Black Theology in Transatlantic Dialogue

Black Theology in Transatlantic Dialogue

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Black Theology in Transatlantic Dialogue Anthony G. Reddie

BLACK THEOLOGY IN TRANSATLANTIC DIALOGUE Anthony G. Reddie, 2006. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2006 978-1-4039-6863-0 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2006 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-53080-9 ISBN 978-0-230-60109-3 (ebook) DOI 10.1057/9780230601093 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Reddie, Anthony G. Black theology in transatlantic dialogue / Anthony G. Reddie. p.cm. (Black religion, womanist thought, social justice) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Black theology. 2. Theology Great Britain. I. Title. II. Series. BT82.7.R45 2006 230.089 96 dc22 2005056462 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: September 2006 10987654321

To Sasha my Niece You are a wonderful creation of God who will be a blessing to many God bless you your uncle Anthony

Contents Series Editors Preface Acknowledgments ix xi Introduction 1 1. Historical Developments 7 2. Friend or Foe?: Black Theologians and the Black Church 47 3. Bring on the Sistas 83 4. Education, Education, Education 113 5. Published and Be Damned Reassessing the Role and Development of the Black Theology Journal 143 6. Where We Headed Now? 167 Notes 205 Index 247

Series Editors Preface With Black Theology in Transatlantic Dialogue, black theology is established as an international movement. This book deepens the specific black theology traditions of black South African Allan A. Boesak s Farewell to Innocence (1977), The Gospel Is Not Western: Black Theologies from the Southwest Pacific, ed. G.W. Trompf (1987), and Dwight N. Hopkins s Black Theology USA and South Africa (1989). Anthony G. Reddie gifts us with the first critical comparative analysis between black theology in the United Kingdom of Great Britain (BTUK) and black theology in the United States of America (BTUSA). He adeptly guides the reader through the complex maze of two disciplines (i.e., BTUK and BTUSA). In the book, he charts out their individual and joint maturations: their commonalities and differences in origin, thematic foci, contextual factors, methodological priorities, and doctrinal emphases. Reddie approaches head-on the complicated and sometimes antagonistic relation between black theology and the black church and black (male) theology and womanist theology on both sides of the Atlantic. How do womanists theologians in the United States and in the United Kingdom differ? Likewise, what fusions do we find between the U.K. black theology black church connection and the U.S. black theology black church ties? One of the distinct traits of BTUK is its dogged relation with and focus on black churches and poor and working class communities. Unlike BTUSA, which has a tendency to buy into mainstream capitalist notions of scholarship-for-scholarship sake, BTUK always takes seriously the practice of Christian education among ordinary people. Reddie offers an insightful and novel investigation of practical theology. With boldness and astuteness, he warns BTUSA to be mindful of its imperialistic and hegemonic inclination to dominate the myriad and creative manifestations of black theology across the world. BTUSA might be the elder in the global village, but it is not the only sibling. Reddie uses his own life story to signify the lives

x Series Editors Preface of other black Caribbean British Christians and, to a certain degree, black Ghanaian British Christians. And, like all good theology (i.e., theology linked to oppressed communities), Black Theology in Transatlantic Dialogue provides a positive pathway for this postmodern, fragmented, twenty-first century of ours. Reddie has constructed a seminal work. One gets a distinct feel that a new voice has emerged, not only in Britain, but internationally. Although black people have been in Britain since Roman times and though African Americans have been in the United States since 1619, this is the first systematic treatment of the development of black theology in Britain and its comparison with BTUSA. Written with the lay reader and nonspecialist in mind, this book speaks to a broad audience theologians, churches, people who are in search of, comparative analysts, globalization specialists, and anyone excited about listening in on the emergence of a new global discipline. Because of its interdisciplinary nature and cutting-edge take, Reddie s text embodies the vision of the Black Religion/Womanist Thought/Social Justice series. The series publishes both authored and edited manuscripts that have depth, breadth, and theoretical edge and addresses both academic and nonspecialist audiences. It produces works engaging any dimension of black religion or womanist thought as they pertain to social justice. Womanist thought is a new approach in the study of African American women s perspectives. The series includes a variety of African American religious expressions, that is, traditions such as Protestant and Catholic Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Humanism, African diasporic practices, religion and gender, religion and black gays/lesbians, ecological justice issues, African American religiosity and its relation to African religions, new black religious movements (e.g., Daddy Grace, Father Divine, or the Nation of Islam), religious dimensions in African American secular experiences (such as the spiritual aspects of aesthetic efforts like the Harlem Renaissance and literary giants such as James Baldwin, the religious fervor of the black consciousness movement, and the religion of compassion in black women s club movement). Dwight N. Hopkins, University of Chicago Divinity School Linda E. Thomas, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

