Re-visiting an analysis of Eddie Glaude's article called "The Black Church is Dead"

"He makes no mention of the origin of the Black Church, regarding an individual’s religiosity, much less the inner powers of spirit that were necessary to survive the infamous voyage of the European enslavers’ ships. Or, for that matter, even of post- Civil War concoctions of Black churches that were organized by “white” missionaries and their ilk who established “places of worship” for our forebears (as if our predecessors had no sense of their own religiosity.)"

 (originally posted 3/22/10)

Dear friends,

Considering the health care legislation that was just approved by Congress at the urging of President Obama, the recent publication by The Huffington Post of an unworthy article by Princeton professor Eddie Glaude Jr, regarding his assertion that the Black Church is "Dead", seems like a moot point. This is especially so, since it was the Black Church that was Obama’s strongest ally, during his run for the presidency. However, it also points to a deeper problem of Black scholarship in this country and elsewhere, or what passes off as such, that has really taken a nose-dive during the past couple of decades.

But what is the Black Church? In Glaude’s perception of what it is, he provides very little historical basis for it, outside of pointing out a couple of questionable characters/preachers who have fleeced African Americans over the past 80 years or so. He makes no mention of the origin of the Black Church, regarding an individual’s religiosity, much less the inner powers of spirit that were necessary to survive the infamous voyage of the European enslavers’ ships. Or, for that matter, even of post- Civil War concoctions of Black churches that were organized by “white” missionaries and their ilk who established “places of worship” for our forebears (as if our predecessors had no sense of their own religiosity.)

Nevertheless, after first focusing on the results of silly studies and polls that claim to document African American worship, Glaude does briefly take notice of various endeavors in which the Black Church has involved itself in order to help alleviate social problems, in the past. Unfortunately, after what amounts to an anti-intellectual, anti-historical introduction, Glaude’s main solution for re-establishing an effective Black Church is some kind of metaphysical drivel about “prophetic energies”.

To be sure, the energy that we need to muster is readily available to us, because each of us possesses both inner and outer powers that will allow us to create and produce what we need and want in this myriad of experiences that we know as human life.

We don't need to search for some type of esoteric entity such as “prophetic energies”. Rather, at least to me, we need direct action that is based upon the struggle of African American people to acquire “freedom, equality, and justice”.

Most importantly though, without Glaude’s anemic article acknowledging the origin of the Black Church as beginning on enslavers’ ships where people were chained together with folks who often didn’t even share the same native tongues, while, simultaneously, living in their own excrement, there is no reasonable justification for Glaude, as an alleged African American “scholar”, to even have written this piece, because his premise is entangled with quixotic notions about propositions that are somehow proof of themselves. Hence, the “prophetic energies” about which he babbles.

In any case, in the real world, later the Black Church developed in cotton fields and other such places. Please remember that a building does not make up a church. Rather, it is the combined religiosity of any group of people – any size - that does. Also, the Black Church is not “black and Christian”, as Glaude so naively, if not mean-spiritedly, claims. There are, after all, many Black congregations of Muslims, Jews (i.e., Hebrew), you name it. Are they not part of the Black Church? In fact, does one have to be enrolled in a particular denomination or attend religious services, in order to be part of the Black Church? Does a person have no investment in the Black Church, if s/he attends a church where most of the congregants are not African American?

At any rate, our church facilities should be open to our youth so that, for example, they can study our history (with no membership or attendance at the particular church required). Resources like the great Charles Blockson collection in Philadelphia, community activists, and college professors can contribute tremendously to making this happen.

Education, of course, is something that you get for yourself. It is NOT something that someone gives to you. Notwithstanding, the Black Church should be the place where young people in our communities can get helpful knowledge and ideas, along with developing useful skills. The schools will, ultimately, follow, if our churches show them the way. Our young people should know that the adults of the community will provide the type of environment where their minds can develop in a manner that will make them be able to control their destinies.

Consequently, for our youth, we must all embrace the old Nigerian proverb that goes, “If you pick a good tree to climb, I will help lift you up.” Moreover, where is a better place for our children to learn to appreciate scholarship than the Black Church?

Yet, to me, there is something much more pernicious going on here. It is: Glaude and his pathetic ilk have no clue as to how to solve current problems in our religious institutions, much less our communities. For example, he didn’t mention the rampant practice of Black ecclesiastics who, just as many Catholic priests of all complexions do, engage in all sorts of sexual indignities with their parishioners. That makes a lot of Black folks not want to go to church!

Still, the Black church lives! Yet, it must maintain a course, based upon the people’s struggle. Churches, mosques, and synagogues need to play a strong role in our community building. The Black church is the oldest institution that we have, again, beginning in the holds of enslavers' ships through chattel slavery, manumission, and the series of freedom movements that have led up to this point for African Americans. The Black church has been there, and it will continue to be. But, like everyting else, it’s part of a process.

Finally, Glaude has taken improper stock of himself in trying to analyze an institution of which he, apparently, has limited understanding. Worse yet, he’s given more reason for mainstream media outlets, like The Huffington Post, to keep the dialogue away from being enlightening/informative, motivating, and inspiring. After all, the idea that the Black Church is dead is useless blather. Is the “White” Church dead? Is it only “white and Christian”? Does it even exist? Why hasn’t The Huffington Post found some fool to write such a piece?

If you’re interested, the link to Glaude’s article appears below.

One Love, One Heart, One Spirit,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eddie-glaude-jr-phd/the-black-church-is-dead_b_473815.html