The Heart of Black Preaching
Over the last few months, the nation turned its attention to Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s former pastor in the south side of Chicago. The cable news stations and talk radio have been playing carefully selected excerpts of the most provocative statements from Rev. Wright’s fiery sermons.
Obama, while affirming the tremendous work his church has done in his city and around the nation, has condemned the most controversial remarks of his pastor. But the whole controversy points to the enormous gap in understanding between the mainstream black community in the U.S. and the experience of many white Americans.
How do two groups of Christians living in the same country, reading the same Bible, come to such radically different conclusions?
In David Kelsey’s work on biblical hermeneutics he contends that every faith community brings its own particular template or master lens to scriptural interpretation. Our decisions about how to interpret scripture are not based solely on a close study of biblical texts but on a prior decision in which we imaginatively try to grasp the essence of Christianity. The truth is that every culture throughout the history of the church has brought its own unique perspective to scripture and has attempted to contextualize that message back into the culture.
There is nothing inherently wrong with this, in fact it is very natural, but it is essential for people to first of all recognize that they are doing this. We must make ourselves as aware as possible of the cultural lenses we are looking through. While God is, by nature, objective truth, God cannot be known through rational objectivity. We all bring a great deal of our own subjectivity to the scripture. We must to go back to the text and allow it to continuously transform and enlarge our vision of God. We must also learn to read scripture from others point of view.
Husto Gonzalez points out that every cultural expression of Christianity has to be in a constant process of purification in relation to the gospel, otherwise it transforms its every expression of the gospel into idols and imposes them upon other peoples as absolutes.
I have always appreciated the power and the passion of black preaching and I had assumed it was just a cultural dynamic at work. However this past year I read a book called The Heart of Black Preaching by Cleophus J. LaRue that changed my perspective. According to LaRue the distinctive power of black preaching lies much deeper, resting in the soul of black Christian experience. The essence of black preaching is not merely rhetorical techniques but extraordinary experiences that have given them a unique understanding of the Bible.
The African-American perspective is past-oriented. Their history is what makes them who they are. Their experiences and the experiences of their ancestors are an essential part of their identity. It is through those experiences that they view their world and it is with those experiences that they approach scripture.
The black church was born in slavery. Thus black preaching originated in a context of marginalization and struggle, and it is to this context that even today it still seeks to be relevant. This is largely due to the continued marginalization and injustices that the black community experiences at the hands of the larger white society, especially on the south side of Chicago, but also because history is so important to how blacks view the world today.
Their history of slavery and injustice gives them very different perspectives on scripture often unavailable to those standing in the center of power. They view scripture through a unique lens.
Blacks tend to believe that scripture demonstrates God’s mighty actions on behalf of marginalized and powerless people. The biblical stories and scriptural passages that have historically been used the most in black sermons were those that clearly demonstrated the mighty acts of God on behalf of people who were in situations of powerlessness consistent with, though not the same as, those of the forcibly displaced Africans in America. Stories that spoke of the mighty acts of God on behalf of the marginalized were actually the stories that attracted blacks to the God of the Christian religion during the days of slavery.
The black church pulpit has historically been a place of prophetic truth-telling about the realities that black people experience in their lives. In fact, the black church has often been the only place where such truths are ever told. Black preachers have had the task of encouraging people who feel beaten down week after week. The goal of the black sermon is the creation of a meaningful connection between an all-powerful God and a marginalized and powerless people.
So while I certainly do not condone the angry and divisive rhetoric of Rev. Wright, I think it is important to try to see the world from his perspective - and being a white kid from a middle-class suburb of Des Moines, this will take a little more effort than listening to a twenty second sound bite on Fox News.
Posted on April 14, 2008 12:00 AM
Comments
Wow, Paul, cudos for keeping open this can of worms that most seem to want to quickly shut.
I am also a cracker from the mid-west whose Christian grandmother wondered, back in the 60�s, �Why so many of them n____�s had to be on her TV. I was more than shocked by her comment at the young age of 10, but began right then wondering why white AND black people, who were supposedly created equal, would have such seemingly unfounded animosity toward one another.
However, once I listened to the entire context of Rev. Wright�s sermon and took out the obvious BIAS against �whitey� which Rev. Wright�s rhetoric contains, I find it difficult to see that he is being anything but brutally honest. It is exactly that, brutal honesty, which makes Scripture so appealing to me.
Posted by: Wayne Bays | April 14, 2008 2:20 PM
One of my favorite songs in the rap genre is "Slow Down" by the Christian artist Shai Linne. In that song, he phrases a little more eloquently the point that Rev. Wright - I think - was trying to make in that now infamous clip where he calls for the damnation of America:
"Think about it logically:
If God doesn't judge America,
He owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology."
If I had not heard this verse prior to Rev. Wright's tirade, I may have taken it differently. Shai Linne gives to the concept a little more background and support. As Wayne says, Rev. Wright was a little more blunt, a little more "brutal." The fact that his statement created such a stir is a testament to the blindly ethnocentric paradigm held by so many in America - both outside and, sadly, inside the Christian faith. African Americans see things differently than do Caucasians because, for the most part, our life experiences are vastly different. African Americans may have the same rights as anybody else, but centuries of oppression have left an impression on that culture that will not be easily overcome.
America as a nation is guilty of terrible sin. At least Rev. Wright isn't afraid to speak out about it. Perhaps if white America took off its blinders and admitted the same, some progress might be made. Until that day comes however, black America and white America will continue to hold two different perspectives on not only the same country, but the same faith.
