From the Seminary to the Streets

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Pimblott
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Black Power ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Racial Change ◽  
United Front

Chapter Three explores how Black Power activists rebuilt the pre-rebellion coalition under the banner of a reconstructed and relevant Christianity that drew upon both formal Black Theology and grassroots religious traditions. This chapter chronicles the formation of the Cairo United Front, an organization that brought together Black Cairoites from across organizational, class, generational, and ideological lines in support of a broad-based and inclusive movement for racial change and social justice.

Theologies of Liberation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Dorrien
Keyword(s):  
Liberation Theology ◽  
Black Power ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
Social Gospel ◽  
Black Power Movement ◽  
Womanist Theology

King’s radicalism was hard to see or remember after he was assassinated and a campaign for a King Holiday transpired. It became hard to remember that he was the most hated person in America during his lifetime. The black social gospel became more institutional and conventionally political after the King era; liberation theology grew out of the Black Power movement; and womanist theology grew out of black theology.

Religious Traditions in Politics: Protestantism

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evert van Leeuwen
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Political Action ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
Political Dimension ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
God's Image

Protestantism was labeled when German noblemen wished to retain control of their own country church. Martin Luther’s theology based on faith and the scripture became in this way a matter of political dispute. His rejection of the pope as the final authority in matters of religion brought the Lutheran country churches within the power and economy of the local noble rulers, liberating them from financial obligations to Rome. Luther’s actions were, in the first phase of Protestantism, followed by those of Anabaptists and cantons in Switzerland (Huldrych Zwingli) and cities in France (Martin Bucer in Strasbourg; John Calvin in Geneva). Calvin stood for a kind of theocratic regime based on his doctrine of predestination. His views spread over France and the Low Countries (Belgium, Netherlands) as a liberation from the feudal system. In the second phase of Protestantism, the political dimension became less significant, and the focus became instead upon Protestant believers’ looking inward to find the Light, or God, in themselves. Political action then became the consequence of the intention to do well, by seeking justice and seeing that every human being is created in God’s image. Many groups were persecuted, as the earlier Anabaptists were, and left Europe for the New World. There they became activists for the abolition of slavery, equal rights for all human beings, and social justice. The third phase of Protestantism is characterized by ideas of rebirth and regeneration. Sin and evil can be washed away and people can start a new life in the blessing of Jesus Christ, following his guidance as evangelicals. In matters of politics, personal norms and values become more important than social justice or reform, leading to bans on, for instance, abortion and homosexuality as sinful ways of life. In the early 21st century, a significant number of Protestant groups are active in right-wing politics, and their membership continues to grow in the Americas, Africa and Asia.

Black Spirituals: A Theological Interpretation

1972 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-69
Author(s):  
James H. Cone
Keyword(s):  
Black Power ◽  
Black People ◽  
New Age ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
Divine Revelation ◽  
Theological Interpretation ◽  
Popular Opinion ◽  
Black Liberation ◽  
Black Freedom ◽  
Freedom Songs

“Contrary to popular opinion, the spirituals are not evidence that black people reconciled themselves with human slavery. On the contrary, they are black freedom songs which emphasize black liberation as consistent with divine revelation. For this reason it is most appropriate for black people to sing them in this 'new' age of Black Power. And if some people still regard the spirituals as inconsistent with Black Power and Black Theology, that is because they have been misguided and the songs misinterpreted. There is little evidence that black slaves accepted their servitude because they believed God willed their slavery. The opposite is the case. The spirituals speak of God's liberation of black people, his will to set right the oppression of black slaves despite the overwhelming power of white masters. … And if 'de God dat lived in Moses' time is jus de same today,' then that God will vindicate the suffering of the righteous black and punish the unrighteous whites for their wrong doings.”

Black Power and Black Theology in Cairo, Illinois

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry L. Pimblott
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Black Church ◽  
Black Power ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Black Freedom Struggle ◽  
Freedom Struggle ◽  
Black Freedom ◽  
Moral Suasion ◽  
Over Time

This chapter argues that the thesis of Black Power's de-Christianization must be tested on the ground, with scholars paying attention to local struggles as they evolved over time, and in response to changing social and economic conditions. It follows the religious contours of Cairo's black freedom struggle from the 1950s to the 1970s to illustrate that while Black Power's reliance upon the black church was consistent with earlier campaigns, the United Front's theology nevertheless reflected a significant departure from the established Civil Rights credo. Whereas civil rights leaders expressed a firm belief in the redemptive power of Christian nonviolence and moral suasion to topple the walls of segregation, Cairo's Black Power advocates were less optimistic.

