I managed to catch a piece of it, and it was great. I can't remember all the participants, but I certainly respect folks like Bishop Jones, Professor Grant and others who bring a level of critical thinking on subjects of politics, religion and social responsibility. I hope that parishioners are getting tired of being "preached" at and desire religious leaders who are educated on scripture and ensure that their church members are as well. One of the first things I looked for when I joined a church home was whether the Pastor was trained in seminary, whether he/she was passionate about social action and whether he/she employed a "teaching" model rather than a "preachin" model within the Church infrastructure. I was also looking for a Church that didn’t always “have” to follow the traditions of the black church, but was willing to think outside the box.
On
www.cspan.org, you can watch the entire event (morning and afternoon session) via Real Video (best if you have broadband). It looks like Dr. West was a participant in the afternoon session (which I didn’t see at all).
You can buy both sessions via CSPAN, I think:
Forum
Role of the Church in Black America, Morning
Smiley Group
Detroit, Michigan (United States)
ID: 175009 - 02/08/2003 - 4:11 - $39.95
Forum
Role of the Church in Black America, Afternoon
Smiley Group
Detroit, Michigan (United States)
ID: 175009 - 2 - 02/08/2003 - 3:04 - $39.95