Posted by: Jeremy Clark | April 15, 2008 12:18 PM
I have to admit that I haven't really listened to what Rev. Wright had to say in regards to Obama, but I wouldn't be surprised if his quotes were taken drastically out of context with the rest of his sermon. Wouldn't be the first time the news media made a firm Christian look like a moron. Moreover, were I a pastor when a member of my congregation was running for President I'd get kind of hot under the collar when the faith game started being played. Presidential candidates recently have used their "faith" as a means of appealing to demographics and people groups in America. It's just sad that Obama doesn't have the guts to stick next to his Pastor
Posted by: Matt | April 15, 2008 1:05 PM
that was a good article, the black preachers i've heard and church I've been too, man, it was truly a great experience.
on the topic of our nation being judged, i have this to say.
it is amazing how many times i've read articles on Burnside(which is a great website, by the way) about how we should be like Jesus and love everyone regardless of their sins, with little mention of any sort of judgement or damnation from God for people who do evil things. yet, when it is the USA being shown as sinful, then everyone is like, "right on, down with America". I'm just wondering if there is a double standard here. i'm not a nutty "fundamentalist", whatever that is, but hey, if a nation can be judged by God, then why not the guy producing the porn, or the lady who is always telling lies, or the homosexual, or the glutton, or the racist pig. If Christians are going to be "tolerant" and embarassed by our own set of morals, then why are we getting so upset about our own country's "morals".
People make a nation, which includes you and me, and people do bad things(which includes you and me).
Jeremy, (I know we've never met, so you can't beat me up) you wrote in regard to our nation being guilty of terrible sin: "If white America would take off their blinders and admit the same, some progress might be made". Man, I am white america. I don't know where you come from bro, but white people all over know America is guilty of sin. I've been in countless "white" churches and have heard it over and over again: "America is guilty of sin".
I don't know how many times I've seen all the "White" Evangelical leaders lambasted on this sight for saying the same thing Rev. Wright said, that America's guilty of great sin. People tell them to stick to being Christians and building up the Kingdom of God and love everyone regardless of everything.
A nation is as guilty of sin as the people who make it up, want it to be. "We the people, make choices every moment that decide the moral direction of our lives and lives around us." - Ben
I just think that it's easy to get ticked off at our nation, because it's an authority and it seems to have such a large influence on our everyday life. It's not as easy to get ticked off at your neighbor, unless he/she personally offends you. I mean, be honest folks, you really don't mind people's sins, unless they sin against you, and then you really mind. That's why men are such poor judges, we are all kinda being bribed in the back room, then we come out to precide over the case and the "accused" curses you or shoots at you, and all of a sudden, they seem a little more guilty.
Posted by: ben | April 15, 2008 10:11 PM
I appreciate what this article is saying. However, I struggle to find the line between cultural difference and racism. To me, the line is blurred. By adopting phrases like "black America" and "black preaching", are we not adopting racist language?
This problem is exacerbated by both blacks and whites; Former Senegalese President L�opold S�dar Senghor defended what he called "Negritude", which was a description of what he believed to be a distinct "black" human experience. Although I am the first to respect cultural differences, and I believe his intentions were pure, I also feel that introducing a concept like Negritude only adds fuel to the fire in a racist context.
I understand that some of what Rev. Wright says is culturally driven, and even warranted, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with everything he says. I find his use of "white America" careless at best. No more dangerous, though, than us calling his diatribes "black preaching". I have a hard time believing that all African-American pastors would appreciate this.
Posted by: Jared | April 15, 2008 11:33 PM
Ben - excellent point. I am definitely guilty of the 'double standard' you are referring to. If Pat Robertson said the same things that Rev. Wright did than I probably would not have tried real hard to see things from his perspective.
The one distinction I would make is that the sins the white evangelical church tend to point out are typically sexual in nature (pornography, homosexuality, sexual content on TV, etc.)
The sins that many "third world" Christians and liberation theologians point out have to do with social injustice.
Both are important, but as NT Wright points out, "Sex matters enormously, but global justice matters far, far more."
I think when white evangelicals go on and on ranting about Hollywood or homosexual marriage being the downfall of this country while at the same time turning a blind eye to global hunger, human rights violations, and the economic disparity in our nation and our world... we come off sounding very arrogant and hypocritical.
Jared - I am not sure where the line is and I certainly do not feel qualified in being the one to draw it.
What I do know for sure is that a black preacher from the south side of Chicago is going to have a very different perspective on the Bible and theology as well as the nightly news than I do (a white pastor in Des Moines).
Some of those interpretations will be wrong, as are many of mine. Others will simply be different than mine -- and I have to be very careful not to thoughtlessly throw them into the "wrong" category.
In any case, before I judge these comments I need to try to understand where Wright is coming from. While the prophetic & critical approach of the black preacher can tend to take me off guard it is important to remember that it is balanced with an amazing amount of grace and love.
This is the double miracle of the black church: that after hearing the gospel from their oppressors, black people found liberation in Christ and then loved the so-called Christians who had been their enemies.
I want to approach Wright with the same kind of grace and love.
Posted by: Paul Stewart | April 16, 2008 1:11 PM
Paul, that was a great point as well. There is a distinction in the 'sins' pointed out by the different churches. I liked the quote by NT Wright almost, but I'd say it like this: "Sex matters enormously, but global justice matters just as enormously." But hey, he writes books, and i write posts on Burnside.
Posted by: ben | April 16, 2008 8:05 PM
I don't think sins should have rankings.
Posted by: Zig | April 19, 2008 12:31 PM