Black Liberation Theology: From Black Power to Black Lives Matter - Professor Anthony Reddie

Professor Anthony Reddie was born and brought up in Bradford in a family of Caribbean migrants, who were part of the Windrush Generation. His undergraduate and postgraduate studies were undertaken at the University of Birmingham. For many years Anthony has been working on the link between Black liberation theology and Practical theology, in a way that (he hopes) impacts on the consciousness of ordinary Black people, particularly those living in inner city, poor communities in Britain. His publications have included "Is God Colour-Blind? Insights from Black Theology for Christian Faith and Ministry" (2010), and "Theologising Brexit: A Liberationist and Postcolonial Critique" (2019). He is currently Director of the Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture at Regent’s Park College and editor of the journal Black Theology. In 2020 he was awarded the Lanfranc Award by the Archbishop of Canterbury in recognition of his 'exceptional and sustained contribution to Black theology In Britain and beyond'. Last year he was appointed Oxford University’s first professor of Black theology. Café Théologique is hosted by the University of Reading Chaplaincy and is a space to explore contemporary issues from a theological perspective. All are welcome. Events are free to attend without booking. Guests are welcome to join us for food at the venue from 6pm. Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Professor Reddie 02:23 Introduction 03:22 Oxford University and colonialism, Cecil Rhodes controversy 07:17 Black Power and the challenge of Black Christian Theology 08:40 First story: A Christian enslaved man and a Christian slave-master. From Albert J. Raboteau "Slave Religion" (1978). See also Noel Erskine "Decolonising Theology" (1981) 22:15 Origins of Black Theology - enslaved people seeing themselves in the Bible and in Jesus 26:04 Book reference: James Cone "Black Theology and Black Power" (1969), "A Black Theology of Liberation" (1970) 27:15 Second story: Baptists on Jamaica - Sam Sharpe and the Baptist War 1831-2 32:20 Black theology as a form of epistemological break 40:52 Black Lives Matter movement 44:59 Third story: Teenage trouble - white vs black 47:00 Final stories: Experiences of bias against Black bodies 53:50 Conclusion (Technical difficulties resulted in second or two of blank video at 26:22)