Faith in Black Power

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Pimblott
Keyword(s):  
Black Church ◽  
Black Power ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
Black Power Movement ◽  
Racial Justice ◽  
New Institutions ◽  
The Church

Using the borderland community of Cairo, Illinois as a case study, this book chronicles the Black church’s overlooked contributions to the Black Power Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. While Black Power’s reverberations in the church – from radicalized clergy to new institutions and theologies – have received due attention, their impact on grassroots struggles has not. Shifting focus from the seminary to the streets, this project traces the dynamic interaction between the Black church and Black Power at a critical flashpoint. Identified by contemporaries as the site of the country’s longest protracted struggle for racial justice, Cairo captured national attention and became a potent symbol of Black working-class insurgency and a beacon of radical Black Christianity. In a period plagued by sectarianism, the Cairo United Front assembled a surprisingly broad-based coalition under the banner of a new spiritual philosophy and a set of shared cultural practices rooted in the Black church. However, in an era of conservative ascendancy Black Power’s reliance upon such funds proved to be a double-edged sword. By the mid-1970s, white denominational organizations retreated under mounting opposition from state agencies and their own congregants. This project situates grassroots activists, rather than trained religious theorists, as key agents in the production, consumption, and transmission of Black Theology.

Black Theology and Black Power

1972 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 154
Author(s):  
James H. Davis ◽  
James H. Cone
Keyword(s):  
Black Power ◽  
Black Theology

scholarly journals IMPLEMENTASI PESAN MORAL MISI PROFETIK MUHAMMAD MENURUT FAZLUR RAHMAN

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-25
Author(s):  
Lukman Hakim ◽  
Dani Ramdani
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Double Movement ◽  
Historical Awareness ◽  
Moral Teachings ◽  
Prophetic Mission ◽  
The Right

Abstract. Muhammad's prophetic mission is a mission in an effort to disseminate moral teachings whose roots are found in the teachings of monotheism, as is often emphasized in the Qur'an: efforts to uphold social justice, egalitarianism and protection of the weak. Rahman offers a hermeneutic method to refine the Qur'an and criticize the historical awareness that exists in Muslims. This is done to provide the right meaning for the Qur'an, as well as examine the awareness of the religious traditions of Muslims today. Then Rahman offered the double movement method. This method will be very useful for examining all forms of religious institutionalization established by Muslims today, then confirming it to the time of the Prophet to obtain legitimacy or appropriate reference to religious interpretations. Double movement, intended to provide the right meaning for Muslim efforts to interpret religion based on traditions established by the Prophet: refers to the initial conception that was built by the Prophet and his companions. Abstrak. Misi profetik Muhammad merupakan suatu misi dalam upaya menyebar-luaskan ajaran moral yang muaranya terdapat dalam ajaran monoteisme, sebagaimana yang sering ditegaskan dalam al-Qur’ân: usaha untuk menegakkan keadilan sosial, egaliterianisme dan perlindungan terhadap yang lemah. Rahman menawarkan metode hermeneutika untuk menfasirkan kembali al-Qur’ân dan mengkritisi kesadaran sejarah yang ada dalam umat Islam. Hal ini dilakukan untuk memberikan makna yang tepat bagi al-Qur’ân, sekaligus memeriksa kesadaran tradisi keberagamaan umat Islam masa kini. Kemudian Rahman menawarkan metode double movement. Metode ini akan sangat berguna untuk memeriksa segala bentuk institusionalisasi keberagamaan yang dibangun oleh umat Islam di masa kini, kemudian mengkonfirmasikannya ke masa Nabi untuk mendapatkan legitimasi atau rujukan yang tepat terhadap interpretasi keberagamaan. Double movement, dimaksudkan untuk memberikan makna yang tepat bagi usaha umat Islam untuk melakukan interpretasi keberagamaan berdasarkan tradisi yang dibangun oleh Nabi: merujuk kepada konsepsi awal yang telah dibangun oleh Nabi beserta para sahabatnya. 

A Black American Looks at African Theology

Worldview ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 26-38
Author(s):  
James H. Cone
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Civil Rights Movement ◽  
Black Power ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Black Theology ◽  
Black American ◽  
African Theology ◽  
African Context ◽  
American Black ◽  
Subsequent Rise

As s a black North American whose theological consciousness was shaped in the historical context of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950's and the subsequent rise of Black Power during the 1960's, I find it difficult to speak about the future of African theology without relating it to the struggle for freedom in the United Stales of America. The concern to accent the distinctiveness of the African context has led many African theologians to separate African theology, not only from traditional European theology, but also from American black theology.

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