Black Liberation Theology: Mainstream Myth

Unlike NRO's John Derbyshire, columnists Stephan and Abigail Thernstrom at did their homework on Black Liberation Theology and the "black church":

Most black churchgoers belong to congregations that are overwhelmingly African-American and are affiliated with one of the historically black religious denominations such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) or the National Baptist Convention. Rev. Wright's Trinity Church, on the other hand, is a predominantly black branch of a white denomination that is not part of "the African-American religious tradition." The United Church of Christ (known until 1957 as the Congregational Church) has a little over a million members; a mere 4 percent of them are black. Fewer than 50,000 blacks in the entire nation worship at a UCC church.

In contrast, 98 percent of the National Baptist Convention's 4 million members are African Americans. Add in black Methodists and Pentecostals, as well as other black Baptists, and the total comes to more than 14 million members of an organized, predominantly African-American church. These churches include a substantial majority of all black adults today. In terms of sheer demographic weight, they clearly represent the "African-American religious tradition"-as Rev. Wright's branch of a overwhelmingly white denomination does not. [SNIP]

Some of these churches are led by figures like Rev. Wright, an adherent of what is called black liberation theology, which rejects racial integration and stresses the experience of black bondage. But not many. C. Eric Lincoln's mid-1980s survey of the leaders of 2,150 black churches found that two-thirds of them said they had not been influenced by "any of the authors and thinkers of black liberation theology." Indeed, 63 percent did not believe that the black church had "a different mission from the white church." A third did not even think it was "important have black figures in [their] Sunday school literature."

I don't think that there was enough outrage at the cravenness of Jeremiah Wright when he held up other black people as his rhetorical shield against criticism of his lunacy. The Thernstroms wonder about this also and suggest that he may have convinced many whites that his beliefs are mainstream among blacks, a concern I share. If someone with Derbyshire's resources can't be bothered to find out this information, what about the average white Joe?

Wright was trying to do some bamboozling of his own. Like those who are trying to hasten a confrontation between Islam and Christianity by spread lies, I believe Wright and like-minded individuals are intentionally trying to stir up enmity between black and white.

Don't be fooled by those who feed on Discord, folks--or by the One who does.

Comments

[Ralph Phelan]

"The Thernstroms wonder about this also and suggest that he may have convinced many whites that his beliefs are mainstream among blacks, a concern I share."

So why hasn't a howl of "Not in our names!" risen from the orthodox (or at least as orthodox a as Protestants can get ;-) Christian churches with black memberships?

If it's that they can't be bothered, I can respect that.

If they're holding back because they don't want to "dis a brother" or "air dirty laundry in public" then I'd maintain that whites are right to conclude that such views are a part of the "mainstream" within the black community, in the sense that they don't get you instantly branded as a radical or a nut.

[notropis]

DarkStar has a nice observation about this over on his blog site:

http://darkstarspoutsoff.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/04/sounding-off-on.html

There seems to be a correlation between the churches that preach radical politics rather than religion, and the churches that politicians visit (and hence, news people know about.)

Same is true in mostly white Protestant churches, I think. I've been in a lot of black churches, and never heard the like of Rev. Wright. I've also been in a lot of white churches, and never heard the like of Hagee, or whoever that Catholic-hater was that folks keep trying to tie McCain to.

I've also never attended a church that was visited by a politician. So maybe the correlation isn't just coincidence.

Maybe, just maybe, most people who go to church (any church), go there to worship. (I hope so, anyway.)

[notropis]

Oops, the link got cut off.

Anyway, go to DarkStar's web site:

http://darkstarspoutsoff.typepad.com/

and scroll down to "Spouting Off On: The Black Church."

[baldilocks]

Ralph,

I'm guessing that you're not a Protestant, because if you were, your questions would never have come up.

notropis:

Maybe, just maybe, most people who go to church (any church), go there to worship. (I hope so, anyway.).

Ding!

[DarkStar]

Now this is what I'm talking about!!!!!

Notropis was trying to get to this link.

Kudos to the Thernstroms!!!!

Like I wrote, the media are lazy. However, I do have to reference this:
Clearly, Rev. Wright does not speak for mainstream black churches-and he has done them a gross disservice by claiming to do so. He shares neither their vision nor their values. Why their relative silence in the face of Rev. Wright's rants?

May I ask how many church pastors have denounced the fool who is leading his congregation to harass the funerals of people killed in Iraq? Have their been denunciations? Yes, but mostly from pundits.

[Ralph Phelan]

Lapsed Catholic. I'm used to hearing specific warnings about theological errors going around - I remember a fuss about the movie "Jesus Christ Superstar," though I don't remember the exact details of what was supposedly wrong with it.

