THE DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR THE BLACK EXPERIENCE
December 2, 2020
12 noon EST/ 11 a.m. CST/ 10 a.m. MST/ 9 a.m. PST
For centuries, the black church has served as the epicenter of black life and culture. From religious instruction, education, socialization, political engagement and economic empowerment, the black church has and still plays a critically important role. Unfortunately, significant parts of the history of the black church and its leadership are at risk of being lost forever. Are You Saved? The History of Blacks in Religion provides an opportunity to learn more about what is at risk and what can be done to put this discussion front and center. Hosted by the Dean of the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University Jonathan Lee Walton, this panel discussion provides an opportunity to learn more about some of the leading voices in African American religious thought and features Abyssinian Baptist Church’s The Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, former President of the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School’s The Reverend Dr. Marvin McMickle, and Assistant Professor at Yale University Divinity School The Reverend Dr. Eboni Marshall-Turman. Following the discussion is a Q&A session with questions from The HistoryMakers ReligionMakers Advisory Committee.
This 90-minute program is scheduled to stream on YouTube and Facebook Live at 12:00 noon EST on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 as the second installment of The HistoryMakers 20@2020: 20 Days and 20
Jonathan Lee Walton is the Dean of the Divinity School at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His work and insights have been featured in several national and international news outlets that range from the New York Times, CNN, Time Magazine, ESPN, and the BBC. His latest book, A Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World (Westminster John Knox Press) explores the Bible from the perspective of the most vulnerable and violated characters. He is also the author of Watch This! The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism (New York University Press). Watch This! examines the impact of evangelical religious broadcasting on African American religious and political thought. Along with serving as the Dean of the School of Divinity, Professor Walton also occupies the Presidential Chair in Religion & Society and is the inaugural Dean of Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University.
Dr. Butts continues as the eminent pastor of The Abyssinian Baptist Church, one of the most historic faith institutions in the nation. In September 2020, he was appointed President Emeritus of SUNY College at Old Westbury College, and remains Chairman Emeritus of the Board of the National Black Leadership Commission on Health (NBLCH), as well as a founding member of the organization’s Board of Commissioners. The Reverend served as President of Africare NYC, an independent organization dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life in rural Africa, and was a member of the board of the September 11th Fund. For his community activism, Dr. Butts received innumerable honors and commendations, including the United Negro College Fund’s Shirley Chisholm Community Service Award; The Medal for Distinguished Service from Teachers College, Columbia University and Man of the Year, Morehouse College Alumni Association.
Rev. Dr. McMickle served as the 12th President of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2019. Prior to joining CRCDS he was pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio from 1987 to 2011. Dr. McMickle was also the Professor of Homiletics at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio, from 1996 to 2011. He is the author of 15 books and dozens of articles that regularly appear in professional journals and magazines. His writings also appear in Feasting on the Word and Preaching God’s Transforming Justice two recent preaching commentaries. He is a member of the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and has also served as a Visiting Professor of Preaching at Yale University Divinity School. Dr. McMickle is currently the Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at CRCDS.
The Reverend Eboni Marshall Turman is the youngest woman to be named Assistant Minister of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City (2002- 2012), and the second woman to preside over the ordinances in its 212-year history. She is the only womanist theological ethicist on faculty at Yale Divinity School, the recipient of the 2018 Yale University Bouchet Faculty Excellence award for research and teaching; the 2018 Inspiring Yale award; a 2017- 18 Yale Public Voices fellow; one of Ebony Magazine’s Young Faith Leaders in the Black Community; included on the Network Journal’s prestigious 40 Under 40 List; named as one of the “Top 5 Young Preachers in America” by ROHO; and Auburn Theological Seminary’s 2017 “Lives of Commitment” honoree.