The Day I Discovered an African American Theologian

"Plain Theology for Plain People" by Charles Octavius Boothe

By Walter R. Strickland II

March 7, 2018  

History is recounted by the wealthy and powerful. Throughout America’s history of racism, slavery and segregation prohibited blacks from being protagonists in the Christian narrative. For example, there is often mention of Jonathan Edwards and John Frame in the American Christian story, but rarely an acknowledgment of John Chavis or John Jasper. In general, the American Christian story told in most evangelical college and seminary classrooms include African Americans as marginal characters and only in relation to the dominant culture.

This results in false perceptions of God’s work—namely, that God primarily works through the wealthy and powerful. People assume that the white protagonists have everything to teach and little to learn from those who have been excluded. Learning about historical figures like African-American pastor Charles Octavius Boothe (1845–1924) not only shows God at work outside the dominant culture, but it also exalts Christ as the redeemer of every ethné.

Who Is Charles Octavius Boothe?

Boothe was born on June 13, 1845, in Mobile County, Alabama, as the legal property of Nathaniel Howard. At the age of 3, Boothe learned the alphabet from lettering on a tin plate. At 14, he was sold to attorney James S. Terrel, and he began working as an office boy at a law firm in Clark County, Mississippi.

Mid-19th-century legal practice was rooted in biblical logic, which required young Boothe to explore Scripture on a regular basis. Over time, his exposure to Scripture drew him to salvation. In 1860 he testified that he “reached an experience of grace which so strengthened me as to fix me on the side of God’s people.”

At the conclusion of the Civil War, Boothe’s passion was racial uplift in a society that denied blacks’ humanity before God and the Constitution. At the age of 22, Boothe began teaching for the Freedmen’s Bureau and lecturing regularly at Booker T. Washington’s famed Tuskegee Institute. In the early 1870s, Boothe was a preliminary member of the Colored Baptist Missionary Convention that founded Selma University. He later served as the university’s second president (1901–02). Boothe desired to promote literacy so former slaves could read the Bible for themselves and escape the oppressive interpretative practices that had made the Christian faith a tool of black subservience.

Boothe’s devotion for education notwithstanding, he was, most importantly, a churchman. He established and ministered in two churches: First Colored Baptist Church of Meridian, Mississippi, and Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. (In recent decades, Dexter Avenue Baptist Church received international attention because of its role in the civil-rights struggle and the leadership of its 20th pastor, Martin Luther King Jr., after whom the church was renamed—King Memorial Baptist Church.)

While in the pastorate, Boothe maintained an itinerant teaching ministry, conducting literacy and theological training for emancipated slaves and their children. He wrote Plain Theology for Plain People as an aid for his theological seminars. Writing with the average sharecropper in mind, Boothe set out to spare others the frustration of traversing the lofty theological rhetoric of other texts. His book provides a definite system of organization while allowing simplicity of language and structure to prevail. It wasn’t until my doctoral studies that I discovered Plain Theology for Plain People.[1]

Boothe’s Significance for Me

My theological education offered me a love for Scripture and a theological framework, but it unintentionally taught me that people of color have little to contribute to theological discussions. I had well-intended white professors who assigned white authors and invited white guest lecturers. In order to become more like my Caucasian professors, I began to squelch everything in me that didn’t correspond to them in order to do “real theology.” I began stripping away my blackness in order to fit the evangelical theological mold. At that time, I only entertained theological inquiry that emerged from culturally white space; I developed a bias against African-American theologians; and I belittled the rich heritage of the black church. I was miserable.

But when I encountered Boothe’s writing, it helped me resist the assumption that whiteness equals faithfulness, and it granted me freedom to be instructed by believers outside of my racial and cultural background without feeling like I needed to lose parts of myself in the process.

Plain Theology for Plain People is significant for my story, and it should influence the evangelical approach to theology.

Boothe for Evangelicalism

Boothe demonstrates that theology can emerge from various contexts. In evangelical circles, however, certain contexts have been given almost exclusive priority. Formal theology has been disproportionately conducted by white men, and their perspective has been standardized. Thus “well-read” evangelicals can gain that label despite never interacting with theologically faithful traditions outside the dominant evangelical culture.

By normalizing a particular context, issues that arise outside of that context are often dismissed as illegitimate. In fact, theological development from non-white contexts are often only deemed “proper” when they engage issues pertinent to white culture and conform to “authorized” conclusions. This explains why issues that disproportionately affect non-white communities—like systemic injustice, racial oppression, economic inequality, and human rights—have received scattered engagement among evangelical theologians and ethicists.

