I have just returned from the Hampton Ministers
Conference, which is in its 101st year. Held on the historic campus of Hampton
University, it beckons over 8000 participants to hear good preaching, learn new
methods for church revitalization, and participate in excellent workshops for
church musicians. It is an important
gathering place for leaders in African American churches, part continuing
education and part revival.
I went to the
conference for several reasons: to assist in recruitment, to connect with key
leaders, and to listen to the internal conversation about racial injustice in
America. There is insider and outsider
language as the black church engages its own constituency and the larger
context in which it resides, with all of its racially tinged practice.
Recent events in
various communities surfaced in the preaching and teaching, and there was a
clear sense that churches cannot be silent about these atrocities. Yet, it is not solely the burden of black churches
to denounce injustice; white churches need a good dose of righteous
indignation, also.
Soaring rhetoric
moved those gathered for worship. The
beauty of alliteration, cadence, and dramatic delivery constituted a compelling
medium for the proclamation of the Gospel.
The performative dimension of preaching was on display, and my heart was
“strangely warmed,” in the words of John Wesley. The craft of preaching remains indispensable
in forming the people of God.
My time there was
bookended by cab rides with an older white female driver who was full of venom
about “the worst president ever” and being sick of black persons “feeling like
victims.” She spouted these perspectives
while claiming not to be racist; the issue of the mass incarceration of black
males, for instance, was justified in her mind.
It was a bit of a whiplash experience, and I am not just talking about
her driving!
Why did I ride with
her a second time? Other cabs drive from
Hampton to the Norfolk airport, yet I called her to ferry me back to catch my
plane. Ever the evangelist, I hoped she
might be willing to think differently if we had a civil conversation about our
differing perceptions of what is going on in.
I trued to follow what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, “knowing the fear
of the Lord, we try to persuade others . . . “ (5:11).
Ultimately, we
decided we could not talk further about the matter of race given the challenge
of finding any common ground. I was
disappointed, but I think our conversation will linger with her as it has with
me.
The conversation I
overheard at Hampton was valuable, and it reminded me how essential it is for
black and white churches to be in conversation, hopefully with white churches
listening more than talking. There is much
to learn.
Molly T. Marshall
Central prepares women and men for seeking God, shaping church, and
serving humanity.
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