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Christianity Today, March (Web-only), 2008 |

Theology in the News

Black Power from the Pulpit

In wake of Obama's speech, author talks about The Decline of African American Theology.

Interview by Collin Hansen | posted 3/20/2008 09:27AM

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What gives you hope for reversing "the decline of African American theology"?

The Lord does. He promised to build his church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. We are steadily being made to conform to the image of Christ, renewed in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. The Spirit will complete that project and he will use his word in the hands of faithful men to do it.

As I look out on the African American church scene, as the Jeremiah Wrights are retiring, I'm finding more and more young men who are committing themselves to sound biblical theology and to carefully working that theology out in African American communities. They are self-consciously aware of the reforms that are needed. They understand that we're in a post-Civil Rights context where we need to think biblically and prayerfully about who we are and about our stewardship of the gospel. Wherever the gospel is recovered and unleashed there is great cause for rejoicing.

Verses for the Fortnight

"And [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'"
Luke 4:16-19

Related Elsewhere:

Previous Theology in the News columns are available on our site.

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March (Web-only) 2008, Vol. 52

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TBetts

Posted: April 02, 2008 11:53 AM

The issue is neither Barack Obama nor Jeremiah Wright. As stated in this excellent interview, the issue is a gospel other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. Such a gospel may invoke emotional responses and facilitate a temporal sense of excitement in the Sunday morning experience amidst the local congregation, but it has no effectual power to save souls, change hearts or any of the eternally significance. Our agenda should not be pro-black, pro-political party or even pro-church at the expense of relegating Christ to a secondary or tertiary position. Chirst is all or nothing at all.

Scott

Posted: April 01, 2008 7:48 PM

The only thing I got out of this piece is that Jeremiah Wright, who I first saw in person when he came to to Fuller Seminary to speak when I was a student there, is on target. The white evangelical church is so captive to the gospel of America that it cannot hear the Bible. What Wright says is what I hear when I read Jeremiah, Amos, John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus Christ. Juat as the false prophets and the people wanted to hear messages that simple upheld national exceptionalism and salvation, white evangelicals tend to have "itching ears." It will take nothing less than the judgment of God to shake them out their idolatry, just as the Exile and destruction of Jerusalem did for the Jewish psyche.

Carlos

Posted: March 31, 2008 6:33 PM

I concur with the general position of Mr. Hansen's article. To the question, is black liberation theology biblical or not? No, it most certainly is not, because the problem of SIN, which permeates the entire human 'race' has no 'color' whatsoever. Jesus did not come to liberate us from political, social, or ethnic prejudice, but, from the UTTER BONDAGE of SIN, which affects all men. To the extent that a man, regardless of color, is truly set free from the bondage of SIN, is the extent to which he/she will relate to his brother/sister, regardless of color. What I believe, is not been dealt with in this age long problem, is the distinct, historic, cultural 'habits' and traditions, which is expressed in very different ways, from culture to culture. I.e., Spanish people, express themselves entirely different to Chinese, so do whites from blacks, this is not necessarily wrong, or bad, but because of 'SIN' it sometimes can have a very negative impact. The Gospel of Christ, must remain!

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