Black Church, Black Theology, and the Politics of Religion in America:
A Ref1ection on the Theology-Race Controversy
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From the Center for the Study of Black Faith and Life:
I am deeply affected by the attitudes that have recently been expressed against the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. and the Trinity United Church of Christ. Instead of seeking understanding, there has been a blatant disregard for the simple rules of conversation. Developing a story against a person and a people, and then asking a person and people to speak in defense against that closed-ended story does not advance understanding. The controversy that bears the pejorative language of "hate," "racist," and "anti-American" is not a simple and isolated indictment of one man and one congregation. This controversy disparages the African American preaching tradition and the African American Church heritage.
When David Letterman and Bill Maher "splice and dice" video footage which typecasts President George W. Bush, people don't condemn the President and scream impeachment on the grounds of those portrayals. Furthermore, we don't charge and judge the American people with incompetency for living beneath the administration of a President who has been typecast and caricatured as incompetent. And yet, from a single, isolated sound bite, African American theology and the African American prophetic preaching tradition have been judged and condemned.
For as much as I am dismayed by judgments based upon sound bites, I am aware of the "American way" of using sound bites to define a person's life. A few sound bites that come to mind are: "Give me liberty or give me death;" "I cannot tell a lie;" "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country;" "My fellow Americans;" "I have a dream today;" "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." Even as most know the personages who spoke each of those phrases, we recognize that those important moments-frozen in time and impressed upon the American consciousness-do not sum up the lives of the speakers. We do not allow phrases to totally define a person's whole life story. In most instances, we respond to these phrases because they represent our self understanding as a nation. Just as some phrases support our self understanding, there are also phrases that challenge our image.
Consequently, I am deeply disturbed by the way thirty seconds of sound bite have come to represent 36 years of ministry at the church known as Trinity United Church of Christ. The absurdities of this reductionism can be viewed in one of the earliest media reports that prompted the first firestorm. A news journal interviewer identified the church as "Trinity Unity Church" and "Trinity United" during the same interview/report, and further suggested the church to be a separatist cult. Trinity United Church of Christ is neither a part of the Unity Church nor is it a nondenominational or separatist community of believers that stands outside the Christian heritage as a cult might. There was not enough integrity in the early reporting to respectfully identify the church as the Trinity United Church of Christ, a member congregation of a predominantly white denomination, that is, the United Church of Christ (UCC) that has its national offices in Cleveland, OH. This same disregard for respectful detailing continues to mark the controversy that grips and disenfranchises so many today.
Who is the man at the center of this painful moment? The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. lives an Africentric-practical-theology of liberation. His theology is an interdisciplinary construction with its roots-deep, woven and inseparable-in the gospel of Jesus the Christ, the African American Christian Church, and the United States of America's founding principles of "freedom and justice for all." To the extent that theology is a reflective declaration of who God is and what God is doing in and among human relationships, Wright does not want to deny any part of his African American being as he reflects on the activities of God throughout human history. His theology is Africentric, meaning, he places African peoples, philosophy, spiritual traditions, and the history of African colonization at the center of his analyses. His theology is Practical, in the disciplinary sense, meaning he focuses on homiletics, education, pastoral care, and evangelism. His theology is Liberationist, meaning, his reflections are praxis directed as he seeks to transform human suffering, caused by social injustice, in order for people to live with dignity and joy.
Rev. Dr. Wright's theology embraces and embodies the Black preaching heritage, which is a synthesis of the African offices of chieftain, priesthood, and griot with American revivalism. He is not the originator of African American preaching rhetoric; and Trinity UCC, as a worshiping congregation, is not uniquely different from most African American worshiping congregations. Within the passion of worship, through the pedagogy of call-and-response, Rev. Dr. Wright preaches prophetically with a phenomenological understanding of his listening audience. With keenly developed diagnostic insights into the United States of America's social malaise, he declares we have more systemic atrocities to overcome. As a public theologian, he does not shy away from the tough challenges facing African American communities today. This is a tradition he was nurtured into by his Baptist pastor father. Wright's style of preaching-which is expositorily descriptive and prophetic-is representative of an African American preaching legacy that is nearly two centuries old.
