Black Theology and the Future of the Black American Community — Dr. Dwight Hopkins (AM)
Genesis teaches us that all people are made in the image of God, but as issues of racial justice in the news show us, we struggle as humans to treat people as such. Dr. Dwight Hopkins of the U. of Chicago Divinity School will take listeners through how black theology can speak to the black experience in the U.S. today and going forward. He will also explore our baptismal call to the prophetic witness to justice and to serving the “least of these” among us.
10:30 am, 4:30 pm Sunday, Sept. 5, Sacred Heart parish, Saratoga
The above comes from a posting from Sacred Heart parish.
According to the Wikipedia entry on Hopkins,
Hopkins has commented on, and mentioned as a source of inspiration for black liberation theology by Jeremiah Wright. Wright was lead pastor at the church attended by presidential candidate Barack Obama, and the source of some recent controversy. Hopkins attends and has spoken in defence of the Trinity United Church of Christ, often supporting Wright. Hopkins explains Wright’s use of “God damn America” was taken out of context as it was theological wordplay, using the word “damn” straight out its specific meaning in the original Hebrew: “It means a sacred condemnation by God to a wayward nation who has strayed from issues of justice, strayed from issues of peace, strayed from issues of reconciliation”. Hopkins also stated that attacks on Wright are actually attacks on the very institution of the black church: “To caricature and attack Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. is to attack the Black church in America…. Attempts to muzzle him and Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago exemplify a bad omen for every African American preacher and every African American church in the country….”
There’s no Back of the Bus in heaven. This kind of “theology” is needlessly divisive to the Church which is called to be One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.
1972 called. They want their jive turkey back.
This talk should be part of the Faith *Mal*Formation Series. Unfortunately, the Diocese of San Jose has always been a cesspool of heretical “theologies.” It appears to be getting worse and worse. Sad.
What the minister Jeremiah Wright said has no bearing at all on how I judge individual black people, or any other group. Some black preachers complain that there are two many liquor stores, gambling places or vile music in neighborhoods, and I would agree with them. Liquor store owners have rights, but so do families. Decent people of any group do not want porn stores, excessive drinking or gambling in their neighborhoods since that type of behavior destroys families. Most people I know, whatever their color, judge individually what people say and do.
It’s interesting that the parish bills it as Black theology, while the Rev. Dr. refers to it as Black liberation theology.
Do we need Black theology? A White theology?
Catholic theology is sufficient (even if we need to grow in our understanding of how different people experience life). We are all one family, part of the one human race.
While ordering Blackened Whitefish
at a fish joint, the Rev. Wright sitting at
the table next to me just glowered and
ordered Whitened Blackfish.
Go figure.
De Gustibus non est disputandum
If I’m basically white, with a lot of dark freckles,
do I have to attend a Schizophrenia Theology symposium???
I had to do a little research on this.
Mostly I was confused by having a Baptist preacher preach at a Catholic Church.
Where I live, the Baptists won’t enter a Catholic Church. Well, some might for a funeral or wedding but it would be a big deal for them.
Reverend Hopkins has videos on youtube.
You have to remember he is coming from a Bible-only tradition which is not what the Catholic Church is.
There are Baptists and other fundamentalists who believe that black people were ordained by God to be slaves. Catholics don’t believe that.
Saratoga…hmmmm….case of white progressives displaying their ‘wokeness’? Worldwide, way more practicing black Catholics than white. Safe to say practicing white Catholics are the minority in global Catholicism. The progressives make the same mistake that American ‘non-denominational’ evangelicals do. They think Christianity is an American religion and to participate you need to do as Americans do. Pretty pathetic.
Good point about Saratoga parishioners. According to recent estimates, Saratoga is majority White, about 41 percent Asian, 0.3 percent Black and 3.5 percent Hispanic.
In 2018, it was the eighth wealthiest city in the United States.
Maybe instead of feeling guilty (and trying to make others feel guilty), they could use some of that wealth to advance opportunities for all who are less advantaged.
And, the parish previously didn’t have this kind of “education.” Is it the parishioners or the new pastor?
Who is to say that they don’t use their wealth in charitable ways? Odds are many in that parish do. The issue as I see it is a Christian institution granting a platform to the terrible gender/race agenda narrative that is the absolute and hostile contradiction to authentic Christianity.
The strategy is to employ themes and claims that are familiar to Christians such as charity, faith and sacramental witness to the world and then subvert the meanings to ultimately advance the toxic anti-Christian narrative.
Liberal Catholics are very well intentioned and have the best interests of everyone at heart, IMO, but they’re the most naïve people on the planet and are completely tone deaf to the misery their good intentions will inevitably cause.
This is one of the reasons the Church is in trouble. Isn’t this the same guy who is Obama’s pal and pastor? The guy who shouted “God dama America” during Obama’s campaign? He is given legitimacy by posting his views as a “theologian”.
Liberation Theology was cooked up by the KGB in Romania decades ago and exported to Central/South America. It’s Communist through and through, atheistic and Marxist under cover of “love of the poor.” . Why it is being given a pulpit in Saratoga is a sign the parish has been or is being infiltrated by Marxism. There’s a relatively new book out, “The Devil and Karl Marx.” It has a Groundbreaking section taken from primary sources on strategies used by the Communists, originally under Stalin (and in the U.S. under Earl Browder), to infiltrate Catholic Churches in the U.S. Read it. If you’re a parishioner of Sacred Heart, you can probably get enough from the book to figure out what underhanded tactics are being used to take over your parish. Also dig out the old videos of Bp. Sheen when he was taking on Communism. He went head to head with Earl Browder, who was successfully infiltrating Catholic institutions. There’s really no option except to “out” the communist infiltrators in the parish and fight back. And follow the money. Nasty business.