The reality of white cultural dominance in evangelical spaces is consistent with what we know to be true of fallen humanity—we’re self-interested creatures. All people (white and non-white alike) are interested in the issues most pressing to us and aren’t likely to deeply contemplate the circumstances of another. So cultivating diverse church communities is important, since it necessarily expands our concerns beyond our experience.

Reimagining the evangelical tradition to include voices that have been obscured isn’t just good for marginalized Christians—it’s good for all Christians. Theology from every context offers valuable contributions. The mature theologian takes his or her seat at the table of theological discourse and both enriches and is enriched by the exchange. Different perspectives taken together embody a more robust vision of faithfulness and affection for Christ than they could ever manage alone.

PS - "To be clear, this was not the first time that I discovered any African-American theologian, but it was the first time I discovered Boothe."

Source: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/day-i-discovered-african-american-theologian/

Staying Away From Cynicism

"Restore to me the joy of Your salvation

And sustain me with a willing spirit."

Psalm 51

"I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth."

3 John 1:4

http://www.dts.edu/media/play/the-sinister-sin-cynicism-swindoll-charles-r/

Remembering the Legacy of Professor Howard Hendricks

It's funny looking back how torn I was between which seminaries to attend. My choices spanned between Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Virginia; Master's Seminary in California; Southern Seminary in Kentucky; Golden Gate Seminary in California; and Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas. I am profoundly impacted by teachers and alumni from all these seminaries but there are a few who stand out: Howard Hendricks (DTS), Charles Swindol (DTS), John MacArthur (Masters), and Tony Evans (DTS). As you can see, three out of four are from Dallas, which is closer to home and cheaper as far as cost of living goes. John MacArthur of course hails from the beautiful state of California and is powerfully used by God in doing great things.

Howard Hendricks is probably my most favorite person whom I never met. I've read only one of his books [for school] which changed my ministry and life forever. The book is called, "Teaching to Change Lives," and it is comprehensive and practical. "Prof," as he is effectually called provided helpful wisdom that included acknowledging a child's hair cut/style or new shoes - to developing genuine concern for others by asking questions, and using their answers to understand how to better teach and lead. This is why I chose Dallas Theological Seminary, because of Prof Hendricks. He graduated to heaven in 2013 and I started in 2016 but I can tell you that his impact is still felt here on the campus and around the world.

Here is another share from one of my other favorite DTS alums, Dennis Rainey, president and chief executive officer of FamilyLife.

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“One of the great Christian leaders of the last century graduated to heaven this past week after 88 years on earth.  Many of you may not have heard of Dr. Howard Hendricks, but he was a man who left an incredible legacy in leaders that he helped train during his years as a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Dr. Hendricks was also a great champion for marriage and family. In fact, he planted the seeds that ultimately resulted in the ministry of FamilyLife. While speaking at the U.S. Congress on the Family in 1975, Dr. Hendricks made a statement that captured the attention of three leaders from Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru) in attendance. He said, "In Dallas/Ft. Worth it takes three weeks of intensive training to become a garbage collector, but about all you have to do to get married is to stand before the justice of the peace and grunt and you are in--you're married!" The Christian community, he said, needed to prepare couples for marriage.  Those three Campus Crusade leaders took this charge back to their leadership, and the next year FamilyLife was launched. 

Dr. Hendricks, called “Prof” by his students, left his mark on more than 12,000 students during 60 years of teaching at DTS. I’ve never known anyone who has worked at one place for 60 years. But Prof wasn’t just anyone. He was always a cut above the herd.

The John Wooden of education

I was one of those who soaked up his classes during the year I spent at DTS in the 1970s.  He was the reason I went to DTS; I’ve always said that I “majored in Howard Hendricks.”  I took all five of his classes that year, and it nearly killed me.

Prof didn’t believe in tests, but he was thoroughly convinced that abundant homework somehow resulted in learning. I sat in his classes for hour after hour and was never bored … whether it was Bible Study Methods, Family Living, or How to Teach, Prof kept me on the edge of my seat. He was the John Wooden of education! (Wooden won 10 national championships at UCLA and is considered the greatest basketball coach of all time.)

Prof had the uncanny ability to step into a young man’s life at just the right time to give encouragement and express his belief that God would use him.  I certainly benefited from this encouragement and mentoring over the years. I remember the day we spent together talking about what parents need in terms of being biblically equipped to raise children.

