Jeremiah Wright on learning styles (by race) and "liberation" theology

Two under-emphasized aspects of Rev. Wright's speech to the National Press Club on April 28...

The prophetic theology of the black church during the days of segregation, Jim Crow, lynching and the "separate but equal" fantasy was a theology of liberation.

It was preached to set African-Americans free from the notion of second-class citizenship, which was the law of the land. And it was practiced to set free misguided and mis-educated Americans from the notion that they were actually superior to other Americans based on the color of their skin.

The prophetic theology of the black church in our day is preached to set African-Americans and all other Americans free from the misconceived notion that different means deficient. Being different does not mean one is deficient. It simply means one is different, like snowflakes, like the diversity that God loves. Black music is different from European and European music. It is not deficient. It is just different. Black worship is different from European and European-American worship. It is not deficient. It is just different. Black preaching is different from European and European-American preaching. It is not deficient. It is just different. It is not bombastic. It is not controversial. It's different...

If you believe the "self-defense" theory in explaining Wright's recent efforts, the reference to preaching is the key to his remarks. In any case, he closes his "different/deficient" examples with this nugget:

Black learning styles are different from European and European-American learning styles. They are not deficient. They are just different.

A number of things to say here (under-emphasized point #1):

-Can you imagine a white or other non-black non-whites saying such a thing-- without tremendous upset?

-I don't know Rev. Wright's position(s) on education reform. But one could infer from his remark that he would support segregated (but equal) schools-- so that blacks (and others) could be better educated. And in concert with his theme of liberation, I'd suppose he would support school choice and educational vouchers-- to allow more flexibility in the delivery of education and to liberate inner-city blacks from a government monopoly.

Now, back to the speech...

This principle of difference does not mean deficient is at the heart of the prophetic theology of the black church. It is a theology of liberation.

The prophetic theology of the black church is not only a theology of liberation; it is also a theology of transformation, which is also rooted in Isaiah 61, the text from which Jesus preached in his inaugural message as recorded by Luke. When you read the entire passage from either Isaiah 61 or Luke 4, and do not try to understand the passage or the content of the passage in the context of a sound bite, what you see is God's desire for a radical change in a social order that has gone sour.

Again, a number of things to say (under-emphasized point #2):

-First, as an aside, it is interesting that Wright draws an historical equivalence between slavery, Jim Crow, and contemporary times. I don't see how one can reasonably compare slavery with non-slavery or government-induced oppression with modern times.

-Wright is correct that Isaiah 61 and the Gospels have a heavy dose of liberation. (In fact, the entire Bible can be seen through that lens.)

When the Bible discusses earthly and political freedoms, the emphases are on condemning those who oppress (rather than proclaiming that the oppressed should rise up) and God dealing with the oppressors (directly through divine action or indirectly through his representatives). I suppose Wright would claim this final category as justification for his own work. But if so, he must take care to do it (oh so) well.

And although the Bible talks about both, the Word promotes spiritual freedom over physical freedom. A "Gospel" that emphasizes the latter is, in fact, no Gospel at all. This is a critique of what is often called "the liberation gospel". Although it has a tinge of Christianity, it fails as a counterfeit.


Back to learning styles, Michael Medved at TownHall.com reports on Wright's extended thoughts on the topic-- as presented at a Detroit NAACP meeting.