Religious leaders respond: is the new Black Spirituality real?

Ebony, Dec, 2004

Bishop Richard Allen Chappelle Sr.

President, General Board, African Methodist Episcopal Church

WE believe in holiness and sanctification, but somewhere along the line, we started trying to be like Eurocentric folks and lost our identity. What we have now is a Renaissance of Black Spirituality, or Neo-Pentecostalism. Black spirituality is not new. It can be traced back to our roots in Africa. It's just that another generation has "discovered" praise dancing and shouting and unabated emotional outpouring during times of communal worship.

You can also say that by embracing the New Spirituality/ Neo-Pentecostalism, this new generation of worshippers may be challenging the bourgeois members of the "established church." I'm concerned that too many of us are trying to out hip-hop the hip-hoppers.

If you close your eyes in some places where you're supposed to be worshipping, you can't tell whether you are at church or a rock concert. They say, "Oh, let's give it up" to whoever or whatever. This sort of "crowd controlling" doesn't have anything to do with the new Black Spirituality. But in our universe, things tend to move in cycles. It's just a matter of time before the pendulum swings back the other way, perhaps even in my lifetime ...

The Rev. Dr. Suzan D. Johnson Cook

Senior Pastor, Bronx Christian Fellowship Church

I feel that in every generation God moves several times with what we call a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit. I believe also that those who are in tune with God and in tune with their assignment--that is the place where they are called to serve, and the people they are called to serve--that those two energies synergize and a wonderful spiritual birth, rebirth, revival can happen. And I think that is what we are seeing in this generation.

In the last generation, and even in this generation, we had a whole lot that was "pent up," and people were conforming to what they felt was the cultural norms. What people are doing today is revisiting the spirit that is within them and being culturally adaptable and sensitive. Africans danced for everything, and that's our culture. It was only when we were missionized and when we came to these shores that we kind of conformed to whatever the European style was. What we are able to do now is to explode with everything, with all the gifts and the talents that God has given us, and really give them back to God. And that takes the form of dancing and our music is exploding and our worship is exploding and preachers are finding the freedom to not just be theoretical because we were trained at Harvard and Yale, but to be able to say what God is really saying to me at this time and what He wants us to share with the people. There's a new relevance. We're connecting the pulpit with the pew and with God.

There is also a generation of women who have paid dues in terms of trailblazing and walking alongside the Brothers noncompetitively, and who are really again focusing on their assignments and staying true to their call. And when they see a consistent witness, truth always wins. It's an exciting thing to see. Events in life also cause people to reflect on where they are spiritually. Nine/eleven was a major national and international event. The family is a major component, and also the birth and deaths of loved ones.

People are saying they have to walk the walk and talk the talk with our value system before our family. It's an exciting time.

I feel comfortable being able to raise my sons in a community of believers and being in worship with my husband and my sons in a safe space. And you can't find that many safe spaces anymore, so it's great to have that community of believers.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan

National Representative of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Nation of Islam

THERE is a growing new spirituality among our people that is gradually removing the barriers imposed by denominations, sects and different religions. The Old Testament teaches, "The Lord, your God is one." The New Testament and the Qur' an teach the same.

In mathematics when we learned fractions, we learned that the object of fractions is to bring fractions to a whole number. In order to do this, we must find the least common denominator.

Allah (God) is not interested in fractions, factions, sects or parties. So ultimately the whole process of Allah's (God's) movement through time is to bring humanity into oneness with Him and into oneness with each other. I see that process at work in the growing spirituality among our people.

Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie

First Woman Bishop in the, AME Church

PEOPLE are hungry for a spiritual anchor in this era of uncertainty. We have more economically than previous generations but have less time to enjoy it.

Terror and violence have become constant companions instead of family and friends. There is more literature and information and less readers graduating from public schools. We are driven by a consumer culture that is less satisfied even with the newest shoes, cars, clothes, techno-gadget and "whazit" on the market.