Mis-Education, A Recurring Theme? Transforming Black Religious and Theological Education

Abstract

Educating ministers and religious educators with the skills to connect with a variety of congregations and communities is a difficult task. Looking specifically at theological and religious education with African Americans, there are historical criticisms of mis-education. Mis-education defined by Carter G. Woodson describes a process of educating that becomes more of a liability than asset by devaluing the religion and traditions of the masses of African Americans. This article reviews education resources (sermons and Sunday school literature) in African American churches along with the perspectives of seminary students to explore if Woodson's claims of mis-education persist.

Notes

1 It is important to note the limited treatment of issues of race and racism within the field of religious education. While an assessment of this is beyond the scope of this article, a quick literature search shows that the last Religious Education journal issue focused primarily on the contributions of African American Christianity to religious education was in 1974.

2 For a fuller discussion of these research findings see Almeda M. Wright, The Spiritual Lives of Young African Americans (Oxford University Press, forthcoming).

3 Many of the original publishing companies established in connection with the Independent Black church movement are still producing literature for churches. However, for this research I used a cross-denominational resource, Urban Ministries Inc. (UMI), as it reflects a higher rate of usage (and copies sold) than the denomination specific publications. Curriculum sample (n = 104 lessons over a 3-year span).

4 The sermons (n = 25) include a national sample collected from Christian media outlets, such as Streaming Faith and YouTube. Sermons were analyzed across two time frames within the last decade: 2007–2009 and 2014–2016. The national sermons were selected based on their popularity based on the “hits” or views each had on social media. Local or smaller church sermons represented a sample of convenience based on the researchers' access to local congregations in two geographic locales.

5 There are echoes in contemporary youth movements such as Black Lives Matter to also affirm the worth and somebodiness or humanity of Black people in the United States.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Almeda M. Wright

Almeda M. Wright is the Assistant Professor of Religious Education at the Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Connecticut. Professor Wright's research focuses on African American religion, practical theology, adolescent spiritual development, and the intersections of religion and public life. Professor Wright is currently finishing a manuscript on The Spiritual Lives of Young African Americans (Oxford). It explores the intersections of spirituality and public engagement among African American Christian adolescents. She is also continuing a longer historical study of the radical dimensions of African American religious education. Her previous publications include an edited volume (with Mary Elizabeth Moore), Children, Youth, and Spirituality in a Troubling World. E-mail: [email protected]