I did not grow up Presbyterian, and I can’t identify as a ‘cradle’ or ‘prenatal’ Presbyterian, or any of the ways that I have heard born-and-bred Presbyterians describe themselves in order to firmly establish their Presbyterian street cred. No, as my longtime Presbyterian pastor once told my Committee on the Preparation
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“Color Me Part of the Human Family” Video used with permission from the Presbyterian Historical Society, part of the Living History film project. Bettie J. Durrah, church elder, shares her experiences as a leader of Presbyterian and women’s groups, including her work as a choreopoem author. Edited Transcript: I’m Bettie J.
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Taking a Stand for Racial Justice in the South Video used with permission from the Presbyterian Historical Society, part of the Living History film project. Vernon Broyles wrestled with leadership choices in a congregation fractured over racial tension in the mid-20th century. Edited Transcript: My name is Vernon S. Broyles, III.
MoreMusic, Black Presbyterians, and Civil Rights Video used with permission from the Presbyterian Historical Society, part of the Living History film project. Melva Costen, wife of former general assembly moderator James Costen, is a retired professor of music and worship. Here she discusses her family’s involvement in the Civil Rights movement,
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Dismantling White Privilege in Institutions of Theological Education I have grown weary of liberal racism. I have grown especially weary of Christian liberal racism. White supremacy is insidious. It enables, sheds tears, and delays to deny. This sin is so exhausting. Much time is wasted explaining, returning to the scene
MoreRacism kills. It dehumanizes us all, telling some of us we are less than human and rendering others of us incapable of having a decent conversation about it. It takes our best intentions and misshapes them beyond recognition; no matter what we do or what we mean to do, we
MoreA Theological Reflection Why can’t white folks in general – and white Christians in particular – be rid of the problems of white privilege and racism? Why can’t a board, a vestry, a session, or pastors and Christian Educators simply do the things necessary to solve the problem of ‘race
MoreIn Zora Neale Hurston’s 1928 essay, “,” she writes about her lived experience as a black woman in the South. She talks about her racial awakening, describing it as “the day I become colored.” She uses many metaphors to talk about race, including calling herself a “brown paper bag” alongside other bags
MoreA Dialogue Between Two Generations of Black Presbyterians This article originally appeared in the May/June 2002 issue of Church & Society (Vol. 92, No. 5) “The Hope and Challenge of Reconciliation Today”. Rev. Curtis A. Jones interviewed Dr. Gayraud S. Wilmore reflecting on the Confession of 1967, 35 years after
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An Opening Editorial Yes, you read the title right. I am racist, and so is the majority-white denomination I serve, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). I’m not particularly happy to admit this about myself or my Church. True, I have never engaged in explicitly hateful actions based on a person’s race
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