Anthony Bradley, author of Liberating Black Theology, was recently interviewed by CBN on the new health care bill, politics, his recent book, and his theology perspectives:
We invite you to read more about Liberating Black Theology.
Archive for the ‘Race’ Category
The Bondage of Black Liberation Theology, True Liberty found in Christ
“Black History Month is a time not only to honor our past but also to survey the progress yet to be made,” writes author Anthony Bradley in a recent article in The Detroit News. “Disadvantaged blacks are generationally doomed until we recognize that social mobility flows from the expansion in tandem of dignity and freedom, not from pursuing the siren songs of riches and power.”
Bradley’s new release, Liberating Black Theology sounds a similar warning. Prior to 2008, black liberation theology was an unknown among many Americans. As President Obama began campaigning, Bradley found opportunities to give context to the seemingly angry preaching against whites that was broadcast on Fox News. Bradley addresses a theology that grew out of the civil rights movement, with theologians who sought to apply the gospel in a way that affirmed the humanity of blacks—that they would understand that their lives matter to God.
However, as leadership transitioned within the movement, victimology wove its way in through those who rejected traditional biblical interpretation. The victimologist skews the doctrine of sin and redemption and creates a worldview that considers black suffering the lens through which all else should be evaluated. The end goal is not the glory of God, but the dignity of the black experience in America. The unfortunate result of this thinking reduces the core identity of blacks to that of a victim. “Rather than finding a way forward, victimology is perpetuating problems for black America, not solving them,” explains Bradley.
Bradley suggests developing a redemptive-historical approach for understanding the black experience in America while remaining faithful to Scripture. He explains, “The fact of the fall and the accomplished redemptive work of Christ serve as the true foundation for the liberation of black people.”
Read intro and chapter 1 here.
It’s More About Grace Than Race
An Interview with Anthony Carter and Richard Doster from By Faith Magazine.
Anthony Carter is lead pastor of a new church plant, East Point Church, just outside of Atlanta, Ga. Carter earned his M.A. in biblical studies from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Fla. And he has authored and edited several books, including On Being Black and Reformed and Experiencing the Truth.
Carter’s newest book is Glory Road: The Journeys of 10 African-Americans into Reformed Christianity. We spoke with him about the differences between “black” and “white” Christianity, and how Reformed theology is viewed in African-American churches.
Why is it important that we know how these 10 black men came to the Reformed faith?
I think it’s important to know how God’s work of grace has occurred in the lives of those who are outside our normal sphere of influence. It is encouraging to know that God’s grace and salvation are being marvelously and wonderfully experienced outside our normal circles. A lot of us have a myopic view of Christianity and our own faith. To be encouraged, to know that God is at work in the hearts of men and women whose lives may not look exactly like ours—and yet whose faith and confession is the same—that should offer a sense of encouragement. And it should offer a challenge to get involved in what God is doing, even outside our normal areas of operation.
For Further Discussion
In your church, are people concerned about how God is working in the lives of people who are different? Should they be more concerned? What can you do to spark that kind of encouragement?
A Glimpse into Glory Road
Join 10 influential African-American pastors in Anthony Carter’s Glory Road, as they recall their journey to faith and knowledge of God through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Their stories demonstrate that regardless of ethnicity, God’s grace continues to actively bring about his desired end purpose of all nations worshiping and praising him before his glorious throne. These men also share how they came to understand reformed theology, how it has shaped them, and the eternal impact that the doctrines of grace have upon the lives of God’s people.
Excerpt from Thabiti Anyabwile’s chapter From Mecca to the Messiah, pp. 46:
“With the Scripture unveiled and God standing supreme over all things, I wondered how I could ever have believed otherwise. Surely, that angry young man would not have chosen the things of God by his own desires. That angry Muslim opposed to the cross would not have come to Christ by his own devotion and zeal. The fledgling agnostic-atheist could not reason his way to the Lord. My redemption from start to finish was and is all of God—by his grace alone, through the gift of faith alone, in the wonderful Savior Son of God, Jesus Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. And I am grateful, deeply grateful.”
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