PROPHETIC UTTERANCE AND THE BLACK CHURCH LESSON ONE Dr. Ricky A. Woods Senior Minister First Baptist Church-West Charlotte, NC
Course Subject: Prophetic Utterance and The Black Church Course aim: To provide an introduction to the theories and writers in the black church tradition who have linked the role of the Old Testament prophet of the Hebrew Bible with the vital role of a ministry of liberation proclaimed and practiced in the black church. Since the days of the institution of slavery, slave churches looked for expressions of faith not tied to bondage or domination. Students will discover why a different form of theology emerged in the black church that sought to critique the use of power and the ways that God dealt with the abuse of power by those in charge. What one will discover is that Pastor Jeremiah Wright s comments in his sermon God and Government were not far off the mark in terms of how Old Testament prophets address both the nation of Israel as well as Israel s leaders for abusing power. Course material: Students will need a good study Bible as well as a notebook to write their notes and formulate questions for discussion. It would be helpful for students to select one or two books from the bibliography to read during the course to help better familiarize themselves with terms and concepts. Expected outcome: At the conclusion of the course students will have a better grasp of liberation and black theology as well as how these are important forms for ministry and are consistent with the Biblical witness. Also, student should be challenged to rethink their theological position to test them in light of their new discoveries to see if any adjustment in thinking is required. Lastly, students will have a better understanding of the role of the prophets in Hebrew history and how that role often put the prophets at odds with the government. Students will be able to make the link to see how Jesus is more in line with the prophetic tradition than the priestly tradition. However, mainline churches in the west that are more Euro- American have sought to emphasis the priestly tradition of Jesus ministry at the expense of the prophetic ministry.
The firestorm over Dr. Wright s sermon God and Government has brought to light not a racial or patriotism problem as the media has portrayed it but a larger problem--the problem of theology. No one in the major media outlets but one to my knowledge has sought to address the theological issues as to whether or not the sermon was theologically sound and consistent with the biblical witness. We may not always like what the preacher has to say but for the faithful seeker of truth the first question is is it true? Is what is being said grounded in some truth that is apparent in the biblical story or the Christian tradition of the church? A question like this as it relates to Dr. Wright s sermon would lead us to an investigation of the Hebrew prophets. There were three primary offices in Israel responsible for leading God s people. The first office was the priest who was responsible for sacrifice and intercession. The priestly tradition goes back to Aaron, the brother of Moses. The second office is that of the king. The king had governmental responsibility for managing the community of God s people in a way that was in keeping with the covenant where justice, righteousness and peace were the three-fold means of ruling. The third office was that of the prophet. The prophet, unlike the priest or king, is not tied to a place such as an altar or a throne as the places of his authority. The prophet is given freedom to go where ever he is sent and freedom to say whatever he needs to say to whomever it needs to be said. The prophet s sole concern is always about the abuses of power by those who have been put in positions of power to serve God and the people. The prophets appear on the scene to speak, Thus said the Lord. Prophetic utterance was most often about some pending judgment that Yahweh would bring if there was no repentance and return to doing justly. The prophets then were most concerned with justice in the community. The peace of Shalom would never be possible as long as there were systems of oppression that kept people in bondage. Dr Wright s sermon challenged America in the way its domestic and foreign polices often lead to systems of oppression that keep people in bondage. Whether those policies are preemptive military strikes against sovereign nations or economic exploitation of workers at home. The point of the sermon was a call to return to justice to experience the peace of Shalom. If there is no justice there will be no peace. Dr Obey Hendricks helps us with this point in his lecture The Prophetic Imperative -- Reclaiming The Gospel by Speaking Truth To Power. The core of prophecy is critiquing the injustices, the wrong-headedness, the political and social evils bedeviling the social order. The prophets stood and spoke up against what was going on in society. They used good judgment, they were not reckless, but they did not count the cost. They chose where they spoke and made sure they were
speaking to the right person but they did not jockey looking for the safest spots to work or the points of least resistance. They spoke the truth as they knew it and were faithful to their calling. The prophets did not seek to conserve the social order; their goal was to change it, to make it more just. Examples of this tradition include Elijah confronting Ahab and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Amos oracles against Judah for taking advantage of the poor (Amos 2:6) and Jeremiah s pronouncement of coming exile for a people that has turned its back on God. Whereas the prophets may have always brought a word of judgment, the prophets also brought a word of hope. Punishment could be avoided if the people would return to justice. God was willing to forgive and change His mind on the evil He was planning to do to punish the people for their sins. Moreover, even if judgment came, the prophets also spoke of a day of hope and fulfillment when the punishment would end and restoration would come. One of the measures of a faithful prophetic ministry is one that holds both judgment and restoration in tension. It is never God s desire to punish His people and when punishment comes, it comes only to correct and to reestablish the rule and reign of God in the community. The primary way we see God s correction taking place in our world was through the ministry of Jesus. Interestingly, Jesus first public sermon in Luke 4:18-19 places him squarely in the prophetic tradition more so than the priestly tradition. It is an important point because this sermon is a public announcement of what Jesus ministry would be about. What the sermon reveals is that Jesus would be taking on the social order of his day that kept people in bondage. The good news to the poor that Jesus brings is a ministry that speaks not just to individual concerns but addresses and transforms systems of oppression that restrict the freedom of others. This is not just a ministry statement by Jesus; this is a political statement that says oppressive powers are coming to an end. Let us take a moment to look more closely at Luke 4 and all its implications. Jesus begins by saying that the purpose of His anointing is to preach the gospel to the poor. Temple worship in Jesus day was filled with restrictions about how close you got to the place were God s power was most revealed--restrictions dependent upon class and economics. The poor could only go so far because they did not have the money to purchase the temple sacrifices and women were restricted to only certain places in the temple. Therefore, what Jesus is saying is that class and poverty will no longer be a boundary to hearing the good news of what God is doing in the world to bring salvation to all persons. The poor in this text are not the poor in spirit but the poor in money.
Jesus has an affinity for the poor because he comes from a poor family. At his naming in the temple after his birth, Joseph and Mary bring two turtledoves and a pair of young pigeons because they were poor. This is good news to the poor to hear. All barriers to God have been removed but it is not good news to those who want to maintain the status quo. This, in part, is why we serve a crucified Christ. An example of how the audience in Jesus day heard to set the captives free is that most of those in prison were in prison for one or two things. First for suspicion of insurrection against the government. There was no such thing as freedom of speech and saying the wrong thing to the wrong person could quickly get you put in prison. Second, those in prison were in prison because of debts they could not pay because of an economic system of exploitation that made sure that the poor stayed poor. Jesus says I have come to set the captives free. This is a word from a prophet who is about to turn the system upside down. What has occurred in this country is the gospel and the story of Jesus has been corrupted to where our picture of Jesus has been so spiritualized we no longer make the connection to justice as a critical part of Jesus ministry. With the conversion of Constantine the Roman emperor, Christianity then became the faith of the powerful with the focus on Jesus being the reigning king, i.e., triumphantalism. A faith centered in triumphantalism provided the theological support for the slave trade, the conquest of Native Americans, and the oppression of women and cultural support for a male dominated society. The mainline western white churches in large part only sought to support the view of a reigning Christ because it supported the ideas of domination and provided a theological framework for it. This view was also reflected in President George W. Bush s decision to go to war by saying God told him to do it. The prophets would have raised serious questions over whether or not God actually said that or was power being used to oppress and exploit others.