Black Theology and Feminist Theology

763 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Slaves religous practices

Although black theology became popular in the early 1960’s, it was not an entirely new subject. Black theology views God and Christianity as a gospel relevant to blacks who struggled daily under the oppression of whites. The origins of it are clearly seen in spirituals sang by African Americans during the time of slavery nearly 400 years ago. Because of slavery, Blacks’ concept of God was totally different from the masters who enslaved them. White Christians saw god as more of a spiritual savior, while the reflection of God for blacks came in their struggle for freedom. Slave theology then opened up to Black theology which first began when churches began to become segregated. Many could not understand how Whites could continue to behave this way in the Lord’s house. It was soon realized that this was because, according to them, their God allowed segregation.

It is obvious that over time Whites have created a particular image that most people see when they think about what Jesus looks like. The most common idea of a picture of Jesus is Him having fair skin, blue eyes and long flowing dirty blond hair. Many people do not picture Jesus as a Black person might picture Him. In this alone, there is an implication of a specific stereotype on Jesus, which implies that His message does not apply to everyone. This is the reason why blacks are on a ‘quest’ for a Black messiah. White theology makes it seem as though God’s word is oriented toward white people and not black people. White theology is limited in its interpretation of the Christian faith as far as other races are concerned because Whites never conceived the “Black Jesus walking in the ghettos”. The tragedy of the interpretations of Jesus Christ is that in His name, the most ...

... middle of paper ...

...our differences, or view them as causes for separation and suspicion” but use them to unite us together to make a change.

Today, people of all races should be able to identify with Jesus and see His humanity. The Black man can now look at Jesus and see Him as the Black Messiah who fights oppression and sets the captive free. The Black and White women can see Him as a feminist who fights for women’s rights, and everyone can picture Him as all the races of the world.

All the people on the earth are people of God, and are all part of His creation. Our diversity; our various races and ethnicities are reflected in the oneness of God’s creation as He planned. The image of God is not meant to be restricted to one race or group, it is to be all races, all groups, and all ethnicities, because we are all children of God and His message is meant for all people on His earth.

Show More
Related

  • African-American Religious History

    1168 Words  | 3 Pages

    This paper elaborates on the diverse contributions peoples of African descent have made to the pluralistic religious landscape of America and replicates various passages from our textbook. It focuses on the personal narratives of non-religious to religious leaders—exemplifying their influence on the African American religious movement during slavery and the reconstruction of America. Each section represents different historical periods, regional variations, and non-Christian expressions of African-American religion.

    Read More

  • Reparations: A Case Based on Clyde Ross's Life

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    And Jesus is letting them know to remember that you were once slaves and He covered and protected them now they do the same for others that are in the same position as them. Telling them don’t turn their hearts hard or give them their back. And he places this in the article to try to paint the view of blacks where enslaved , had everything taken , and still not giving the right treatment or acknowledgement , so now it’s time for the right return according to what he pulled out of the word. But the scripture from the bible actually in my eyes have nothing to don’t with white supremacy, yes if you pull words of the bile and put it together to fit the situation you need, then yes it will work. But the overall about the scripture from Deuteronomy 15 is Jesus talking and giving a teaching to the former slaves of

    Read More

  • I Believe I Ll Testify By Cleophus J. Larue

    1933 Words  | 4 Pages

    Becoming a true theologian and scholar deals with not limiting the extents of homiletics. The assumption is that the black preaching tradition is distinct and identifiable. What is interesting for any African American student of homiletics is that while many argue for a defined set of African American homiletic characteristics, there is little agreement on what these characteristics are? When people try to characterize what makes African Ame...

    Read More

  • Cultural Factors Of Motown Music

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    Religion, especially Christianity played a huge role in black peoples’ lives at the time, leading to the expansion of black churches in South America. In the 1960s, the proportion of black going to church increased as segregation and racial discrimination divided the two cultures in America. This aspect of culture was very significant as blacks learnt that everyone was equal in God’s eyes. At these churches, the introduction of gospel music generated self expression and thus, these black churches were a representation of social cohesion among blacks. Gordy established this aspect of culture and incorporated gospel music from churches into the soul sound Motown was successful for. Moreover, the formation of African American neighbourhoods was a very important aspect of their culture due to its link to the history of segregation. Although many associated these black neighbourhoods or ‘ghettos’ with negative connotations, for blacks, it signified ‘home’, a place that showed representation of black identity, also including the passion and emotion from overcoming the struggle and suffering of being black. “The buildings in Harlem are brick and stone…and the streets are long and wide…but Harlem’s much more than these alone…Harlem is what’s inside…” (Hughes, 1945). Gordy realised that neighbourhoods also represented cultural cohesion where they could relate to each other. According to

    Read More

  • The History of Slavery in the United States

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    Montgomery, William. Under Their Own Vine and Fig Tree: The African-American Church in the South. Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press, 1993. Print.

