Religious leaders respond: is the new Black Spirituality real?

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.

Our feelings have been bombarded with too many tragedies that have taken us too far from our comfort zones. We want community but live in the opposite direction. Instead of relating to people face-to-face, we stay at home, order take-out and voyage on reality TV. We spend all night talking to people we cannot see on the Internet!

It is no wonder that there is a new wave of spiritual fervor sweeping our communities. Spirituality is the hot new word in the lexicon of our cultural landscape. Spirituality is even showing up in the nontraditional arenas such as business, politics and science.

The question is: Is this a newer, deeper yearning of the human soul for contact with God, or is this a desire for spiritual individualistic reconciliation with self and others? Is this a new quest for spirituality, a way to be saved with our sins rather than from our sins? Does this new spirituality have anything to do with Jesus?

The churches that are most successful are able to help people find meaning in a nonsensical world. They provide a model of ministry that helps people experience their faith through powerful worship services that touch on the miraculous.

The progressive preach a relevant gospel message that transforms lives and communities. Relationships and resources rise above the regulatory traditions of the 20th century. Inclusiveness has flung open the gates for a plethora of women who are rising in leadership ranks.

The Mega Church phenomena, Parachurch organizations and newer denominations may appear to bear witness to increased spirituality in the Christian community.

The Big Box church is a beehive of services. The satisfaction of spiritual needs is just one item on the help and assistance menu. It is a one-stop shop. People can get in and out with as much or as little involvement as they desire.

The spotlight on the large may make some people overlook the small-to-medium local congregation that provides quality service. They may not have the large campus, swimming pool, or multitiered ministry. What they do have is an intimacy that can soothe the pain of the isolation of the 21st-century culture climate. The church is quickly becoming the last place for doing and learning relationships with God, self and others!

Bishop G.E. Patterson

Presiding Bishop, Church of God in Christ, Inc.

THERE is a definite spiritual movement taking place in the Black Church. While it is often referred to as a new spirituality, I see it as a new openness to the move of God which was introduced to the United States nearly 100 years ago.

In 1906 a great revival was held in Los Angeles, California, led by a Black evangelist by the name of William J. Seymour. The emphasis was Holy Spirit baptism. The evidence of the Holy Spirit baptism was glossolalia (speaking with tongues). Bishop Charles Harrison Mason received this Holy Spirit baptism and the Church of God in Christ was reborn. For the greater part of the 20th century the major church denominations in the Black community rejected this New Testament doctrine. However, over the last two or three decades, there is a new acceptance.

Bold young Black leaders are breaking away from their denominational traditions and are effectively teaching Holy Spirit Baptism as an essential experience for believers in Jesus Christ. Those congregations that are steeped in tradition and ritualism are struggling for survival while many of those congregations who embrace Holy Spirit Baptism are in an unrestrained growth pattern. This spiritual movement appeals greatly to young people, who while searching for inner peace, self-fulfillment and deeper meaning of life would otherwise seek to experiment with the occult, mysticism and other religions that are not native to our communities.

The Rev. Dr. William J. Shaw

President, The National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.

BLACK Spirituality, as reflected in the Black Christian Church, is rooted in African Heritage and biblical faith. Blacks relied on this Spirituality to survive the brutal period of slavery and the dehumanizing days of segregation. Over the years, this Spirituality has provided people with a calm reassurance, an energizing force in all things. It has moved us to work for justice and to rejoice and persevere in times of injustice, believing in certain victory.

It is the reason for our celebratory life and worship styles. The celebrations can be quiet or boisterous.

We shout, we dance, we sit, and we stand in awesome stillness. Always they are life energizing and affirming. Our celebrations are testimonies of our history and of our hope: We have overcome; we shall overcome. In the words of the New Testament, "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." Hence, we give thanks to God who gives to us the victory.

The future of the Black Church is sure because it is of God. In these times, it may be tested by a "demonic spirituality" that makes excitement the sole manifestation of the spirit and severs the church from its historic roots, depriving the church of the power of God. That "demonic spirituality" will fail people and surely die.

Bishop Horace E. Smith, M.D.

Presiding Bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc.

WHAT is being described as the New Black spirituality is the evolution of the message of Jesus. It is an evolution of understanding, commitment, and practice. Jesus declares, "I have come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly!" Christ promises, "life in all its fullness!"

The Church is the only real hope for a world ravaged with hopelessness and despair. Only the Church has the power to transform and enrich the hearts and lives of broken humankind.

Today's Church has a new awareness and a revitalized will. The Church has a fresh realization that it possesses the courage, know-how, and resources, as well as the spiritual mandate, to impact every aspect and sector of the human condition.

The Church is no longer a "Sunday morning" institution. Its ministry is "twenty-first century," and "twenty-four/seven." It must administer effective, creative programming, offered throughout the week, that ministers to the needs of young and senior, married, single and divorced, to those of every economic strata in a comprehensive and "holistic" manner.

The Church has discovered that to effectively minister to the "soul" it must minister to the physical/health-promoting, mental/academic aspiring, relational/family-building, and economic empowering needs of its parishioners and those in the community-at-large.

The "good news" of the gospel of Jesus Christ now reaches far beyond "dancing and shouting." It is a message of genuine liberation that produces transformation and "wholeness" in the lives of its practitioners.

This is the NEW BLACK SPIRITUALITY!

COPYRIGHT 2004 Johnson Publishing Co.
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