He exhorted FamilyLife staff on a number of occasions, was a guest on FamilyLife Today®, and both he and his wife, Jeanne, were a huge encouragement to the 60 couples who speak at FamilyLife’s Weekend to Remember® marriage getaways.

One of my favorite memories occurred when a friend, Bob Horner, and I took Prof “float tube fishing” on a high mountain lake near Laramie, Wyoming. Float tube fishing is really for die-hard fishermen … you put on waders and flippers, and then sit inside an inner tube and paddle out in the lake. Since Prof had never done this, we tethered his tube to ours as we paddled out to fish. He looked like a sinking duck, barely above the waterline. To his credit, he went along with it all, actually caught a couple of rainbow trout, and didn’t drown.

About a year later, he was speaking to the FamilyLife team about the experience, and he sarcastically said he only caught one fish. I interrupted him from the audience and said “Prof, that’s not true, you caught two!” To which Prof retorted, “Well there you have it: another great illustration ruined by an eyewitness!”

Pouring his life into others

I guess what has impacted me most is how he continued to run to the finish line and make a global impact for Christ in his final years. Despite losing his right eye to cancer, falling off a platform while speaking (at the age of 80) and breaking a couple of ribs, and battling other health issues, he didn’t coast to the finish.  He modeled what it looks like to continue to grow as a man and pour his life into others. He was a man of convictions who was on a mission to the very end.

Another of my favorite memories was of joining Prof and Jeanne for dinner with some friends the night before his retirement celebration a couple years ago.  I asked Prof, “What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?” He told the story of when he was a young man and was seriously dating a young lady who was not headed in the same direction he was.

He said that he was growing spiritually and had the conviction that God wanted him to go to seminary and study the Scriptures. These convictions were not shared by the young lady, so he went over to her house to break off the relationship.

That was not what she wanted to hear.  He said that he had to pry her fingers off his car so he could drive away. And then he had to tell his father, who highly valued education unless it came from a seminary, that he was going to go to Dallas Theological Seminary. In essence, his father told him he was wasting his life. Prof said his decision to end the relationship and attend seminary was life altering, but in the end proved to be the right choice.

Prof spoke tenderly of his father, a military man, and how he had prayed for more than 40 years for him to come to faith in Christ. His dad made a commitment to Christ just a few months before his death. Prof stressed the importance of continuing to pray for family members and friends who show no interest in the gospel.

Stories of Prof

At the retirement celebration luncheon the next day, a handful of Christian leaders spoke about the impact that Prof and Jeanne had made on their lives. It was a great reminder of what Prof used to say:  “The only thing that is eternal is the Word of God and people.”

Pastor David Jeffries told how, as a 16-year-old, he was influenced by Prof’s statement, “Men, nothing will create more doubt in your lives than trafficking in unlived truth.”

Michael Easley, pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Franklin, Tennessee, said through tears how Prof had “given me permission” to try things and to be a leader. His favorite quote from Prof: “Sin will keep you from this Book and this Book will keep you from sin.”

Dr. David Jeremiah, a pastor, author, and radio host, told the story of how as a first-year seminary student he’d sat slumping in the back row of Prof’s classes.  Prof soon summoned him to his office and gave him a wake-up call, “David, if you continue to sit on the back row slumping, you are wasting my time and yours!” Jeremiah moved to the front row and has been sitting up straight ever since.

And Dr. Chuck Swindoll, chancellor of DTS, pastor, author, and radio host, sheepishly shared a story that he’d never told anyone. Chuck said that when he was in seminary back in the 1960’s, he babysat Prof’s kids one night. He admitted that he looked through the papers on Prof’s desk and found a bank statement. Two things struck him: He was amazed at how little Prof was paid to teach, and he couldn’t believe how much he gave away!

Chuck went on to speak about Prof’s impact in his life. He told how, at the lowest point in his life and ministry, Prof had put his arm around him and said, “Whatever it is, I will be here when you need me!”

After all these men spoke, Prof stood up and was momentarily overcome with emotion. I don’t think I’d ever seen him cry, but God’s goodness overwhelmed him and for a few moments the words wouldn’t come. Finally, Prof told how, as a young man when he was just starting seminary, a professor put his arm around him and said, “Howard, God has a great future for you.”

That’s an understatement. But it illustrated the power of believing in someone, of passing on truth and encouragement to the next generation.

What a man! What an impact! What a legacy!”

