"IS THE BLACK CHURCH DEAD? A ROUNDTABLE ON THE FUTURE OF BLACK CHURCHES"
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Published 2012-01-13
During the first few months of 2010 a new, yet familiar, debate broke out about the role of black churches in the United States. What began as a provocative article on the Huffington Post elicited a wide range of responses from religious leaders around the country, ignited an online dialogue among academics, and sparked a plethora of essays across the blogosphere. These exchanges inspired a series of interviews on NPR, and, ultimately, the dialogue was featured in the New York Times.
Bringing together a group of distinguished voices who represent the worlds of both church and academia, this roundtable conversation will build on many of the themes that emerged in the above debate with the hopes of helping to highlight, clarify and query some of the most pressing challenges and promising developments that occupy the American religious landscape. A number of critical issues—including religious pluralism, gender exclusion, marriage equality, class divisions and the persistence of racial inequality—in contemporary society will be on the table in this discussion of the
Participants to include:
Prof. Anthea Butler, Associate Professor and Graduate Chair of Religion - University of Pennsylvania
Eddie Glaude, Jr.; Professor of Religion & African American Studies and Chair, The Center for African-American Studies - Princeton University
Prof. Fredrick Harris; Professor of Political Science & Director of African-American Studies, Columbia University;
Prof. Obery M. Hendricks, Jr.; Visiting Scholar-Religion & African American Studies, Columbia; University; Professor of Biblical Interpretation - New York Theological Seminary
Rev. Dr. Eboni K. Marshall, Assistant Minister for Christian Education, Abyssinian Baptist Church-Harlem, New York
Rev. Otis Moss, III, Senior Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ-Chicago, Illinois
Prof. Josef Sorett, Assistant Professor of Religion & African-American Studies - Columbia University
THIS EVENT IS CO-SPONSORED BY THE INSTITUTE FOR RELIGION, CULTURE & PUBLIC LIFE AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
IRAAS
All Comments (21)
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The church doesn't give you any answers, it keeps you from asking the questions.
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Wait, am I watching a discussion on "the black church" with pastors, teachers, etc with no bibles and no one saying thus says the Lord? I think you have the answer to the topic.
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The universities taught these people well all this talking in circles ...smh what is the point of having a formal debate if the common man cant understand a word of it. There's a saying "you must know something intimately to explain it simply" the double talk just comes off as pride in their education without any real ability to educate.
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You're Absolutely Correct. And my biggest question is, "Where has the money gone?" Decades of paying "tithes" and what business have black churches created? What schools?
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Just because someone is willing to have a conversation with you doesn't mean they are willing to listen to you. These pastors will defend and preserve their way of life, their business.
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I was raised in the church as a young person. A lot of us refused to go because the churches have forgot about the community. With everything that’s going on in our community the churches says nothing. Whatever happened to feeding the community, after school programs for single parent children and going out to the community when our young with gang violence????
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They are still missing the point!
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We spend more time and focus on entertaining ourselves with music, dancing, and praise than we do studying the bible and our surroundings. Too many cowards in the church also. Too afraid to stand up and teach our people the truth for fear of them walking out in denial. We're still getting punked by Satan. Black preachers find some testicular fortitude and wake your people up. Partying and dancing in the name of GOD is NOT going to save us!
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People have evolved and can see that the church has been a trick. When the black church starts helping the community more and living up to their mission then we will return.
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I hate when people use big words and have no idea what they are saying...
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This conversation is exactly why as a body of believers we must stress being doers of the word and not just hearers.
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All of these big words with little substance! I kept feeling like I got in a car and road 500 miles to end up at a destination 50ft from my starting point.
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We need a return to Holiness and a move to rid our community from pimps, gangs and pushers...
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So why are there no people on the panel representing the Group that you claim won’t come to church?
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It is all about Status in the black church. I have yet to see a broke superstar preacher.
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I know our community will be more successful had we more scientists engineers Lawyers doctors and less pastors.
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Every Sunday in black churches across America collection plates are passed and parishioners insert their tithes and offerings. The very next day, as those funds are deposited in church bank accounts, the transfer of millions of dollars occurs as those funds are placed in financial institutions that are not owned by African Americans. However, the weekend’s wealth transfer does not end there. It continues throughout the remainder of the week as the majority of mortgage companies, landlords, insurance companies, and vendors most black churches utilize are also not African American-owned. This wealth transfer, estimated at billions of dollars per year, occurs largely unconsciously but its impact is enormous. The transfer would not be so problematic if a reciprocating money stream was flowing from other communities into black-owned enterprises. In other words, if churches from other ethnic groups were collecting funds each weekend and transferring them to black-owned banks and businesses, the two realities would be balanced, with essentially one cancelling out the other. Instead all of the funds are moving in one direction—away from black communities and entrepreneurs.
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When the comment section is more informative than the video.
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I can't listen anymore.
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Couldn't finish watching this...too painful. Such education...Such misguided energy towards fable, fantasy and myth.
