This, my brother, is the core and power of individual liberty, which is also the core of our faith, which is uniquely linked to how we should live in America.

We know the challenges our communities face, yet it will always come to individuals choosing to make constructive changes. One of the most empowering books I’ve read recently, ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’, truly addresses an approach to wealth and prosperity most poor folk are never taught. There’s nothing wrong with acquiring wealth when the outcomes benefit people; sadly these are aspects that I feel aren’t addressed in ‘Black’ churches, yet the generation of wealth so as to empower the community is critical for us.

One of my contemporary heroes lived by a simple credo: either you can ‘be someone’ or ‘DO SOMETHING.’ While you may not end up being a T.D. Jakes, you WILL empower people to grow, prosper, and serve others as Jesus did.

I adore my Catholicism, but would attend your church as regularly as possible.

The opportunities offered have a purpose in the work that you’ve been CALLED to do.
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Your Presbyterian pastor-supervisor-guide is the conduit through which your learning occurs at this time. Make the most of God’s mercy with each ‘one more chance’ to grow forward toward community education and justice.

Great post. Please give the generally-wonderful-elder- lady-saints of the church a break. Thanks! Appreciate the lessons available to you during this internship. The opportunities offered have a purpose in the work that you’ve been call to do.

Justice for all is a community effort and tends to encourage the uppity doing of theology.

Stay uppity…

I’m quite clear I have no mentors.

I have experienced people that have influenced my life, such as you, but not a mentor.

That being said, I think through this blog, and through some class comments and being in seminary I’ve just happened to develop a voice (inside or outside of the pulpit) that is rather close to that of my faith experience coming out of Trinity. After doing my own reading, talking to my friends, learning what I’ve learned in class, going doing site visits in IPSC 718, visiting Common Ground the three times I did, I’m more than convinced that a good chunk of what I delivered in that sermon was all me. In fact, I’m quite sure it was all me.

I’ve heard some of Wright’s older sermons and some of them were rather “safe” to say the least and rather confessional in their approach to the biblical text and I’m sure I wouldn’t have preached it in that way.

I doubt the sermon in it’s full form would have been confusing. I’m completely paraphrasing and you don’t get the full feel of the nuances within the sermon. Are fixing social ills the only way? No. Would I have preached this sermon to an all white congregation? More or less. I would have been aware of it and changed some things around, but the general thrust no. That is to say, some things that would have cultural relevance to an all black congregation wouldn’t to an all white congregation, as a result what I had to say wouldn’t make as much sense.

I’m not convinced that a good gospel message, which I’m interpreting as a sermon, is going to reach all. We view God in vastly different ways, as a result how I see God is not how my neighbor necessarily does. I’m sure there are some commonalities, and generally those with those commonalities find community in the same church. But, fact of the matter is that both members of a Trinity United Church of Christ where Jeremiah Wright was the pastor and members of Thomas Road Baptist Church where Jerry Fallwell was pastor both profess to worship the same God and profess a belief in the same Jesus Christ. However, both view God in vastly different capacities.

Second, you are young. It WILL surprise old people that you know history. Most young people don’t. Get over it.

Third, it might be an interesting exercise to ask yourself whether your voice has become so much like the voices of your mentors that you are indistinguishable from them. When I was doing my PhD, I had had the same adviser for 11 years (M. Div and PhD). By the end of my work, I thought, researched, and taught just like him, without imitating him intentionally. I can honestly say that it has taken me 5 years to develop a completely unique voice and set of questions from him.

Having said that, keep preaching justice. Lord knows the people need to hear it.

Keep it uppity.

Are fixing social ills the only way to say Thank you to God for his mercies?

On the other hand, the sermon is good because is raises issues that we as a people probably take forgranted.

Let me ask, could you have preached this to an all white congregation? And would it matter?

I have always stayed away from churches that claim to be “relevant”. I find the bible to be very relevant to me today… just as it has been for me the past 20 years.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you have a good gospel message it should resonate to everyone, old young, black, white red, upperclass, lowerclass.

I agree. A good message should make you think. In fact it should also fill you with godly fear. Have I lived up to the potential that God has given me.