“Dehonkifying Christianity”: Black Power’s Role in Shaping Black Theology

• In Event: Black Religious and Theological Thought

Abstract

When the National Committee of Black Churchmen met in 1966 to argue for a theology that spoke to them, they were not operating out of thin air. Black power had been the rallying cry to the issues that force many African Americans in poverty. It was out of this cry for Black Power that the churchmen convene to discuss Black Power and its relationship with religion.
In this presentation, I examine the role that Black Power had in shaping one of the most profound movements in theology—Black Theology. I do this by examining articles and essays in popular press black magazines at the time—Ebony, Jet, and Negro World. I argue that since Black Power was a people’s program, theologians and religious scholars who advocated a black theology had to function not only in the academy but also with the people. Arguing that God was and is on the side of the oppressed and that God was/is Black, Black theology adherents promoted a gospel that attempted to, in the words of Episcopal Priest Nathan Wright to “dehonkify Christianity” by merging tenants of the faith with black Power.

Author

• Andre E. Johnson, University of Memphis