March 30, 2008
Posted by exemployee under
John McCain,
YouTube,
barack obama,
black,
black liberation theology,
black power movement,
hillary clinton,
james cone,
jeremiah white,
jeremiah wright,
news,
politics,
white | Tags:
barack obama,
black liberation theology,
black power movement,
hillary clinton,
jeremiah white,
jeremiah wright,
John McCain,
news,
politics,
YouTube |
1 Comment
“A moral or theological appeal based on a white definition of morality or theology will serve as a detriment to our attainment of black freedom. The only option we blacks have is to fight in every way possible, so that we can create a definition of freedom based on our own history and culture. We must not expect white people to give us freedom. Freedom is not a gift, but a responsibility, and thus must be taken against the will of those who hold us in bondage.” James Cone
Reverend James Cone began the Black Liberation Theology at the same time he embraced the Black Power Movement. In an effort to boost the then newly enacted desegregation order by the federal government Black Liberation Theology sprang up across the south. It was, unfortunately, a necessary evil at the time with many whites still not adhering to the governments decree. White churches, mainly in the south, still carried the mentality of the 1950’s within their walls.
Today, however, that is no longer the norm for most churches in the United States. In fact, it would be unusual to hear a sermon preached on Sunday morning that included anything but forgiveness and love for all mankind, including or neighbors. That is, unless you are a black person attending a church that preaches Black Liberation Theology. From the select few that have made it to the airwaves within the past few weeks, it would seem that Black Liberation Theology is more about hate than love, more about slurring the white population with racist remarks than embracing a wholeness of community, and more about de-patriotism than patriotism.
There is no room for hypocrisy in any race. Blacks cannot shout that they are being treated unfairly by racist white people when they themselves are propogating racist actions from, of all places, the sacred pulpit.
This truly is a time for change. This is truly a time to stop keeping the black community down. This is truly a time for the black community to stop keeping themselves down. But who needs to pull the plank out of their eye? How much does this retired black pastor make in one year? Would he be considered rich, black man keeping the poor black people in their place? Sort of like the Saducees and Pharisees of Jesus time.
Leave a Reply
June 17, 2008 at 3:27 pm
The Bible and biblical theology are much more complicated than many prosperity preachers rant about and most of the unlearned Christians care to know. For those of us that have been through rigid theology programs or divinity schools and understand Hebrew and Greek, it is not necessarily out of line to see the Old Testament as a book of Hebrew, i.e. Jewish liberation theology. The Old Testament is essentially a book about the Jewish people protesting against Egyptian rule and seeking to govern and control their lives. Many Christians (that do not study Bible and Ancient world history) have oversimplified Jesus whose name in the Hebrew and Aramaic would have been Yashua, i.e. God is our Liberator=Yah means God/Creator and “shua” is Hebrew and means to save. There is no J. in Hebrew or Aramaic the language “Jesus” would have spoken. Jesus comes from the Greek and is a derivative of Ze-us, i.e. Zeus of Greek mythology. Bible scholars and any Christian that has studied the Bible know that the Old Testament is a captivity story and the New Testament shows further struggle against Roman oppression.
Secondly, I was curious about “Liberation Theology” myself so I did a little research. The black liberation theology espoused by James Cone and Jeremiah Wright and others has its roots in Latin America theological tradition. In this theological, prophetic tradition evangelists and missionaries from the earliest colonial days in Latin America–churchmen questioned the type of presence adopted by the church and the way indigenous peoples, blacks, mestizos, and the poor rural and urban masses were treated. According to most history books the white slave owners of enslaved Africans in America used Christianity and the Bible as a moral justification for enslavement and brutal treatment of Africans. Likewise, the enslaved Africans in America and the Caribbean read the Bible and sang songs, i.e. spirituals, where they were the Children of Israel and the slave master was Pharoah. I recall such songs as a boy sung by a woman from the Caribbean that went: “Go down Moses, way down in Egypt land, tell ol’ Pharoah to let my people go”, “Walk together children don’t you get weary, there is a great day a coming in the promised land” and ” Wade in the water, wade in the water children, God is gonna trouble the water”, or “Everybody talkin bout heaven ain’t going there.” The church music of the enslaved Africans often had a double meaning. Wade in the water means Jewish people crossing the Red Sea but it also could mean slaves crossing a body of water to escape slave patrollers. Even the line “everybody talkin bout heaven ain’t goin there” is a jab at the slave master who was usually at the slave church services. A good book for you and the readers of your blog to read on these double sideded mesages is Miles Mark Fishers “Negro Slave Songs in the United States” http://www.amazon.com/Negro-Slave-Songs-United-States/dp/0806500905
I am from the UK and one thing I have noticed is that the school/educational systems of America do not equip Americans to think and rationalize beyond what they see on television. I was very curious about Jeremiah Wright and came across two interesting blog posts: one looking at Wright and Martin Luther King http://dymaxionq.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/martin-luther-king-jr-and-jeremiah-wright-clergymen-speaking-truth-to-power/ and another discussing Caucasian reaction to those deemed inferior http://dymaxionq.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/reframing-african-slave-insolence-jeremiah-wright-us-presidential-politics-and-the-legacy-of-race-in-america/
It is good reading your blog. Carry on.