DOCSLIB.ORG

Multiracial Congregations, Their Theological Foundations and Power Dynamics

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Multiracial Congregations, Their Theological Foundations and Power Dynamics View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Boston University Institutional Repository (OpenBU) Boston University OpenBU http://open.bu.edu Theses & Dissertations Boston University Theses & Dissertations 2015 Hope for reconciliation or agent of the status quo: multiracial congregations, their theological foundations and power dynamics https://hdl.handle.net/2144/16300 Boston University BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY Thesis HOPE FOR RECONCILIATION OR AGENT OF THE STATUS QUO: MULTIRACIAL CONGREGATIONS, THEIR THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS AND POWER DYNAMICS by MEGAN E. LIETZ B.A., Gordon College, 2009 M.Div., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2014 S.T.M., Boston University, 2015 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Sacred Theology 2015 © 2015 MEGAN E. LIETZ All rights reserved Approved by First Reader _________________________________________________________ Bryan Stone, Ph.D. E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism Associate Dean for Academic Affairs ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my academic advisor, Dr. Bryan Stone, for his support and guidance on this thesis. I also express my gratitude to the Emmanuel Gospel Center, which supports me as a Research Fellow and consistently expressed confidence in my research ability well before my fellowship began. This includes special thanks to my supervisors Nika Elugardo and, especially, Rudy Mitchell. In addition, I acknowledge Sarah Lantz and Laura Sender for their editing expertise. My husband, Derek Lietz, was also wonderfully supportive and provided editing assistance. My appreciation also goes out to Drs. Nancy Ammerman, Courtney Goto, Anthony Petro, and Anjulet Tucker for their willingness to allow me to utilize the final assignments for their courses to aid in the completion of this work. I would be remiss if I did not mention my pastors, Reverends Lawrence and Virginia Ward, who have mentored me in multicultural ministry and been instrumental in empowering me to pursue God's plan for my life. I also thank Rev. Dr. Craig McMullen and Gordon College's Gordon in Boston program for immersing me in urban ministry and introducing me to my church family at Abundant Life. First and foremost, I give the glory to God, my Great Teacher and Sustainer. He is my hope for reconciliation. May his Kingdom come. iv HOPE FOR RECONCILIATION OR AGENT OF THE STATUS QUO: MULTIRACIAL CONGREGATIONS, THEIR THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS AND POWER DYNAMICS MEGAN E. LIETZ Boston University / School of Theology, 2015 Major Professor: Dr. Bryan Stone., E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs ABSTRACT In this thesis, the biblical vision of egalitarian multiracial communities is compared to the present practices of Christian congregations in the United States. The thesis establishes that, while multiracial congregations bear the potential for racial reconciliation and equality, this potential may be thwarted by the unintended, counterproductive consequences of racial essentialism and white hegemony. Although I hypothesize that these results reflect the realities of multiracial congregations in general, the focus is on evangelical multiracial churches that are predominantly black and white. The thesis begins by exploring the arguments evangelicals have used to support and oppose racial hierarchy during nineteenth century U.S. slavery and the Civil Rights movement. Next, it traces theological beliefs used to advocate for multiracial congregations today. This is followed by an exploration of the development of multiracial congregations and how they can contribute to racial reconciliation, drawing heavily upon the national study completed by Michael O. Emerson in 2006. v Despite the hope offered in the earlier chapters, I go on to present obstacles that blacks encounter in multiracial congregations. Following a description of the black church tradition, the thesis describes Gerardo Marti's research on how blacks can be utilized and essentialized in multiracial congregations in an effort to achieve diversity. Korie Edwards' study on multiracial congregations, which suggests that, under certain circumstances, potential for racial reconciliation and egalitarian relationships can be hindered by white hegemony, is also employed. This is followed by an examination of how the ideology of whiteness contributes to white hegemony and suggests white identity development as a tool to abate this inequality. Thereafter, formative influences on an individual's identity are explored and a case is made for how multiracial congregations can transform a person's racial identity. It is suggested that such a change bears the potential for racial reconciliation. The thesis concludes with implications for practice today and suggestions for future research. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the actualization of a biblical vision within multiracial congregations by critically exploring the interactions between theological ideals and sociological realities. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. iv Abstract ............................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. vii Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Foundational Research .................................................................................................... 1 My Overarching Research Interests ................................................................................ 4 Current Focus .................................................................................................................. 5 Defining the Evangelical Church .............................................................................. 10 Looking Ahead .......................................................................................................... 19 I. A Theological History of Racial Hierarchy within The Body of Christ ....................... 21 Nineteenth Century Slavery in the United States ......................................................... 24 Biblically Based Arguments For and Against Slavery ............................................. 26 Challenging the Existence of Slavery in the Bible ............................................... 27 Slavery As a Sin .................................................................................................... 32 Racism as Sinful ................................................................................................... 36 Christian Principles ............................................................................................... 43 Moral Progress ...................................................................................................... 46 From the End of Slavery to the Civil Rights Movement ...................................... 49 The Civil Rights Movement ......................................................................................... 52 Evangelicals Fail to Engage in the Civil Rights Movement ..................................... 52 The Theology of Martin Luther King Jr. .................................................................. 60 vii A Loving and Involved Deity ............................................................................... 