The absence and the presence of God in African American culture - David Emmanuel Goatley's book 'Were You There? Godforsakenness in Slave Religion'

Black Issues in Higher Education, Dec 26, 1996 by Will Coleman

The words of this familiar African American spiritual is a

source of inspiration for Dr. David Emmanuel book, Were

You There? Godforsakenness in Slave Religion. Both the

spiritual and the title of the book raise important questions

about God and humanity -- especially African American

humanity. They refer to critical issues such as commitment

and abandonment between God and humanity and within

interpersonal relationships.

On one hand, the song is a rhetorical selection that has

become a part of the African American religious witness to

the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus as the

Christ or promised Messiah. In it, we are asked if we can

attest to the life and ministry of Jesus on the basis of a

direct encounter with the suffering and death he experienced.

The question relates both to the historical events of Jesus's

life, death and resurrection as well as to the significance of

all of this for our contemporary reality. Therefore, "Were

you there?" also implies the question, "Are you willing and

able to bear witness to your faith in God here and now?"

On the other hand, the title of Goatley's text both

echoes the lines of the song and ponders the forbidden query

about how we understand who God is, what God does (or

does not do) and who we are. On one level, the title ("Were

You There?") is directed toward the reader as it seeks out a

witness to the faithfulness of God in the midst of African

American humanity and suffering. On another level, the

subtitle ("Godforsakenness in Slave Religion") points to the

disturbing experience of God's absence from all optimistic

claims about God's presence in the midst of the African

American experience of oppression;. In order to explore this

multidimensional query, Goatley turns to the history and

narratives of the African American slaves.

Goatley's book is divided into five sections. After; a

brief introduction that sets forth his rationale for pursuing

this query, he begins with an exploration into the African

American experience of Godforsakenness during the

Southern antebellum period. This is followed by similar

inquiry into the nature of spirituals as anguished

expressions of abandonment and hope. Next an

interpretation of the Gospel of Mark is rendered in order

to examine "a paradigm of the presence and absence of

God." Finally, in the concluding section, he suggests some

of the implications of this study for contemporary

theology.

The history and general narrative of African American

reality is rooted in the African tradition of oral discourse.

This inclination towards orality has been conveyed and

preserved through stories arid folklore that reach back to

a distant past. Ironically, the capacity to tell and recall

stories survived during slavery precisely because African

Americans were prohibited from reading and writing.

Storytelling became more than a means of survival; it

became primary vehicle through which a uniquely African

American narration was communicated.

According to Goatley, theology or discourse God has

been central to the African American experience.

Moreover, it has been the quest for "meaningful

existence" that has given rise to their

ongoing struggle for liberation. Thus, there

is a strong correlation between what is

thought and said about God as a supreme

being and the plight of a people who have

experienced situations of extreme

oppression as they continually strive For

complete liberation.

During the Southern antebellum period,

African Americans endured Godforsakenness.

They experienced the absence or

abandonment of God by virtue of the cruel

treatments they received from their

slave-holding oppressors. The Euro-American

institution of slavery functioned as a

construct of human exploitation to the extent

that it dehumanized African

Americans. The reversal from freedom in

Africa to bondage in the Americas was the

first step in the direction of Godforsakenness.

This was further acerbated by

broken familial relationships, sexual

exploitation and postbellum social

disorientation. Goatley chooses slave

narratives that aptly demonstrate how slaves

tried to comprehend, cope

with and overcome their

experiences of the

absence of God.

Likewise in turning to

African American

spirituals or religious

songs, Goatley

concentrates on another

dimension of

Godforsakenness: the

parallel between the songs

created by slaves: and

their allusions to the

suffering of Jesus, the

Christ. It is important to

note that Goatley

establishes a relationship

between the sufferings of

slaves and their

identification with the

sufferings of Jesus in his

life and death. In other

words, the slaves'

understanding of the

meaning of who Jesus was

is connected to their own

experience of oppression.

This poignancy of

their sense of alienation

is expressed in their

songs. At the same time,

African American

spirituals are not simply

expressions of resignation

to oppression and

despondency. Rather,

they are vocalizations of

the hope that African

Americans also held for

liberation from

oppression.

The resurrection of Jesus

from the agony of death became a symbol for

their own freedom. It is on the basis of this