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Hymnals of the Black Church
Get PDFThe first hymnal compiled expressly for the use of a black congregation was published in 1801. Entitled A Collection of Spiritual Songs and Hymns, Selected from Various Authors, it was printed for Richard Allen, who is identified on the titlepage as “African Minister.” Now Richard Allen is justly celebrated as the founder of the world’s first black Christian denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which he served as the first bishop, and for his civil-rights activities in Philadelphia, but little attention has been given to his pioneering role in laying the foundation for black-American hymnody. The story of the origin of Bethel A.M.E. Church of Philadelphia, which moved into its own building in July 1794, is so well known that it does not require retelling here. Without any doubt, Bethel was a singing congregation from the beginning, and by 1801 would have developed a basic repertory of its favorite hymns. Allen himself would have introduced many hymns to his fledgling flock, hymns that he had picked up during his several years as an itinerant Methodist exhorter before settling in Philadelphia. On the road he came into contact not only with Methodist preachers but also those belonging to Baptist and other sects, and he tucked away in his memory things that later would prove to be useful to him as an “African minister.
Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Front Matter, 1986
No full textJournal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Front Matter, 198
Botho/Ubuntu and “Unsettling patriarchy”: Go Laya in Gaborone Bridal Showers, Musa W. Dube, Rosinah Mmannana Gabaitse, and Malebogo Kgalemang
Get PDFThis article’s analysis of data from Gaborone Bridal showers used theories of agency propounded by Ashivat and Saba Mohammed, drawn from religious women. They highlight “agency as resistance that might also appear as “negotiation with oppressive social structures, and partial compliance” thereby indicating that “docility does not necessarily compromise agency” (Ashivat, 2016:67). Gaborone Bridal Showers are undoubtedly about women encouraging and accompanying another woman to enter a very patriarchal institution: heterosexual marriage, hence its agentic angle has to be interrogated carefully. The analysis of data collected from Gaborone Bridal Showers asked the following questions from interview guides: How does go laya (counselling of a bride) in the cultural setting and the urban-based bridal showers of Gaborone construct and reconstruct gender? How do they create new female spaces? Granted that they still buy a woman household items and that some voices are outright conservative, there is sufficient evidence-based conclusions that Gaborone Bridal Showers are still embrace patriarchy. Yet the analysis of the context and content of the Gaborone bridal shower, with its insistence on “outright freedom” and that every woman is welcome and must be free to talk, regardless of age and marital status, creates an inclusive space that resists equating women’s full humanity with heterosexual marriage. Even the most conservative voices acknowledged radical inclusivity as a change brought by Gaborone Bridal Showers in the go laya female space. Content wise, evidence-based findings indicate iconoclastic twists in go laya—insisting that a married woman must keep her voice, keep her friends, wear what she wants; hold the man accountable financially, insist on faithfulness, insist on shared household chores, watch out for intimate partner violence, enjoy her sexuality and pursue her profession
The African View of the Biblical Covenant, 2016
No full textTo explain some obscure ancient biblical religious customs and rituals, western scholars often resort to a comparison of the Israelites and Bedouins who have retained their traditional customs from time immemorial. This being the case, it is amazing that western scholars have not seriously considered Africa’s possible contribution to Israel’s religio- culture, given the fact that some of the African ethnic groups, who may have been in contact with Israel in ancient times, have maintained their customs and religious traditions to this day. Some biblical texts seem to suggest that Africa impacted the religion of the Israelites during their long stay in Egypt. The references to Africa (Egypt) raises these questions. “What does the biblical text imply by saying that the Israelites multiplied and became a mighty nation while living in Africa? Why does the biblical text say that Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Jacob and Jesus visited or lived in Africa for a long time?’’ Questions such as these demand a systematic study of the Egyptian ethnic groups during the long Israelite sojourn in Africa. A cursory examination of some biblical texts suggests that Africans, and not only Arabs, occupied Egypt on many occasions. Therefore, a comparison of some of the African religio-cultural practices might disclose the possibility of African influence on the religion and culture of the Israelites
Beyond Eurocentric Biblical Interpretation: Reshaping Racial and Cultural Lenses in Christian Education, 2014
Get PDFReligion still appears to have the opportunity to call humanity out of despair, discord, greed and the arrogant desire to oppress. This speech elaborates upon reshaping racial and cultural lenses in Christian education. As a new millennium is about to dawn, the time has come to reflect collectively upon a number of serious questions posed by the field of hermeneutics about the adequacy of our theological curriculum and its traditional claim to establish and sustain a learned ministry