What does his preaching have to do with the political landscape it is now being dragged across? For the most part, critics have said Wright's message doesn't match the contours of the nation, that he misrepresents American life. This perspective is epitomized by one interviewer who prefaced his question to Wright by saying, "Let's not talk Black, let's talk American," as though they are mutually exclusive categories. Perhaps that is the lynchpin of the controversy. To "talk Black" stands in contradiction to the integrationist-assimilationist American identity, an identity that vanquishes Africanity. The contemporary understanding of the American identity believes we have overcome, and are beyond, the injustices of the past. But America, in its efforts to be a colorless or color-blind society, is unconscious to the ways it locates "black" outside its description of citizenship. We can celebrate Saint Patrick's Day by augmenting each of our surnames with "Mc" and declare, "There's a little bit of Irish in all of us." But the same doesn't hold true during African American Heritage Month. We have never heard non-Blacks state proudly, "There's a little African in all of us!"
There is more than one social history and more than one way to be authentically American. No one would deny the diverse life experiences-including the religious experiences-of Senators Clinton, McCain, and Obama (named in alphabetical order) that make them uniquely different. Aspects of their commitments are contained within their political party affiliations. We further would not identify those differences to say that one is more authentically human-Qr one party more authentically American-than the others. Similarly, we cannot deny the uniquely different life experiences of African American Christianity and European American Christianity. They are two different stories that converge and diverge throughout their respective histories.
Acknowledging a context as uniquely different does not necessitate the context being seen as better or worse than other contexts. Recognition of the uniqueness of a context, however, is exactly what is called for to appropriately engage those who live within a particular context. For example, no public speaker ever speaks to an audience without an awareness of the audience to which she or he is speaking. No speaker will address a women's gathering as though he or she is speaking to a men's gathering, or vice versa. The persons who have been identified as "great" speakers are generally those who speak insightfully to their listeners' experience and not those who only speak from their own experience. In fact, when one generally encounters a speaker who only speaks from her or his own experience, the listener's response is usually one that says: "He/She talked at me. She/He didn't talk to me." Our popular rhetoric has suggested that the European American experience and European American Christianity are superior and should be the only frames for interpreting American religious life as it speaks from its own experience. The response to the rhetoric from the African American side has been an experience of others "talking at" the African American Church and the African American community.
One reporter asked the question, "Can you at least understand why people were so upset with Rev. Wright's comments?" The question assumes, however, that Rev. Wright was wrong and everyone who reacted negatively was right. To that extent, it was the wrong question because it placed the burden of change on Wright. The question ignores the different kinds of work that needs to be done by all parties on both sides of an historical experience. We should not assume that all have been totally healed from the atrocities of the past. For people to declare, "I've always been proud to be an American," completely ignores the many shameful actions by Amer1icans against people within America that have been historically documented. Should Americans be proud of the slaughter of women during the Salem witch hunts? Should we be proud of the capricious carnage of the War between the States? Should we be proud of the genocide of Natives during Western expansion? Should we be proud of the false imprisonment of Japanese Americans in concentration camps during WWII? Should we be proud of a history of firebombing Churches in the 20th century? The person who has been brutally victimized, although restored to living life with hopefulness, never actually forgets the trauma. When the remembrance of the traumatic event, however, is coupled with the energy that empowers one to live with creativity, we live life with authenticity and integrity.
Mis-perception and misinterpretation have informed and influenced this controversy and have caused pain at very deep levels. Sensational reporting and sound bite responses will not help us to have a greater appreciation for one another. In order to open the closed-ended story that has become the sole talking point, we all must be wining to make ourselves vulnerable and engage in open conversation, with all sides wining to listen with mutuality to hurtful stuff.
