Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Rhetoric Race and Religion

Home
Progressive Christian
A Letter From the Brothers: We Support Women Period

A Letter From the Brothers: We Support Women Period

Last updated on: December 12, 2013 at 12:27 pm by Guest Contributor

A Letter From the Brothers: We Support Women Period 2013-12-12T12:27:00-05:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Bishop Joseph Walker and the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International (FGBCF) launched a “new kingdom initiative and ministry paradigm” that focused on a “progressive agenda to promote church, social and political reform” via a “five point platform.” This historic gathering was by “invitation only” and featured “prominent, new generation pastors and leaders” that came to Miami, Florida to “interact and to integrate their ideas on bold, powerful and world changing topics.”

However, not lost on many was the omission of women at this “historical gathering.” This sparked an intense and trending tweet chat on December 10, 2013 (#R3nowomen) and an open letter inistatied by Woman Preach CEO and President Dr. Valerie Bridgman, to Bishop Walker and the attendees of the inaugural meeting of the “SHIFT.” Many criticized the initiative as “backwards and wondered how can a group talk about the future of the church and have no women present. Others felt like we have learned nothing from the work of womanists feminists, and activists in both the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements.

We are not questioning the motives of Bishop Walker and the FGBCF for they can speak and indeed have spoken for themselves. We, the undersigned, just wanted simply to say that as men, we support women period! We feel that this is important for us as men to say and to say loudly. We acknowledge that we benefit from Black Male Privilege (BMP) in the church and that sometimes that can blind us from recognizing and realizing how we benefit from such a system.

Therefore, as ministers of the gospel, church leaders, and people who love and support women, we promise to speak up, speak out, stand up and stand with our sisters in ministry. We promise to listen better, learn better live better and love better. In short, we respect and affirm our sisters in ministry and our desire is to become even better allies at standing up to this ecclesiastical apartheid that continues seemly unabated in our churches. Therefore, we say again and say loudly—we support and love our sisters in ministry!

*We invite others to sign our letter as well. If you would like to be included, please just send your name and how you would want us to list you to: [email protected]

Rev. Andre E. Johnson, PhD

Pastor, Gifts of Life Ministries, Memphis, Tennessee

Dr. James L. Netters Associate Professor of Rhetoric & Religion and

African American Studies, Memphis Theological Seminary

Rev. Earle J. Fisher

Senior Pastor, Abyssinian Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee

Adjunct Instructor of Contemporary Theology, Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee

Rev. Rashad D. Grove

Pastor, First Baptist Church of Wayne

Wayne, Pennsylvania

Bishop W. James Thomas, II, M.Div.

Senior Pastor, Shiloh Church of Memphis – “The Place of Praise”

Presidin

g Prelate, The Apostolic Covenant of Churches Int’l, Inc.

Rev. Timothy Jones

Senior Pastor, Community Baptist Church, New Haven, CT

PhD Candidate in Practical Theology, Boston University School of Theology

The Reverend Asa J. Lee
Assistant Pastor/Minister of Christian Education
Mount Olive Baptist Church, Arlington, VA

Rev. Quincy James Rineheart, M.Div., S.T.M.

Member of Victory for the World Church UCC, Stone Mountain, Georgia

Min. Brandon J. Van Horn

Senior Servant, Anointed Youth Ministries,

Memphis, Tennessee

Pastor Joshua Harper
Second Congregational UCC Church, Memphis TN

Pastor D’Arcy A. Deveaux, Sr.

Senior Pastor/Teacher

Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church

Director of Senior Pastors Network

The Apostolic Covenant of Churches Int’l, Inc.

Rev. Brian Foulks

Lexington, South Carolina

Min. Brandon J. Perkins, M.A.

M.Div Candidate at Columbia Theological Seminary
Providence Missionary Baptist Church-Christian Education Intern
Atlanta, GA

Matthew Wesley Williams
Lithonia, Georgia

Rev. L. Andrew Turner

Rev. John Gilmore

Open Heart Spiritual Center

Memphis, TN

Darnell L. Moore
Writer and Co-managing Editor
The Feminist Wire

Minister Louis J. Mitchell

South Congregational Church

Springfield, MA

Rev. Torey T. Wilson

Associate Pastor

Friendship Baptist Church

Trenton, NJ

Rev. Justin M. Shamell, M. Div.

Stone Mountain, GA 30088

The Rev. J. Lee Hill, Jr., Senior Pastor
Christian Fellowship Congregational Church (UCC)
San Diego, California

Kenneth L. Whitehurst, M. Ed.

Elder, Trinity PC(USA)

Decatur, GA

Gerald I. Parks II
Pastoral Intern.
Church of the Master Presbteri
an Church (PCUSA)
Senior at the Interdenominational Theological Center

Rev. David Israel Madison, MDiv

Pastor, Greater Ward African Methodist Episcopal Church

Houston, TX

Rev. Thomas Grinter, Th.M.,

Ph.D. Student at Chicago Theological Seminary

Pastor Yeshua A. Holiday
National Liaison for TransSaints Ministry of the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries
Tabernacle of Love Ministries, Founder

Dr. Jawanza Eric Clark
Assistant Professor of Global Christianity
Manhattan College

Ewuare X. Osayande
Editor – Stand Our Ground: Poems for Trayvon Martin and Marissa Alexander

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 12, 2013

Our Contributor: C J Rhodes

Next Post

December 14, 2013 In Memory of R3 Contributor Darlene Kelley

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Amy Steele Andre E. Johnson Book Reviews/Series Brian Foulks Call for Chapters Carol Howard Merritt Classes Conferences Contributors Crystal St.Marie Lewis Daniel White Hodge Earle Fisher Eulogy Fredrick Robinson Guest Contributions Henry McNeal Turner Institutes Interviews Joseph Boston Katherine Whitfield Kimberly Peeler-Ringer Lectures/Roundtables Natalie Bullock Brown R3 Book Series R3 Contributor Rashad Grove Readers Reflections Symposiums Teaching Traci Ellis Travis Harris Uncategorized Video

Select a Month June 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 October 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz