Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
Let’s dive into my thoughts…
By definition, theology is the critical study of God. For centuries, men and women have sought to understand God in their context of life. Some through attending church and listening to a pastor and others through the intense study of biblical scriptures, geographical research, science, history etc. There are several books written and published to document different journeys of scholars, theologians, atheists, agnostics, monks and others quest to discover who God is and His goal and mission for mankind.
Some say, “ Everything we need to know about God is in the Bible.” Some say, “God’s not real!” While others say, “God’s not dead- He’s still alive!” Wherever you are on the spectrum of understanding God, I believe this journey is long, hard, and we haven’t figured God out yet. With that being said, I believe there is more to discover, process, understand and discuss about God. And, I believe we have many tools to do it; such as, sermons, books, movies, science, prayer, nature, people, and much more. Which leads to why I chose to start this blog, “Black Man Theology.”
This blog is not a place to define who God fully is nor a place to bash others’ perspectives. It is simply a platform to process, discover, research and discuss who God is; more specifically, who God is through the lens of a Black man. I chose to call this blog “Black Man Theology,” because I’m a Black man. A Black American man who was born and raised by a single mother- in the Midwest of America. Grand Rapids and Kentwood, MI. The first half of my life was in the inner city of Grand Rapids (GR) and my teen years 13-17 was in Kentwood, MI the suburbs of GR. These details are important because, it’s my context and my context shapes my perspective and understanding of life.
Some of you are already calling me less “Black” because of where I was raised. Here is why… people judge us based upon where we come from, where we live, what school we went to, and all type of stuff. If all of these factors change a person’s perspective of me- imagine how people understand God.
How a Black man experiences life in the South of America is different than the Midwest; historically speaking. How a Black man experience life in another country is different than in America. The word Black isn’t even a real description of a person in other countries. The term Black was created to create separation between people. As a result, separate experiences were created and separate mindsets were nurtured. Therefore, we all see God differently. Which is why “Theology” is even a thing. To some Jesus is God and to others Jesus is just a man.
So with that being said, this will be a journey, a process, a quest to understand God and discover Him and His mission for mankind. Oh I forgot to say, I’m 32 years old as well. My age contributes to my context as well. I’ve only lived three decades and can probably analyze and understand one and a half of those decades. Some would say I haven’t been around long enough to know God well. So yeah, welcome to my thoughts, my processing and hopefully God shows us some things we could appreciate, value, change us, inspire us and most importantly help us understand Him more. In the comments, drop some topics you want to discuss.
