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Is "black Liberation Theology" Really Helping African Americans?

Published by Lou | October 9th 2009 | Views:

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Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley

Few people who have been watching any presidential election coverage on television in recent weeks have been able to escape the so-called "out of context" messages Rev. Jeremiah Wright has delivered at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.

Rev. Wright, now officially retired as pastor of the church he built from apparently about 90 active members when he started in 1972 to 10,000+ members today, was passionate, righteous and full of conviction in his remarks. Many charismatic leaders deliver strong and controversial messages to their followers.

Rev. Wright, who earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree from the United Theological Seminary, has been a professor at theological seminaries, has been a member of the Board of Trustees at educational institutions, and is recognized as a biblical scholar in the religious community.

He apparently has spent much of his ministry staying focused on the bible, the word of God and his son Jesus Christ, and preaching "black liberation theology" to his congregation, and to all who would listen and accept his message.

Rev. Wright has sought, in his own beliefs and methods, to minister to the needs of his congregation, exhibiting a perfectly normal and natural sense about what a minister should be doing. His unexpected exposure on national television has caused umbrage with some viewers, who found his remarks to be unpatriotic, inflammatory and offensive.nked by many to the "black liberation theology" Rev. Wright has studied, wrote about and preached.

It is apparentfrom the televised sound bitesthat the African American members of Trinity United Church of Christ are very enthusiastic in accepting Rev. Wright's message of hope for their goodwill, happiness and prosperity in America.

I take very little comfort in the fact that although I am white I am not rich. I am apparently guilty of heinous crimes and injustices committed by someone I do not even know, while there are numerous examples of extremely successful and rich black Americans who are getting on better in society than myself.

Oprah Winfrey, for example, makes more than 3,000 times the annual income that millions of African Americans do and I do. The sports and entertainment industries have thousands of examples of successful and rich blacks that have overcome whatever disadvantages and discrimination they might have encountered.

Anyone who thinks that life is fair is not paying attention. I personally have been discriminated against many times by white members of my community. I recognize that in Mexico there are Mexican factories with 100% Mexican workers who are routinely discriminated against by members of their Hispanic community.

History is full of examples of people and cultures that have been enslaved by other people and cultures. Records show us that slavery existed in Africa before the Europeans arrived. Records show us that powerful African leaders sold enslaved people for goods such as alcohol, beads and cloth.

Records show us that Britain became the world's leading slave-trading country, that approximately 12 million Africans were enslaved in the course of the transatlantic slave trade, and that between 1640 and 1807, British ships transported approximately 3.4 million Africans across the Atlantic.

None of these records or actions excuse the reprehensible events that occurred at this time in history. All of them are reminders of how far we have come since then. As with most things in life, I suspect that the media's characterization of Rev. Wright as a minister and man of God is hardly as unflattering as it has been portrayed. I suspect that many white Americans who treat minorities and their ethnic cultures with respect and dignity, and accept them as equals in our mutual society, are hardly as discriminatory and sinful as some would have us believe.

All of which causes me to wonder: Is "black liberation theology" really helping African Americans? Maybe it makes people feel good that they can blame others for their situation in life. I do not know or practice black liberation theology, and so I cannot speak to its effectiveness in promoting goodwill and prosperity among all peoples and cultures.

Are there other lessons to be learned in addition to "black liberation theology"?

Although I am white and not rich, I am successful, and there is one thing that I do know: when we blame others, we give up our ability to change. I also understand that if we lack the will for change, there is no one who can show us the way, not even Jesus Christ.

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