Also, when I was a kid growing up in New York, every time Meir Kahane came to town pertty much every rabbi in the metroplitan area was lined up outside the TV stations wanting a turn to go on the air and call him a jerk.

[brotherbrown]

My parents attend the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship in Los Angeles. Their pastor was a boyhood friend of mine. There is actually a concern that the church is fading. Most of the church members are septegenarians, and the pastor before the current one was run out over concern that he allowed community meeting at the church in the wake of the Rodney King beatings.

Personally, I think it is impossible to generalize about the black church. My church claims among its members several elected officials, and office seekers, Ds and Rs alike, make an obligatory visits during campaign. But the pastor doesn't endorse any of them.

Has Wright now reached Farrakhan status?

[AME]

May I ask how many church pastors have denounced the fool who is leading his congregation to harass the funerals of people killed in Iraq? Have their been denunciations?

Among protestants, probably quite a lot. But probably not pubicly. If you asked any of them, they'd say he's a lunatic.

The protestant church is not so unified as many think of "The Church," and doesn't have a unified public face. Most protestants (pastors and not) feel that they have better things to do than go out of thier way to denounce every lunatic that calls himself a Christian. There's just too many of them.

Put another way: I don't consider Wright to be a practitioner of my religion. He calls it the same thing, but he clearly preaches a different Gospel. I'd rather spend any amount of time in the practice of my own faith than even a few seconds pondering his.

[brotherbrown]

AME, how much of his gospel can you honestly say you have heard that would cause you to be able to draw any conclusion about the gospel he preaches? He has been preaching a great many years.

Black boys and men grapple with the concept of the christian religion being one of love, given the history of the Euro invasion of african. Yes, a great many africans were converted to christianity, but I would venture to guess at a lot less than 50% of black males born and raised in the US really feel that Jesus is their salvation. Certainly not the Jesus (and Mary) who hang on the walls of Catholic Schools.

[AME]

AME, how much of his gospel can you honestly say you have heard that would cause you to be able to draw any conclusion about the gospel he preaches? He has been preaching a great many years.

Why must it be a matter of degree? Let's see: on the one hand, I agree with a lot (maybe even most, by volume) of what he preaches; on the other, a good number of his statements are *completely* incompatible with the Gospel as I understand it. I don't need to hear absolutely everything before I come to the conclusion that our beliefs don't really line up.

Contrast: "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them," vs. almost any of the recently over-played Jeremiah Wright snippets.

Black boys and men grapple with the concept of the christian religion being one of love, given the history of the Euro invasion of african. Yes, a great many africans were converted to christianity, but I would venture to guess at a lot less than 50% of black males born and raised in the US really feel that Jesus is their salvation. Certainly not the Jesus (and Mary) who hang on the walls of Catholic Schools.

Are you trying to make my point for me? If Jesus isn't their salvation then their Gospel is also incompatible with mine. I don't need to hear anything else about what they believe.

And I'm not sure where Catholic Schools fit into my original post or act as a counter-point.

[brotherbrown]

No, in my haste, I just didn't develop the thought fully.

I bring up the point of black males to make a point that is independent of a discussion of Jeremiah Wright, and more about religion in the black community. Women make up the majority of christian churchgoers in the black community, while men tend to be ambivalent about the "religion of the invaders and enslavers." Consequently, there is an ambivalence toward black preachers.

I'm hoping this discussion can look at that complexity, and turn into ping-pong about Wright.

[brotherbrown]

I'm hoping this discussion can look at that complexity, instead of turning into ping-pong about Wright.

[AME]

brotherbrown: I hope none of this means any offense to you, but none of that makes any difference to me.

My original post was merely a response to someone's query about why pastors (which I took to mean protestant by that label) haven't resoundingly denounced various lunatics in Christian clothing. All I meant to say is that the (non) organization of the protestant faiths would likely preclude it from happening, since most protestants don't personally identify with the lot of them.

[Ralph Phelan]

AME has given a very good explanation as to why the answer to my question at May 6, 3:42 pm is "Can't be bothered."

As to the difference in religiosity between women and men - that's not just in black Americans, whites have the same tendency.

[Ben-David]

...he may have convinced many whites that his beliefs are mainstream among blacks, a concern I share.

.... I believe Wright and like-minded individuals are intentionally trying to stir up enmity between black and white.

Don't be fooled by those who feed on Discord
- - - - - - - - - -
Sharpton with a crucifix.

Hopefully enough white people can spot the MO by now.

But as an Israeli, I can tell you that false portrayals accrue the power of truth if they remained unchallenged and unanswered.