A Statement about the #FergusonFiasco

Last updated on: April 29, 2015 at 8:08 pm by Guest Contributor

A Statement about the #FergusonFiasco 2015-04-29T20:08:46-05:00 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.

Students in the Fall 2014 African American Religious Thought class at Memphis Theological Seminary created a statement regarding the #FergusonFiasco. Below is the statement.

Ferguson is not solely a black and white issue; it is an issue of equal rights for all human beings. The failure to resolve the issue of recurring injustice against black people perpetuates and reinforces a divide between the races. We believe the solution to societal ills come from the bottom up rather than the top down. Therefore, we seek solutions from a communal grassroots perspective, while continuing to further our cause by engaging in the pursuit of freedom and equality.

The media, perhaps at the behest of the principalities and powers that Paul writes about, also continues to exploit and prey upon the fears of people. The media shifts the narrative from the peaceful, sustained and long-standing actions of the many, advocating for equal treatment of all human beings, toward the sporadic and unsanctioned violent acts of the few, which are not representative of the larger picture.

Therefore, we who are representatives of the church must commit to listening to our communities in order to identify pressing issues and further commit to walk side by side with that particular community in an effort to assist wherever we can. We realize that every community is unique in its makeup and therefore, rather than swallowing and regurgitating the “facts” fed to them by the principalities and powers, we further commit to being a conduit of change irrespective of religious beliefs. Moreover, the church must help individuals critically discern the lived realities around them. A church that does not value the lives of all its people and black people specifically, can no longer serve as the mouthpiece for any of the people.

While we believe that one of the answers to issues such as a Ferguson Fiasco is love, we also believe it is more important how we express that love. Love that grounds itself in the biases of inferiority and racist attitudes and beliefs is no type of love. However, we call for a love that listens, affirms and expressly state that black truth matters. We believe that until this happens, nothing else will change us; nothing else will move us forward.

Instructor:

Dr. Andre E. Johnson

Students:

Reginald Boyce

Barbara Boyd

Alexander Carson

Johan Daza Rivera

Hattie Freeman

Erin Grant

Joshua Harper

Gene Jones

Paul Kinuthia

Felecia LaVant

John Lowrance

Rochester Neely

Mike Reno

Carrol Seldon

Katherine Whitfield

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 15, 2014

God Who Delivers the Oppressed

Next Post

December 15, 2014 Being and Blackness: The Significance of Black Lived Experience in Ferguson

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