Lee H. Butler, Jr., Ph.D. Professor of Theology and Psychology, and Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Black Faith and Life at Chicago Theological Seminary President, Society for the Study of Black Religion
CTS Names Alice Hunt its 12th President
Noted Hebrew Bible scholar and theological educator to succeed
Susan Thistlethwaite as head of historic seminary
CHICAGO — Chicago Theological Seminary has named noted scholar and educator Alice Hunt, Ph.D., the 12th president in its 153-year history. Previously Associate Dean of Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School, Hunt will succeed Susan Thistlethwaite, Ph.D., who returns to the classroom a decade after breaking ground as the seminary’s first woman president.
Hunt, a Hebrew Bible scholar, will be installed as CTS president in fall 2008. Her appointment culminates a yearlong search by a committee of trustees, faculty, students and friends of CTS, one of seven United Church of Christ seminaries. The search committee identified more than a dozen qualified candidates and interviewed five finalists before unanimously recommending Hunt’s appointment by the CTS board of trustees.
"In our president, we sought a partner in our quest to question, teach and transform church and society," said Donald Clark, Jr., chair of the board of trustees and member of the search committee. "We sought an individual who shares our dedication to academic excellence, passion for social justice and courage in response to great challenge. We found all this and more in Dr. Alice Hunt."
The appointment was enthusiastically received by officials of the United Church of Christ. "I am excited that Dr. Hunt has accepted the invitation to become the president of Chicago Theological Seminary," added the Rev. John Thomas, General Minister and President of UCC. "Her scholarship and her commitment to theological education will continue the commitment to excellence that is so central to the CTS story and that helps make the school such a vital part of the UCC family."
"CTS is a vibrant institution with a remarkable history," Hunt responded. "In its mission, vision, and commitments, CTS is both well-grounded in traditions and fully aware of contexts in which we live and work. As the nature of religious life is changing, CTS is a model in preparing transformative religious leaders to live out their roles in their many contexts, with a view toward a flourishing of life for all."
Hunt was ordained at the historic Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church, National Baptist Convention, in Nashville, Tenn. She holds a Ph.D. in religion, with an emphasis on the Hebrew Bible and early Judaisms, from Vanderbilt University. Her published work includes Missing Priests: The Zadokites in Tradition and History (2006) and essays in works such as Approaching Yehud: New Approaches to the Study of the Persian Period (2007), Israel’s Prophets and Israel’s Past (2006), and Methods of Biblical Interpretation (2004).
The Center for Christian Leadership: Bringing Theological Education to the People of the Church
There was a time when theological education was reserved exclusively for the pastor. That time has passed. Today, the Center for Christian Leadership stands prepared to offer exceptional theological education for the people of the church. In partnership with Chicago Theological Seminary and Chicago-area churches, the Center for Christian Leadership equips Christian leaders for church and world through a series of continuing education, enrichment and skill building courses offered in the context of practicing faith communities.
This fall the Center for Christian Leadership (CCL) will be offering a number of courses at our partner churches. The courses are academically rigorous but designed for the adult learner.
Courses are offered in the evenings and include an on-line component to allow for extended discussion and reflection. They are taught by Chicago Theological Seminary adjunct faculty and students will receive academic credit toward a Certificate in Christian Leadership.
The Center for Christian Leadership was founded by the Chicago Theological Seminary in partnership with the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, The Union Church of Hinsdale UCC, Glenview Community Church UCC, Winnetka Congregational Church, Trinity UCC of Chicago, and the First Congregational Church of Western Springs UCC. Our courses are open to all members of those congregations as well as those churches’ extended communities and the general public.
For more information, please visit our webpage or contact the Center’s Director, Jason Coulter, at jcoulter@ctschicago.edu.
Center for Christian Leadership Course Offerings for Winter/Spring of 2008
“Where It All Began – The Practices of Faith in the Early Church” Instructor: Professor Charles Cosgrove
This course introduces students to the earliest Christians and the ancient culture to which they belonged. What was it like to live in the first-century Mediterranean world? How did early Christians experience their faith? What were their deepest convictions? What did they agree on? What did they fight about? How did they worship? From food to music to religious ecstasy, we will look at the founders of our faith and discover that they are very much like us—and unlike us.