    Read More

  • The Origin of the Independent Black Church

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the slave trades had ended in the United States the numbers of slaves continue to grow. The slaves where reproducing and birthing new slaves that happen to be Americans. According to a Maffly-Kipp (2001) because the number of slaves from Africa had decrease it gave room for a transformation of their culture styles and roots to blend with their religious practices such as enthusiastic singing, clapping, dancing, and being possessed with the holy spirit. Many white members of society felt threaten by the existence of black religious groups African Americans built a strong faith in God and found safety in their places of worship. Society was not always willing to accept the idea of Christian slaves. As one slave recounted "the white folks would come in when the colored people would have prayer meeting, and whip every one of them. Most of them thought that when colored people were praying it was against them” (McMickle 2002). Despite of that many African Americans organized their own invisible institution in the slave quarters. They used signals, songs, and messages not discernible to whites. These organizations where called hush harbors. Many b...

    Read More

  • Summary Of A Black Theology Of Liberation By James H. Cone

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    James H. Cone is the Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Dr. Cone probably is best known for his book, A Black Theology of Liberation, though he has authored several other books. Dr. Cone wrote that the lack of relevant and “risky” theology suggests that theologians are not able to free themselves from being oppressive structures of society and suggested an alternative. He believes it is evident that the main difficulty most whites have with Black Power and its compatible relationship to the Christian gospel stemmed from their own inability to translate non-traditional theology into the history of black people. The black man’s response to God’s act in Christ must be different from the whites because his life experiences are different, Dr. Cone believes. In the “black experience,” the author suggested that a powerful message of biblical theology is liberation from oppression.

    Read More

  • Black Theology & Black Power According to James H. Cone

    1532 Words  | 4 Pages

    We need to put aside our pasts and try to find the common ground we share in Christ and become reconciled to each other that neither black or white is superior, but we are just the same in God’s eyes and we all bleed in the same color.

    Read More

  • Religious and Spiritual Practices of Enslaved African Americans

    1736 Words  | 4 Pages

    Moreover, many owners later came to feel that Christianity may actually have encouraged rebellion (all those stories of Moses and the Israelites in Egypt, after all, talked about the liberation of the slaves), and so they began to discourage Christian missionaries from preaching to the slaves. African Americans have taken their own spiritual, religious journey. God was looked upon as a source of peace and encouragement. The community of enslave Africans were able to use religion and spirituality as a way of overcoming the mental anguish of slavery on a daily basis. To a slave, religion was the most important aspect of their life. Nothing could come between their relationship with god. It was their rock, the only reason why they could wake up in the morning, the only way that they endured this most turbulent time in our history.

    Read More

  • african american religious music

    2304 Words  | 5 Pages

    The primary function of the Negro spirituals was to serve as communal song in a religious gathering, performed in a call and response pattern reminiscent of West African traditional religious practices. During these ceremonies, one person would begin to create a song by singing about his or her own sorrow or joy. That individual experience was brought to the community and through the call and response structure of the singing, that individual’s sorrow or joy became the sorrow or joy of the community. In this way, the spiritual became truly affirming, for it provided communal support for individual experiences. Slaves used the characters of the bible, particularly the Old Testament,...

    Read More

  • Bible: The Book of Daniel

    2250 Words  | 5 Pages

    Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press. Print. The. 2003 Roberts, Deotis J. Black Theology in Dialogue. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press. Print.

    Read More

  • Discontented Black Feminist Argumentative Analysis

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the weekly readings for week five we see two readings that talk about the connections between women’s suffrage and black women’s identities. In Rosalyn Terborg-Penn’s Discontented Black Feminists: Prelude and Postscript to the Passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, we see the ways that black women’s identities were marginalized either through their sex or by their race. These identities were oppressed through social groups, laws, and voting rights. Discontented Black Feminists talks about the journey black feminists took to combat the sexism as well as the racism such as forming independent social clubs, sororities, in addition to appealing to the government through courts and petitions. These women formed an independent branch of feminism in which began to prioritize not one identity over another, but to look at each identity as a whole. This paved the way for future feminists to introduce the concept of intersectionality.

    Read More

  • Slavery Essay

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    Slavery was ubiquitous throughout the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. Slaves would get so frustrated with the abuse they received and would try to run away to the North, where African Americans could become free citizens. The North abolished slavery later in time because it wasn’t as dependent on it as to the South. Spirituals sung by slaves were vital to the escape of runaway slaves.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of An Indian's Looking Glass For The White Man

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his essay An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man, William Apess talks about the incompatibility of being a good Christian while still discriminating between races. He argues that this social hypocrisy is not supported by the Biblical text, or by Christian teachings. It is Apess’ belief that if God were to love white people as much as they believe, he wouldn’t have created fifteen colored people for every white one. He goes on to remind his white Christian audience, that it has been the white race the one who has committed the most terrible crimes in the history of mankind. Apess places emphasis on the fact the neither Jesus nor any of his apostles or disciples were white skinned. He also argues the right of the white man to control and subjugate the other races, more

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Christianity And Islam

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    Recent happenings in history; For instance, the apartheid that was about the racial oppression that a contest of supremacy of races is traced to the religion of Christianity. Christian teachings of the gospel are totally opposed to domination or being subdued of one race by another. “The biblical understanding of racial differences has been taken out of context resulting to racism an issue Christianity is seeking to address to combat racism true to the Scripture”. Christianity itself places a duty on its faithful to object and protest against racism.

    Read More

More about Black Theology and Feminist Theology

Open Document