Source: http://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/life-issues/relationships/men/remembering-the-legacy-of-prof-hendricks

Advice for Seminoids

By Tim Gombis

We had an interesting discussion in class yesterday about the challenges of enduring church life while in seminary.  My students are a joyful bunch who love Jesus and his people, but they reflected honestly on the difficulty of dealing with the disconnects between what they study in class and what they observe in church. It is soul-upsetting to critically reflect on Christian realities in classes and then to participate in less-than-ideal Christian practices on Sundays.

This led me to reflect a bit on my own struggles to maintain a proper posture toward the church while inhabiting an environment of critical biblical and theological reflection.

Unfortunately, a seminary education can sometimes (though not always) produce a phenomenon we might call “the seminoid.”

I should know.  I was one.

(NOTE: Friends and family are NOT welcome to share stories in the comments below!)
The seminoid has a superior attitude toward “the laity,” an arrogance toward average Christians, a condescending posture toward the church.  S/he is a “know-it-all” who trots out impressive sounding words in small-group settings, critiques church practice, and spends Sunday afternoons revisiting errors in the sermon and shortcomings in the service.

In the seminoid, the process of critical thought has created a critical spirit.
So, some advice to seminoids—or, to anyone pursuing theological education—on how to be a blessing to the church rather than a bane:

(1) Receive the church.  Seminoids want to comment on the church’s failures, rebuke it, set it right, fix it.  Don’t do that.  Don’t see yourself in all your theological wisdom as a gift to the church.  Learn what it means that the church is a gift to you.  Receive it as such and give thanks to God for it.  Youare the one who needs to grow in Christ, not them.  Of course, objectively,everyone needs to grow in Christ.  But focus your critical scrutiny on your own need to cultivate the character of Christ, and let the church help you in that pursuit.

(2) Minister from your weakness.  Seminoids, like others of us, assume that they minister most effectively from their strengths.  That’s a wrong assumption and a perverted vision of “spiritual gifts.”  It’s counter-intuitive, but we minister most effectively from our weakness.  Jesus told Paul that “power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9), which led him to discover that “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).  Now, you are indeed a gift to the church, but don’t assume that you know how you are a gift to the church.  That needs to be a long process of discovery, and others will probably see it before you.  If you think you know, you’re probably wrong.  I say this to seminoids because your initial assumption may be that you bless the church by being its instructor, its doctor, diagnosing its wrong theology and its malpractice, and prescribing right theology and proper practice.  If you do this, you will not bless the church.  You will burden it.


(3) Mentor a jr. high kid.  Find a kid in your church (or in your neighborhood) in a single-parent home and become his or her mentor.  They won’t want to hear you discourse on prioritizing biblical atonement metaphors, rhetorical strategies in Luke-Acts, the presence or absence of imputation language in Paul, or historical causes of the demise of mainline denominations.  They’ll probably want to see if fart noises make you laugh, if you can hit a free throw with your eyes closed, and if you care that they’ve been hurt by the class bully.  This is good for you.  It’ll help you avoid taking yourself too seriously.  It’ll remind you that the aim of your theological education is to make you better at spending time with such people for whom Jesus gave his life.
Never forget that Jesus highly commends spending time with jr. high kids (Matt. 19:13-15) and strongly condemns public displays of spirituality (Matt. 6:5-6).

(4) Think eschatologically.  Imagine yourself in the future as a much wiser 60 year-old.  As your future self, reflect a bit on how you treated others, how you related to the church.  You do not want to be an old person with regrets that you hurt people, turned some off to the faith because of arrogance, or discouraged them with ill-considered criticisms.

(5) Consider silence.  Memorize proverbs on remaining silent rather than talking (Prov. 10:19; 13:3; 17:27-28; James 1:19).  I have a handful of regrets for saying something hurtful or stupid in ministry contexts.  I don’t have any regrets about biting my tongue.

(6) Meditate on Scripture.  Memorize passages about humility and servant-hood (e.g., Mark 10:45; Phil. 2:1-11; 2 Cor. 4), along with Proverbs about the speech patterns of the wise (e.g., Prov. 12:18, 23).  Draw on Scriptures that the Spirit may use to orient your character according to Jesus.  Do not memorize texts that you can use in theological debates to buttress your pontifications.

(7) Love the church like God loves the church.  Remember that God gave his life for the church (Acts 20:28), that he loves his people.  If Jesus showed up at your church, he would likely look past your church’s faults and express his outrageous love for its messed-up members.  You’d rather have Jesus say “amen” to your expressions of delight in his people rather than “what’s your problem?” when you note their many shortcomings.

Source: http://timgombis.com/2012/10/11/advice-for-seminoids/