Monday Evenings from 7:00 - 9:00 pm from February 4 to March 10
Union Church of Hinsdale UCC – 137 South Garfield, Hinsdale, IL 630-323-4303
“Faith in the Public Square” Instructor: Dr. Susan Thistlewaite, President of Chicago Theological Seminary
This course will examine how people of faith can practice and apply their deepest held convictions in the public square. What values can and should inform Christians in our democratic process? How do the convictions we express on Sunday influence our votes on Election Day? How would you define a “values voter?” We begin with a special Saturday workshop to be held at Winnetka Congregational Church and then continue the discussion through audio lectures and online discussion. If you have Saturday, February 23 free, and have access to a computer, you can do this course! Flex your faith this election year and join us in the public square.
Saturday, February 23 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm (lunch included)
Audio lectures and online discussion for the week of February 25, March 3, March 10
Winnetka Congregational Church – 725 Pine Street, Winnetka, IL 847-441-3400
“Does God Evolve? Ecology, Theology, and the Nature of God” Instructor: Rev. Clare Butterfield, Executive Director of Faith in Place
This course will explore how the ways we think about God, and the ways we think about nature, are related. We will explore those connections and apply them to the way we live our lives on the planet. We’ll look specifically at the biological idea called “emergence” - how complex systems create new capacities from the interaction of their parts. This implies a vast latent capacity among living things to grow, and change, and to do more than we have done. It also provides an avenue for God’s activity that modern, scientifically-oriented people can believe in. Together we will explore old and new ideas about God, about nature, and about how we practice our faith in the way that we care for the Earth.
Monday evenings from 7:00 – 9:00 pm from April 7 to May 12
Glenview Community Church – 1000 Elm Street, Glenview IL 847-724-2210
“Introduction to Islam” Instructor: Dr. Ghada Talhami, Professor of Political Science at Lake Forest College
This course will explore the wide-ranging aspects of the life and faith of the second largest religion in the world. It will begin by sketching the historical background of this faith and its early relationship with the other main Abrahamic religions. Special emphasis will be placed on basic rights and obligations of Muslim men and women, such as the five pillars of Islam, the doctrine of unity in Islam, and what constitutes the Islamic community. The Sunni-Shia split will be explained, as well as the emergence of Sufi Islam as the third way. The course will examine the impact of modernity on the life and traditions of this community by describing the evolution of Islamic law and Western laws in recent years. Finally, the course will devote some time to understanding the jihad, the rules of war, Islamic ethics, and the roots of the Islamic resurgence.
Monday evenings from 7:00 - 9:00 pm from March 31 to May 12 (skip April 21)
Western Springs Congregational Church – 1106 Chestnut Street, Western Springs, IL 708-246-1900
To register for one or more of these courses, fill out a registration form at one of our partner congregations or download one here. The fee for each course is $300 (plus books and materials) payable in advance.
Mail your form and a check payable to Chicago Theological Seminary to:
Center for Christian Leadership
c/o Chicago Theological Seminary
5757 S. University Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637
If you have any registration related questions, please contact Cheryl Miller, CTS Registrar at cmiller@ctschicago.edu
President Susan Thistlethwaite contributes to weekly on-line discussion among faith leaders at www.washingtonpost.com
Click here to view all of Dr. Thistlethwaite's postings: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/susan_brooks_thistlethwaite/
CTS president Susan Thistlethwaite has been invited to join an online discussion with other faith leaders at www.washingtonpost.com. Click on "On Faith" in the left-hand column of the Washington Post home page. Dr. Thistlethwaite, Karen Armstrong, the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu are among the 50 people invited to contribute to this forum. They respond to a different question each week.
Posting Singled Out for Print Edition
Dr. Thistlethwaite's contribution to the November 13, 2006 question, "Can There be common ground?" was the only submission to be selected for inclusion in the print edition of the Washington Post on Saturday, November 18, 2006. When asked why he chose her submission, titled "God Talk and God Walk," the Religion page editor responded, "First, I understood it. Second, I thought people could apply what you said to their lives." Read her posting at: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/susan_brooks_thistlethwaite
/2006/11/godtalk_and_godwalk.htm
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