Honoring the Ancestors: Toward an Afrocentric Theology of Liberation. (May 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Clark, Adam
• Is Part Of: Journal of black studies. Volume 44:Number 4(2013)
• Page Start: 376
• Page End: 394
• Publication Date: 2013-05
• Subjects: Black theology -- Afrocentricity -- liberation theology -- theological hermeneutics; African Americans -- Periodicals; Black people -- Periodicals; 305.896073
• DOI: 10.1177/0021934713487925
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-9347

Abstract

This article puts forth an argument for Afrocentric orientation in Black theology. First-generation Black theologians used the civil rights and Black power movements as primary sources for a theology of liberation. This article explores Afrocentricity as a moral resource for a new generation of Black pastors and theological scholars in carving out a theology of liberation from their own history and culture. The dialogue between Afrocentricity and Christian faith is not without pitfalls. Some Black churches argue that Afrocentricity is a hostile diversion from faith in Jesus Christ. Afrocentrists, in the main, claim that Christianity is irredeemably Eurocentric; it stunts the development of people of African descent. Building on the works of James Cone, Molefi Asante, and Maulana Karenga, I argue for a concept of double belonging; one can be nurtured by and belong to African and Christian traditions at the same time. I conclude with a brief discussion of the liberatory significance of Afrocentricity for the Black church.