60 Humanity is Created in the Image of God, thus Interconnected and Designed to be Free ....................................................................................................................... 62 Humans Have a Moral Obligation to Work towards Social Restoration .............. 65 The Ultimate Goal: The Beloved Community ...................................................... 67 Theological Agreement, but a Difference of Priorities, Methods and Timing ..... 68 Looking Ahead to Multiracial Congregations Today ........................................... 70 Summary of Historical Considerations ......................................................................... 73 II. Theological Support for Multiracial Congregations in the Twenty-First Century ....... 76 Ethnicity and Race in the Ancient Near East ................................................................ 76 A Theology of Multiracial Congregations .................................................................... 79 The Nature of God and Humanity ............................................................................ 79 Old Testament Law and the Prophets ....................................................................... 84 The Life of Jesus ....................................................................................................... 84 The Example of the Early Church ............................................................................ 90 The Teachings of Paul .............................................................................................. 96 Summary of the Theology Support for Multiracial Congregations .............................. 99 III. Multiracial Congregations As a Hope for Reconciliation ......................................... 101 Defining Multiracial Congregations: Integrated, but Not Necessarily Equal ............. 103 Becoming a Multiracial Church .................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Key Components of a Culturally Relevant Multiethnic Church Model Pablo Morales [email protected]
    Digital Commons @ George Fox University Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations 1-1-2018 Key Components of a Culturally Relevant Multiethnic Church Model Pablo Morales [email protected] This research is a product of the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program at George Fox University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Morales, Pablo, "Key Components of a Culturally Relevant Multiethnic Church Model" (2018). Doctor of Ministry. 260. http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dmin/260 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Ministry by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY KEY COMPONENTS OF A CULTURALLY RELEVANT MULTIETHNIC CHURCH MODEL A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF PORTLAND SEMINARY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY PABLO MORALES PORTLAND, OREGON MARCH 2018 Portland Seminary George Fox University Portland, Oregon CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL ________________________________ DMin Dissertation ________________________________ This is to certify that the DMin Dissertation of Pablo Morales has been approved by the Dissertation Committee on February 14, 2018 for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Global Perspectives. Dissertation Committee: Primary Advisor: Clifford Berger, DMin Secondary Advisor: Sarita Gallagher, PhD Lead Mentor:
    [Show full text]
  • Rethinking Foreign Missions: How Churches Can Engage in Global Missionary Work Without Leaving Their Ommc Unities Stuart Alan Cocanougher [email protected]
    Masthead Logo Digital Commons @ George Fox University Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations 2-1-2019 Rethinking Foreign Missions: How Churches Can Engage in Global Missionary Work Without Leaving Their ommC unities Stuart Alan Cocanougher [email protected] This research is a product of the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program at George Fox University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Cocanougher, Stuart Alan, "Rethinking Foreign Missions: How Churches Can Engage in Global Missionary Work Without Leaving Their ommC unities" (2019). Doctor of Ministry. 289. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dmin/289 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Ministry by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY RETHINKING FOREIGN MISSIONS: HOW CHURCHES CAN ENGAGE IN GLOBAL MISSIONARY WORK WITHOUT LEAVING THEIR COMMUNITIES A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF PORTLAND SEMINARY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY STUART ALAN COCANOUGHER PORTLAND, OREGON FEBRUARY 2019 Portland Seminary George Fox University Portland, Oregon CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL ________________________________ DMin Dissertation ________________________________ This is to certify that the DMin Dissertation of Stuart Cocanougher has been approved by the Dissertation Committee on February 18, 2019 for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Global Perspectives Dissertation Committee: Primary Advisor: Darrell Peregrym, DMin Secondary Advisor: Pablo Morales, DMin Lead Mentor: Jason Clark, PhD, DMin Expert Advisor: Len Hjalmarson, DMin Copyright © 2019 by Stuart Alan Cocanougher All rights reserved ii CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of People of the Dream Applied to Kingdom Authority Christian Center
    Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity The Impact of People of the Dream Applied to Kingdom Authority Christian Center Lay Workers Church Plant: A Mixed Methods Approach A Thesis Project Submitted to the Faculty of the Liberty University School of Divinity in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry by Kenneth Kief Davis Lynchburg, Virginia March 2021 Copyright © 2020 by Ken Davis All Rights Reserved ii Liberty University John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Thesis Project Approval Sheet ______________________________ Daniel Russell, Ph.D. Associate Professor Liberty University School of Divinity ______________________________ H. Clay Anthony, Ed.D. Instructor of Practical Theology Liberty University School of Divinity iii THE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY THESIS PROJECT ABSTRACT Kenneth K Davis Liberty University, John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, 2021 Mentor: Dr. Daniel Russell Kingdom Authority Christian Center (KACC) is growing more attentive to the changing demographics in the world. It seeks to understand that as other countries and nations continue to diversify by race and ethnicity, change is needed. The problem is that KACC has no training curriculum designed to impact and employ change. A mixed-method approach will be applied to fix KACC’s problem and the proposal of correspondence from People of the Dream. This thesis project will provide research from individual interviews, a population group, and an inside viewpoint from one of the people in the dream. This project will also add to the already training analysis provided by the many scholarly articles, peer reviews, and dissertations. Keywords: impact, mixed-method approach, multiracial, multiracial church, and training curriculum Abstract Length: 125 words iv Dedication This journey in my life has been incredible.
