robus(t)heology

The church should identify herself with the suffering. Black power is the Spirit of Christ in the black-white dialogue with the goal of giving Blacks worth and forcing whites to see that worth. The spirit of Black power is so challenging to the American way of life. What is the Church? The church consists of those God has called through power and love to aid in the liberation of his people. Since Genesis (Gen. 1:27-28), God has been on a course to liberate and restore his creatures. The call of Abraham and the Exodus demonstrates God’s revolutionary activity in liberating mankind from their own sinful pride. Israel was chosen by God to be a partner in God’s revolutionary activity. God choosing Israel, the oppressed lowly people, demonstrated his concern for the weak as opposed to the strong. Israel often spoke of the coming Day of the Lord when God would vindicate his people from oppression and when righteousness would be displayed. The arrival of Christ has also marked ...

The job of theology is to make the gospel meaningful for the times in which men live. Black theology's sole purpose is to address the oppression of Blacks with the gospel in a way that was not being done with mainstream Christianity. Black theology is revolutionary theology in that it believes violence is necessary to change the dehumanizing structures of power. This work is concerned with what the Christian gospel has to say to oppressed Blacks. Western white Christianity with its emphasis on individualism and capitalism cannot relate to those whose ultimate reality is being Black. White Christianity stifles the oppressed concern for present inequalities in favor of demanding a concern about the next world. A crucial question is: Is it possible to read the Bible apart from white interpretation in the context of Black power? What is the gospel of Jesus? Christianity revolves around the person Jesus. Every theological statement must involve Jesus Christ. Jesus is God...

What belongs in the Bible and what does not belong? Since the words of God in the Bible are important (Deut. 32:47), it is important to know which writings belong in the Bible. The canon of Scripture is the list of all the books that belong in the Bible. We should not add or subtract from God’s words for it would prevent God’s people from obeying him fully. (Deut. 4:2) The canon is important in that if we are to trust and obey God absolutely, we must be able to trust in the certainty of God’s own words. A. The Old Testament Canon Scripture itself bears witness to the historical development of the canon. Throughout Israel’s history, this collection of absolutely authoritative words from God grew in size. Moses wrote words to be deposited in the ark of the covenant (Deut. 31:24-26; Ex. 17:14; 24:4; 34:27; Num. 33:2; Deut. 31:22). Joshua added to the collection of written words of God. (Josh. 24:26) Those who fulfilled the office of prophet wrote additional words from God...

What is Black power? There is no precise or common agreement on a definition of Black power...especially among critics. For there to be communication on Black power, there must be a general shape of the term. Black power means the complete emancipation of black people from all types of white oppression and on Black people's terms. Like a rebel, Black power says no to intolerable conditions. Black power is like the slogan Freedom Now: A slave is willing to risk death because he considers the right to freedom more important than himself. Black power is the courage to affirm one's Blackness in spite of those elements that threaten that affirmation. Rebellion in the cities is the Black man's unwillingness to surrender to white society's idea of appropriate behavior. Black power is the Black man's affirmation of his Black worth and the willingness to fight against that which seeks for him to deny, ignore, or erase it. Blacks aren't human beings to whites...

What is Black Theology? I remember being asked this question by an uneducated (formally I mean), white, conservative, (and probably racist) “pastor” on one of the online forums that I’m a member of. His question was not to gather an answer (since he thought he already knew the answer), but to merely antagonize. However, it does reveal that ever since the soundbite of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermon concerning  America's condemnation for her past atrocities, Black liberation theology has been an issue of great controversy. A lot of it is due to ignorance as to what Black theology and Black liberation theology is and that is to be expected. Black theology is a theological perspective that was formally systematized in the 70's, possessed by a highly-educated generation of Black preachers, and almost forgotten due to the evolving illusion of a post-racial society. Unless you sat under the preaching of some of these pastors (like Wright), are a member of an AME church, or was ...

The phrase “the Word of God” refers to: The Son of God, Jesus Christ (John 1:1; Rev. 19:13) Speech by God God’s words come in several forms: God’s decrees God’s decrees cause events to happen or come into being (Gen. 1:3, 24; Ps. 33:6) God’s decree includes the continuing existence of all things (Heb. 1:3) God’s words of personal address God sometimes communicates with people on earth by speaking directly to them (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:16-19; Ex. 20:1-3; Matt. 3:17) The words of God’s personal address in Scripture are also “human” words The fact that these words are spoken in human language does not limit their divine character or authority God’s words of personal address are uncommon, even in Scripture God’s words as speech through human lips Frequently in Scripture, God raises up prophets through who he speaks (Jer. 1:7, 9; Ex. 4:12; Num. 22:38; 1 Sam. 15:3, 18, 23; 1 Kings 20:36; 2 Chron. 20:20; 25:15–16; Isa. 30:12–14; Jer. 6:10–12; 36:29–31) God’s words spoke...