The Gift and the Captivity of the Black Church

I love the Black Church. I was raised in the Black Church. I was licensed and originally ordained into ministry through the Black Church. I learned about preaching, Kingdom justice, singing, a theology of celebration and suffering, and community leadership all within the Black Church. I’ve met Civil Right Movement workers, former gang members turned community development leaders, school principles, praying grandmothers, theologians, fraternity and sorority members, and committed fathers in the Black Church. I learned how to respect and honor African-American women in the Black Church. In many ways I am a product of the Black Church.

The Black Church today must become a Post-Black Church. This does not mean the end totally of the Black Church. What it does mean, is that for the Black Church to be healthy and missional into the future it must be able to advance the Kingdom of God in an ever-increasing multi-ethnic and multicultural reality. We cannot prophetically call the White Church to racial righteousness and reconciliation and in turn let the Black Church off the hook. Both churches are equally held accountable to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the centrality of the Scriptures. The Post-Black Church is one that is willing to share the gifts of the Black Church with the broader body of Christ without losing its soul. It’s a church that provides alternative methods of worship, evangelism, discipleship, and mission to all those within its surrounding community regardless of ethnicity. It’s a church that will provide a more holistic and justice focused model of global missions. In some cases this is already going on.

The Post-Black Church must move this direction by truly becoming even more of an African-American Church. Then it must grow into a multi-ethnic and missional church. This will lift up the fact that race in the form of Blackness and Whiteness are ultimately man made social constructs never intended by God. The Post-Black Church can take the lead in kingdom advancement in the United States and beyond. If this doesn’t happen the Black Church will become enslaved to the same elements that hold the White Church captive (To learn more about this read the book, The Next Evangelicalism by Soong-Chan Rah). In many cases this is already happening.

Too many Black Churches are being held captive by individualism, capitalism, and consumerism. This combination can lead to empire building instead of Kingdom advancement. This happened through the drift theologically into the Word of Faith Movement and the Prosperity Gospel. Some Black Churches have moved away from the theologies of Howard Thurman, Martin Luther King Jr., Tom Skinner, and John Perkins, and James Cone. Some Black Churches can’t hear the voices of Vashti McKenzie, Jeremiah Wright, Gardner C. Taylor, Calvin Butts, Floyd Flake, Frank Reid, and Brenda Salter McNeil. Instead some are captivated by television preachers promising wealth, rooted in a “casino theology.” Others want to grow large churches so badly that they’ll follow the theology of the closest mega church. Sad indeed. This has led to an institution that has historically been a champion of freedom, to become enslaved. The Post-Black Church is not just about sharing the theologies and ministry models that have made the Black Church missional and unique, but also the freeing of a church enslaved. I love the Black Church and I want it free.

A freed African-American church can lead to the freedom of the White Church from its captivity. We could use the help of Asian and Hispanic churches as well.

More on this topic in the future.

4 Comments

• 
  Harriette Andeerson September 14, 2011 at 2:22 pm

  I believe you are on the right track in your religious philosophy. For too long, the black church has been consumed with unjustices of the past but we can only grow when we put those pains aside and work for a black church that is e nculcated with truth and love. Love cures all things and only justice can survive in love, if we are truly living in Christ.

  I do have one question for you. In your list of ministers, you include the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. I know there are two Jeremiah Wrights and I pray that you are not using the minister who almost sabotaged our President. Although, he has some great ideas, he is chained to the past in his anger. This is what many black churches must release and replace with love for all men (and women).

  May God guide you in your ministry and continue your inclusive message.

  God Bless,

  Harriette M. Anderson
  Cfhristian in Training@75 yrs,
• 
  Maryann Robinson September 18, 2011 at 1:38 pm

  I had to really think about this I did not grow up in what is called the black church but I appreciate the black church and need the black church, and like all churches it does need to be a place where people can heal. But, I don’t feel as if the black church should deny the historical injustices against African’s, African American’s and that these injustices plague our society today. Recently I read a paper written by a Barbra Jensen, a European woman she spoke on the working class culture and the middle class culture, wow I can see how come we are so angry in the work place; there are some issues that have to be dealt with. The denying of one’s culture to be accepted in a group is something I am not down with. But others have, and do and we do not see that this behavior is authentically neither African nor Indian, that most of the patterns for our daily living are patterned after this dominant group. We are required to accept those who come in a spirit of reconciliation from those who admit these sins have been committed by the groups they represent and us as a people not placing blame but accepting reconciliation because God has reconciled himself to us. Maybe one comes not in that spirit but in an indifferent sprit, can his heart be changed in the reconciling ministry? Not many in the black church have herd John Perkins or Brenda Salter McNeal, Tom Skinner and all of what Jeremiah Wright stands for, they have joined the noise makers mostly those who feel as if what he had to say was unjust in some way. I maybe way of track here that is ok maybe this is a question, or a discussion that needs to be had so that we become critical thinkers and move the church as a whole from being stagnant in the twenty first century.
• 
  Chris Brooks October 5, 2011 at 5:14 am

  Ef, good word.

  Thabiti is saying the exact same thing:

  http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/thabitianyabwile/2011/10/01/collateral-damage-in-the-invitation-of-t-d-jakes-to-the-elephant-room/

  Dwayne Polk and I have been wondering about a reformation within the black Church as well. Do you believe that such a reformation would begin internally, externally, or require a collaboration from both within and outside of the Black Church?

  CB.
• 
  Arne Peterson February 17, 2012 at 2:04 pm

  Thank you my brother, Efrem! I really appreciate your thoughts and musings. My thinking has always been that the onus is on us (the white church in general), having been in a “power” position for so long (I am of Swedish background) to humble ourselves before God and especially the African American segment of the church and (native american church) here in America. However, the idea that a multiethnic post black church (without losing its uniqueness) become the instrument in God’s hands to liberate the White western Church from its captivity is an incredibly exciting proposition. I fully endorse your “missional” thinking that: “The Post-Black Church can take the lead in kingdom advancement in the United States and beyond”!

  Furthermore, I believe that you are right that: “There is a need for a Post-Black, Post-White Church theology. This theology must include liberation and reconciliation theology. A true missional movement must be Christ-centered and multi-ethnic. If this isn’t the case, all the missional discussion is just a re-hashing and a recycling of the White Church.”

  Keep talking to us brother Efrem. I really appreciate your Christ centered thinking!