    [Show full text]
  • 2013 SBC Annual Meeting Statistics Houston, Texas, June 11–12, 2013
    Annual of the 2013 Southern Baptist Convention One Hundred Fifty-Sixth Session One Hundred Sixty-Eighth Year Houston, Texas June 11–12, 2013 FUTURE SBC ANNUAL MEETING SITES Baltimore, Maryland – June 10–11, 2014 Columbus, Ohio – June 16–17, 2015 St. Louis, Missouri – June 14–15, 2016 Phoenix, Arizona – June 13–14, 2017 Dallas, Texas – June 12–13, 2018 Prepared and distributed by EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION FRANK S. PAGE, President and Chief Executive Officer 901 Commerce Street Nashville, TN 37203 Reviewed by JOHN L. YEATS, Recording Secretary, Southern Baptist Convention Copyright 2013 by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. All rights reserved. The contents of this book may not be reproduced in any form in whole or in part without the consent of the copyright holder except for uses which are permitted under federal copyright law. Table of Contents PART 1–LEGAL AUTHORITIES, BUSINESS PROCEDURES, AND STATEMENT OF FAITH Charter, Southern Baptist Convention............................................................................6 Constitution...................................................................................................................6 Part 1 Bylaws........................................................................................................................10 Business and Financial Plan...........................................................................................23 Organization Manual.......................................................................................................31
    [Show full text]
  • 2016 Southern Baptist Convention
    Annual of the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention One Hundred Fifty-Ninth Session One Hundred Seventy-First Year St. Louis, Missouri June 14–15, 2016 FUTURE SBC ANNUAL MEETING SITES Phoenix, Arizona – June 13–14, 2017 Dallas, Texas – June 12–13, 2018 Birmingham, Alabama – June 11–12, 2019 Orlando, Florida – June 9–10, 2020 Nashville, Tennessee – June 15–16, 2021 Anaheim, California – June 14–15, 2022 Charlotte, North Carolina – June 13–14, 2023 Indianapolis, Indiana – June 11–12, 2024 Prepared and distributed by Executive Committee, Southern Baptist Convention Frank S. Page, President and Chief Executive Officer 901 Commerce Street; Nashville, TN 37203 Reviewed by John L. Yeats, Recording Secretary, Southern Baptist Convention Assisted by Sharon Yeats Compiled and formatted by Allison Young, Publications Specialist, Executive Committee Copyright 2016 by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. All rights reserved. The contents of this book may not be reproduced in any form in whole or in part without the consent of the copyright holder except for uses which are permitted under federal copyright law. Table of Contents PART 1– LEGAL AUTHORITIES, BUSINESS PROCEDURES, AND STATEMENT OF FAITH Charter, Southern Baptist Convention ............................................................................6 1 PART Constitution ........................................................................................................................6 Bylaws ...............................................................................................................................10
    [Show full text]
  • Copyright © 2014 Stephen Gary Crouse All Rights Reserved. The
    Copyright © 2014 Stephen Gary Crouse All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. A MISSIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SOUTHERN BAPTIST MULTIETHNIC CHURCHES IN THE UNITED STATES A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Stephen Gary Crouse December 2014 APPROVAL SHEET A MISSIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SOUTHERN BAPTIST MULTIETHNIC CHURCHES IN THE UNITED STATES Stephen Gary Crouse Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Adam W. Greenway (Chair) __________________________________________ Timothy K. Beougher __________________________________________ M. David Sills Date______________________________ This dissertation is dedicated to my wife, Martha, whose love, support, and encouragement made it possible for me to complete this endeavor. I further dedicate this work to our three children, Stephen, Caleb, and Moriah, who sacrificed time with Dad so that I could complete this work. Their constant love and encouragement are a source of strength to me. I am also grateful for the heritage of faith that was passed to me through my grandfather, Lonnie Henry Rhodes, and my godly parents, Clair Hurley Crouse, Sr., and Louise Rhodes Crouse. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE . viii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION . 1 The Ethical Segregation of Southern Baptist Churches . 1 A Missiological Foundation for Ethnic Inclusiveness . 6 Thesis . 12 Background . 14 Definitions . 20 Limitations and Delimitations . 27 Research Methodology . 29 2. THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH AND SOUTHERN BAPTIST MULTIETHNIC CHURCHES . 32 The Mission of the Church .
    [Show full text]