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Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Front Matter, 1978
No full textThe JOURNAL OF THE INTERDENOMINATIONAL THEOLOGICAL CENTER is published semi-annually by the Faculty of The Interdenominational Theological Center, 671 Beckwith Street, SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30314. Manuscripts and related correspondence should be sent to The Editor at the address above. Matters pertaining to subscriptions and back issues should be directed to Wilson N. Flemister at the school address. Copyright, 1978, by the Interdenominational Theological Center. All rights reserved. The JITC is indexed in THE INDEX OF RELIGIOUS PERIODICAL LITERATURE and in RELIGIOUS AND THEOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS
The Liberation of Oppressors
Get PDFThe oppression of human beings by human beings is sin. It is a crime against life, for life means: “Love your neighbor as yourself because he or she is like you.” It is a destruction of the love of God: “For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (I John 4:20). The oppression of other human beings is a perversion of love because it wounds, offends, and destroys the image of God on earth. Oppression always has two aspects: on the one side stand the oppressors, on the other the oppressed. On the one side stands the master, on the other side the slave; on the one side the exploiter, on the other his victim; on the one side the victor, on the other those who are subjugated
The Black Church in the American Society: A New Responsibility?
Get PDFSince it is the American society which constitutes the principal setting for the Black Church, it is logical to begin a discussion of their interrelationships with some comment on the nature of that society. This raises an immediate problem, for the “American society” is not one, but many. It is not monolithic, but pluralistic. It is, in fact, a most remarkable example of a societal conglomerate—an extraordinary conglutinate of heterogenous subcultures. It is held together by a common commitment to what is believed to be a peculiarly insightful understanding of the meaning of life, and a concomitant formula for the effective realization of that meaning. Critical to this national understanding is a prevailing religious consciousness vitalized by an ethic which gives dignity and purpose to human existence, and which purposes to order human behavior in comformance with that principle. This Judeo-Christian convention (in which the Black Church finds a distinctive participation), is the organizing matrix of the American social cosmos. Indeed, it was the primary impetus which spurred the founding of this civilization in the first place, and it remains the principal structural factor defining and unitizing the contemporary American society
Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Front Matter, 1980
No full textTHE JOURNAL OFTHE INTERDENOMINATIONALTHEOLOGICAL CENTER is published semi-annually by the Faculty of The Interdenominational Theological Center, 671 Beckwith Street, SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30314. Manuscripts and related correspondence should be sent to The Editor at the address above. Matters pertaining to subscriptions and back issues should be directed to Wilson N. Flemister at the school address. Copyright, 1978, by the Interdenominational Theological Center. All rights reserved
Black Theology and African Heritage
Get PDFScholars interpreting the power of Zionism frequently emphasize its being rooted in “the continuity of nation, land, and God.” When I heardthis point made by a scholar from Israel, after my return from a sabbatical in Nigeria, I was struck by the aptness of the phrase in describing the aspirations and the issues in the resurgent interest of Blackamericans2 in Africa. My experience of indigenous life in Africa emphasized that who a particular people are is inextricably bound up with the land they inhabit and their religion. The major qualification of this finding in relation to Zionism, as described above, is the plurality of religions that claim the loyalty of Africans and the plurality of spirits and powers that must be included in divinity
Liberation Theologies: A Critical Essay
Get PDFWithin the last few years there has arisen a cluster of theological programs with a focus on human liberation. This movement is ecumenical, ethical and universal. It is, however, strongest in the so-called Third World. There is no universal agreement among the advocates concerning method or the particular focus of these theologies, but the formula of liberation from oppression radiates throughout all of them. All are concerned with “human rights” or making life more human, especially for the masses of oppressed people in each case. There is Black Theology, Latin American Theology, German Political Theology, Feminine Theology, African and Asian Theologies. In some cases we are talking about broad categories which must be sub-divided. But these titles provide us with a working list
Seeking The Kingdom Of God Through Theological Education
Get PDFThe Theme for this year’s observance of the Phillips Schol of Theology Founders Day is the title of this sermon. It’s an adaptation of the theme of the 1982 General Conference to this anniversary celebration and the formal installation of our dean, Dr. William C. Larkin. The use of such a theme gives us a splendid opportunity to re-examine the purposes of this seminary and dedicate ourselves anew to their fulfilment in a greater and more useful academy for the preparation of ministers for the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Prophetic-Pastoral Imagination in an Age of Sankofa and Post-racialism: The Concerned Black Clergy of Atlanta
Get PDFStudying the Concerned Black Clergy of Atlanta (CBC) is a significant undertaking for a variety of reasons. The most important, however, is that it has had a practice of meeting once a week on Monday mornings, except on national holidays, since 1983. How and why this organization has met regulaly for over thirty-two years is a story that needs to be published. This task includes chronicling the religious and public significance for CBC'S existence in the eyes of its own membership. It also encompasses the written statements over the years by others who have described the significance of CBC. This article will introduce the reader to the reasons why CBC has had a long and significant history of doing public theology in Atlanta for the length of time that it has
Resistance, Rebellion, and Reform: The Collegiate Gospel Choir Movement in the United States
Get PDFSeveral scholars have illuminated aspects of the Sanctified Church worship tradition which represent movement toward social rebellion, cultural resistance, and ecclesial reform. Historian David Daniels contends that the worship practicesdeveloped under the leadership of C.P. Jones and C.H. Mason fostered the renewal of African-American Christianity through a restructuring of slave religion. In alliance with other “progressive” Black Churches, the holiness movement advocated moral, ecclesial, liturgical, and pastoral reforms. SociologistCheryl Gilkes portrays the Sanctified Church as a cultural resistance movement whose liturgies and structures enabled black women to resist the racial and cultural assaults they experienced in the U.S. during the period between 1895 andWorld War II, the era of Jim Crow: Women in the Sanctified Church were committed to the cause of racial uplift. They retained their commitment to ecstatic worship, which black Baptists and Methodists were rejecting. They also retained an emphasis on women's interests, education, professionalism, and the cultivation of a black female image that contradicted the dominant culture's stereotypes
The Language of Liturgical Dance in African-American Christian Worship
Get PDFHuman beings are innately driven by a need to communicate, allowing us to define, explore, and share a variety ofexperiences. It is through communication that we sense the essence of our humanity. This exchange of information ismade possible by the acquisition of language. Language is so integral to communication and communication so integral to being human that it has been said “to be human is to use language..Language is used to impact a variety of human experiences: mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Spiritual occurrences are unique because they potentially involve each of the other categories. “Spiritual experience” can be understood in light of Howard Thurman’s definition: Religious experience is interpreted to mean the conscious and direct exposure of the individual to God. Such an experience seems to the individual to be inclusive of all the meaning of his life—there is nothing that is not involved....He brings to his religious experience certainstructural and ideological equipment or tools. This equipment is apt to be very determinative in how he interprets the significance not only of his religious experience but also the significance of experience itself