Acknowledgments My initial set of thanks is reserved for three black majority Methodist churches in Birmingham, in the West Midlands area of Britain. First, there is Moseley Road Methodist Church, from where I have learnt what it means to be a black Christian, living and worshipping in Britain. The church has had its high and low points, and at the time of writing, has some very crucial questions to ask of itself regarding the future. What I have always loved about Moseley Road is the sense of anonymity I have within its holy spaces. My membership of this church predates the scholarly work and subsequent writing for which I am largely known in this country. At Moseley Road, I am simply Anthony, nothing more and nothing less. My so-called accomplishments are recognized and celebrated, but I am not a celebrity; rather, I am simply one of them. Another sojourner trying to make his way through life! Someone attempting to be faithful to God and to those around me! The other two churches are Lozells Methodist and Villa Road Methodist Churches. It is in these two churches that I began to learn what ministry was all about. It is in these two, seemingly, ordinary urban contexts, that I began to see glimpses of the inherently subversive and prophetic gift, that is, black Christian faith to the ongoing work of God s reign. I know it is invidious to pick out individuals, for all the people in these two churches are special; but I want to highlight Danny Dorsett of Lozells and Syble Morgan of Villa Road. Danny and Syble are very different people, with very different personalities, and yet each in his own way has been an important guide in my ongoing development. Danny has been something of a private confessor, and Syble has been a stern and yet friendly critic of all things self important and pompous. To each, and to all the people at all three churches, my heartfelt thanks!

xii Acknowledgments My second set of thanks is extended to the monthly Black Theology in Britain Forum, which meets at the Queen s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, in Edgbaston, Birmingham (United Kingdom) on the last Thursday of every month. This forum has been in existence since the early 1990s and has proved an invaluable space for the nurturing of black theological scholarship and talent. I am grateful to this forum for the confidence it instilled in me when I was doing my doctoral studies in the late 1990s. Also, I should admit that the forum still continues to stimulate my mind and feed my imagination. In addition to the forum, I would also like to extend particular thanks to Robert Beckford, Inderjit Bhogal, and Emmanuel Lartey. At the outset of my scholarly pilgrimage, each one of these talented and committed individuals challenged me to take up and complete my academic studies. Most importantly, through what they embodied, they demonstrated the need for theology to be engaged, passionate and for it to be done with panache and style. Amongst the holy three, special thanks are reserved for Robert and his particular brand of iconoclastic, no-hold-barred form of truth-telling. The injunction to write what you like and to make it unapologetically black (my acknowledgment to Steve Biko and Jeremiah Wright for conscripting their terms) that were discerned from my many conversations with Robert have held me in good stead, since we first met in the early 1990s. It would be remiss of me if I did not acknowledge the continuing support of the Research Centre at the Queen s Foundation in particular and the whole Queen s community in general. I continue to be thankful for the time and space afforded to me by Queen s to reflect and write. If Queen s are worthy of my thanks, so too is the British Methodist Church. Special thanks are reserved for Formation in Ministry office of the church for providing the infrastructure and moral and financial support that has enabled me to function as a church-sponsored, black theologian. I am the only one who is granted this honor in Britain. Additional thanks are offered to the Pastoral Care and Christian Education and Racial Justice sections of the Connexional Team of the British Methodist Church. I would like to thank my family, particularly my parents Lucille and Noel Reddie, my siblings Richard, Christopher, and Sandra, my uncle Mervin and auntie Lynette, and their children, Karen, Jason, Andrea, and Lorraine and best of all, my little nephew Noah and niece Sasha,

Acknowledgments xiii the next generation of my family. They are all special people in my life, and without them I would be a lesser human being. Finally, of course, there is God, through whom all things are possible; often making a way out of no way. My gratitude to God knows no bounds and cannot be expressed in words. Thanks to all.