I saw this great program on Religion & Ethics Newsweekly (PBS), discussing a church in Chicago that links modern black xianity to Christians from the bible. The pastor argues that
- blacks were Christians in many places before American slavery
- blacks should embrace their African and Christian roots in Africa
What was missing from this report was any distinguishing of African rituals and culture that black Christians could embrace, vs. those rooted in pagan worship. But it still all looked like a good thing.
What was really interesting were the Swahili coming-of-age rituals for men and girls – Xianity has lost this type of confirmation of adulthood – I mean, what happened to Barmitzvah?
Much praise for Dr. Wright for awakening a conscience of the hertitage of Africans and Christianity, but looking at Christianity from an Africentic view is misguided, because Christianity is African! Historical and scriptual evidence has been in our face forever chronicling the rich history of the Africans that make up the old and new testament. Dr. wright wrote a book some years back discussing blacks in the bible, well the real book should be written of who's not black in the bible!
LOL! What a twist. I should know more about this. I've heard people say that Moses' Ethiopian wife may have been dark. Who else in scripture was african, or black african?
Not only was Moses' wives black african, Moses and the rest of the Hebrews of that period were black Africans! For Moses to have passed for Pharoh's son meant that he had to have looked like an Egyptian, the differance between the Hebrews and Egyptians at that time was cultural, not racial. Pharoah's daugter knew that baby Moses was Hebrew not because of different skin color, but the fact that he was circumcised! The arabs and semetic peoples that inhabit biblical places of northern africa didn't come to the region for hundreds of years later. Many seminarians are aware of this, and the truth of this hasn't been hidden, but the false history has been perpetuated for so long that the myth has become truth to many.
You mean Sidney Poitier should have played Moses instead of Charlton Heston? LOL! So who else was really dark or black african in the bible?
And who was lighter? Not that it matters that much, but for accuracy's sake, and to re-enfranchise everyone involved, that would be nice to know.
it's not specifically known the exact complexions and such, but they were black african, just as in today with a person of african descent being of a lighter complexion doesn't make them less black than a darker skin person.