendant possibility of increased costs in the delivery of health care, but also because of the increased mental pressure of members of the medical profession. All are bound to suffer in one way or another. Doctors can now take some comfort from the fact that they have been joined by the clergy in the litigation arena for mal-practice, since a California court has been considering what is reputed to be the first law-suit for clergy mal-practice in US legal history. I suspect that there are those who would ask why it took so long in coming
The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow: Black Worship and the Afro-American Story
Full text linkThe worship life of Afro-Americans is one of the most outstanding features of the Black church experience. Whether on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening, whether for a week-long revival or in preparation for protest and civil disobedience, worship in the Black church has been central to the Afro-American religious tradition. In fact, it has been argued that worship is the definitive activity of Afro-American religion, in that it is in “having church” that Black Christians name their world, and dramatically take their places in that world
A Process Response to Akinsola Akiwowo’s Ajobi and Ajogbe: Variations on the Theme of Sociation
Full text linkAkiwowo’s inaugural address, presented to the University of Ife, Nigeria, on the occasion of his appointment as the chair of Sociology and Anthropology, challenged the writer to analyze this African sociologist’s economic, social, and political intent from an Afrocentric point of view, particularly his concept of Ifogbontaiyese (African pragmatic view of intellectual knowledge). Principles of Process Theology and philosophy frame the issues identified by Akiwowo
Professional Ethics and Ministry
Full text linkIssues of ethics and professional ministry are becoming increasingly subjects of dialogue in terms of reflecting the responsible practice of ministry in its varied contexts. Much of this attention has recently occurred in response to complaints being lodged against pastors, chaplains, pastoral counselors in conjunction with other helping professions. Hence "ethics in ministry. . .is a late-comer on the scene of professional ethics.” As recently as 1982, no significant attention had been directed to the issues o ethics in ministry. In contrast to other professionals, ministers virtually had no defined codes or rules of ethics to give parameters and guidance to their ministries