After reading about and listening to the recent comments of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, I have a question. What exactly is “The Black Church?” Is it different than from a Church of God or Church of Jesus? Is it different from a “White Church” and is there such a thing as a “White” or “Black” Church? I’m not being facetious or flippant here; I’m simply asking the opinion of the P&R folks.

After reading about and listening to the recent comments of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, I have a question. What exactly is “The Black Church?” Is it different than from a Church of God or Church of Jesus? Is it different from a “White Church” and is there such a thing as a “White” or “Black” Church? I’m not being facetious or flippant here; I’m simply asking the opinion of the P&R folks.

 

Every religion, region and culture have different worship experiences and view points. It's easy to see if a person experiences worship in different regions, faiths and cultural ties.

 

It's like understanding that there is often a difference in preaching. Historical black preaching has a call/response cadance. Some use a phraseology approach (It's Friday but Sunday's Coming) and others preach slow and build. (If you ever want to hear what I think is the best in Black Preaching listen to Dr. Kinney from Virginia Union Seminary. He never wastes a word.)

 

White pulpiteers vary as well. Some are narrative and others are didactic in presentation. Some have what I call the "mountain hack" with "a" after every few words and still others speak with passion in the words more than the vocal chords.

 

Even in Baptist land KY and VA Baptists are very different. VA Baptists tend to appreciate the history of the kingdom and seem more understanding that the Kingdom Building business has been around alot longer and since the 50's. (I felt this keenly when pastoring a church in VA that was older than KY, founded in 1774) Even in KY the notion of Sunday night service is througout much of Baptist world but in VA maybe 20 % of Baptist churches have Sunday evening worship. It's cultural.

 

Not sure what you were looking for RTS but I hope this answers that there are differences in experience, style and perspective but the heart of the substance should always be Christ. :thumb:

Actually that was very helpful, Hatz. It does give me a little better grip of the meaning. Honestly, when I would hear "Black Church" it would sound as if it was meant to separate themselves from whites and just didn't strike me as very Christian. I can't say I understand the cultural difference, but then I don't expect I'm supposed to either.

What I don't understand at all about Rev. Wright’s Church, is when he preached things like the government inventing the Aids virus to kill blacks, or America getting what it deserved in 9-11. Is this something common or exclusive to Rev. Wright?

Actually that was very helpful, Hatz. It does give me a little better grip of the meaning. Honestly, when I would hear "Black Church" it would sound as if it was meant to separate themselves from whites and just didn't strike me as very Christian. I can't say I understand the cultural difference, but then I don't expect I'm supposed to either.

What I don't understand at all about Rev. Wright’s Church, is when he preached things like the government inventing the Aids virus to kill blacks, or America getting what it deserved in 9-11. Is this something common or exclusive to Rev. Wright?

 

I doubt it's exclusive and would believe it to be uncommon with most black pastors I know.

 

To be honest though, I'm acquainted with one locally who has done everything from: 1. decry the government for not paying blacks some retribution for slavery, 2. Call the local County Administrator racist because the County would not pay an honorarium to a guest preacher/politician who visited our area, 3. Accuse the County School system of racism when they had to close 2 of 4 county High Schools because of population loss and money. He noted that one of the 2 was predominantly Black but failed to note that the other HS closing was in the most affluent county area.

 

So I guess I've seen something of this before on smaller scale. :lol:

 

What I do recognize is that history is important to any congregation and particularly black congregations. It was the church that many slaves first got a taste of freedom. (In my former VA pastorate our church had joined some other churches to build an African american congregation for the slaves in the area some 10 years before the Civil War.) At those churches the black community could actually meet and speak their mind there without fear of reprisal in the outside world.

After reading about and listening to the recent comments of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, I have a question. What exactly is “The Black Church?” Is it different than from a Church of God or Church of Jesus? Is it different from a “White Church” and is there such a thing as a “White” or “Black” Church? I’m not being facetious or flippant here; I’m simply asking the opinion of the P&R folks.

Google James Hal Cone's name. Rev. Wright emphasized his admiration for Cone in his recent speech to the NAACP.

“I do not in any way disagree with James Cone. Jim is a personal friend of mine.” - Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright 4/28/08

Black Liberation Theology is a racist political movement that has little to do with Christianity and Obama's church, Trinity United Methodist Church is part of that political movement.

 

Now, a supposedly angry Barack Obama is lashing out at Rev. Wright, just as many of us (including Rev. Wright and me) predicted that he would do. By making people believe that he is angry at Wright, Obama hopes that we will forget that he has been sitting quietly in a racist church for 20 years as Wright spewed his brand of racial hatred.

