The Politics of Black Religion

Barbara D. Savage

Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History in the Department of History of the University of Pennsylvania

April 11, 2012

Grawemeyer Award in Religion Lecture

Dr. Savage received the prize for the ideas set forth in her book, Your Spirits Walk Beside Us: The Politics of Black Religion which introduces important new perspectives on the study of black religion and the political role of African American churches.

Dr. Savage explains why it is misleading to speak of ‘the black church’ given the enormous diversity among African American congregations. She also challenges the popular belief that black churches have been prophetic and politically active throughout history. Listen to the lecture.

What Shall We Do with the Ark of the God of Israel?

Johanna W. H. Bos
Dora Pierce Professor of Bible and Professor of Old Testament

November 4, 2011
1 Samuel 5:1-12
1 Samuel 6:10-13

Listen to the sermon.

The Life of the Mind in the Service of God: Why a Thinking Faith Still Matters

Michael Jinkins

President and Professor of Theology

September 9, 2010

Convocation

Today, perhaps more than at any time since the Protestant Reformation, we need to recover a commitment to an intellectually rigorous faith, a courageous and imaginative faith, a thinking faith so memorably expressed in John Calvin’s phrase, ‘the life of the mind in the service of God. One of the great challenges of theological education and of the life of faith in our time is to make a case for that quality of thinking faith which does not shrink either from scholarship or from acts of compassion, from the adventure of critical thought or from the call to justice. Listen to the address. Read the address in PDF.

The Politics of Jesus

Christopher L. Elwood
Professor of Historical Theology

Psalm 27
Mark 15:6-20

Originally preached on April 7, 2006

We continue our summer series of most-downloaded sermons with the question: is there politics in this story? The familiar story of Jesus’ passion is surprising in its relevance. As together we seek ways to embody God’s call for justice, we may find we cannot do without the politics of Jesus. Listen to the sermon.