 

In a New York Times profile of the Obama-Wright relationship in April 2007, Wright himself predicted such a split based on the controversial remarks that were already under some scrutiny. “If Barack gets past the primary, he might have to publicly distance himself from me,” Wright told the paper over a year ago. “I said it to Barack personally, and he said yeah, that might have to happen.” - Dr. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr.'s prophetic words from April 2007

 

This phony flare-up between Senator Obama and Rev. Wright shows in a nutshell just what an empty suit Obama really is. If he cannot size up his own minister in 20 years, what makes anybody think that he can deal with the leaders of North Korea and Iran?

 

The truth is that Obama subscribes to the Black Liberation Theology articulated by Rev. Wright but Obama knows that he cannot speak truthfully about his "faith" if he is going to have any chance at becoming president.

I doubt it's exclusive and would believe it to be uncommon with most black pastors I know.

 

To be honest though, I'm acquainted with one locally who has done everything from: 1. decry the government for not paying blacks some retribution for slavery, 2. Call the local County Administrator racist because the County would not pay an honorarium to a guest preacher/politician who visited our area, 3. Accuse the County School system of racism when they had to close 2 of 4 county High Schools because of population loss and money. He noted that one of the 2 was predominantly Black but failed to note that the other HS closing was in the most affluent county area.

 

So I guess I've seen something of this before on smaller scale. :lol:

 

What I do recognize is that history is important to any congregation and particularly black congregations. It was the church that many slaves first got a taste of freedom. (In my former VA pastorate our church had joined some other churches to build an African american congregation for the slaves in the area some 10 years before the Civil War.) At those churches the black community could actually meet and speak their mind there without fear of reprisal in the outside world.

See, this is the sort of thing I have a real problem with. I just don't see what any of this has to do with religion and it certainly isn't Christ-like IMO. Isn't it just teaching hate?

Google James Hal Cone's name. Rev. Wright emphasized his admiration for Cone in his recent speech to the NAACP.

Black Liberation Theology is a racist political movement that has little to do with Christianity and Obama's church, Trinity United Methodist Church is part of that political movement.

 

Now, a supposedly angry Barack Obama is lashing out at Rev. Wright, just as many of us (including Rev. Wright and me) predicted that he would do. By making people believe that he is angry at Wright, Obama hopes that we will forget that he has been sitting quietly in a racist church for 20 years as Wright spewed his brand of racial hatred.

 

 

 

This phony flare-up between Senator Obama and Rev. Wright shows in a nutshell just what an empty suit Obama really is. If he cannot size up his own minister in 20 years, what makes anybody think that he can deal with the leaders of North Korea and Iran?

 

The truth is that Obama subscribes to the Black Liberation Theology articulated by Rev. Wright but Obama knows that he cannot speak truthfully about his "faith" if he is going to have any chance at becoming president.

I'll check into it. Thanks, AcesFull.

It makes one wonder if you want to even associate your selves with people that teach and say some of the things so called "religous" churches speak today. Christ would be so disappointed in His Church today.

^^^^Amen my brother.

It makes one wonder if you want to even associate your selves with people that teach and say some of the things so called "religous" churches speak today. Christ would be so disappointed in His Church today.

 

Does that apply to many of our grandparents/great grandparents in the South who listened to preachers preach about the evils of blacks ?

Does that apply to many of our grandparents/great grandparents in the South who listened to preachers preach about the evils of blacks ?

Every bit as bad in my book.

Every bit as bad in my book.

I would have to agree 100%. If a person is truly a christian they will study the Word and know what it says. Racism and slavery and all that other ignorance is way off track when it comes to the love of Christ. If our past relatives were TRULY christians they would have known that. God's word has never changed regardless of man's attempt's to water it down.

Every bit as bad in my book.

 

So this Rev. Wright thing is nothing new. I bet every candidate now and in the past has some person they are associated with that does not reflect the entirety of their opinions yet they stay associated. I'm fairly new to this stuff but logic tells me this is nothing new.

I would have to agree 100%. If a person is truly a christian they will study the Word and know what it says. Racism and slavery and all that other ignorance is way off track when it comes to the love of Christ. If our past relatives were TRULY christians they would have known that. God's word has never changed regardless of man's attempt's to water it down.

 

 

Wow. :eek:

 

Hindsight is 20/20

Wow. :eek:

 

Hindsight is 20/20

True, which is why we shouldn't judge. But the question boils down to Objectivism vs. Relativism- does Truth exist embedded in its context, or does it exist outside of its context? I tend to believe that Truth exists regardless of the circumstances.