In its ongoing efforts to examine the intersections between rhetoric, race, and religion, Memphis Theological Seminary along with the Dr. James L. Netters Professorship, will offer its first Rhetoric Race and Religion Institute from May 21-June 29. Below are the classes and dates for the Institute. All classes are one-week intensives from 9am-5pm Monday-Friday). Classes for non-degree seeking students is only $300.00. Limited housing options are available. For more information or to enroll, please email Dr. Andre E. Johnson at [email protected] Rhetoric... Read more

Love thy neighbour, so long as he is not an illegal immigrant. Blessed are the poor, so long as they are deserving. And, though it may be harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than to pass through the eye of a needle, multimillionaires should have no problem passing through the door of the Oval Office. Religion and politics have always made uneasy bedfellows; yet how can Christians from all shades of the political spectrum reconcile... Read more

In promoting our goal of examining the nexus between rhetoric, race and religion, we will partner with the mission group of Caritas Village to start the Rhetoric, Race and Religion book club devoted to the study of how rhetoric (language) shapes and constructs both race and religion. We will meet at 6:00pm on the first Monday of the month starting March 5, 2012 at the Caritas Village located at 2509 Harvard in Memphis, Tennessee. For those not able to make it in... Read more

Jonathan Walton, social ethicist and African American religious studies scholar, joined the faculty of Harvard Divinity School in July 2010. Formerly an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of California, Riverside, Walton earned his PhD in religion and society from Princeton Theological Seminary. He also holds a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary as well as a BA in political science from Morehouse College in Atlanta.His research addresses the intersections of religion, politics, and media culture. Drawing... Read more

We here at Rhetoric Race and Religion collected articles and posted videos that examined Whitney Houston through the lens of religion. Here are those stories again. Enjoy Whitney’s “home going” and the spiritual divide Media coverage of singer Whitney Houston’s funeral evoked a disappointment I often feel as a black woman in America. It reminded me that many elements of black culture are still viewed as exotic and, in some cases, disdained as such. Houston’s funeral, but for being broadcast... Read more

by Steve EricksonThe American Prospect In February 1849, Brigham Young, the man who unified the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, declared that the black man’s color is the mark of Cain—the manifestation of the first capital crime, Cain’s murder of his brother. These days Mormon revisionism doesn’t so much contest as ignore Young’s decree, implying that it’s urban legend. What the Church can’t dispute is that until three decades ago, African Americans were prohibited from playing any... Read more

by Joanna BrooksReligion Dispatches Racist apologetics by a popular Brigham Young University religion professor are sparking controversy, as election-year scrutiny sheds a revealing light on the persistence of racist belief among LDS Church members. On Tuesday, Randy Bott, a BYU professor of religion, told the Washington Post that the LDS Church’s historic prohibition on priesthood ordination for men of African descent was a “blessing” to blacks because they were not “ready” for priesthood authority. “God has always been discriminatory” when... Read more

by Mary Kupiec Cayton and Peter Williams In March 2010, the Texas State Board of Education capped nearly a year of discussion by approving a new social studies curriculum for the second largest state system in the United States. The crafting of the new curriculum provoked considerable controversy, particularly with the respect to the inclusion of references to the role of Christianity in the life of the nation. “Textbooks are mostly the product of a liberal establishment, and they’re written... Read more

by Janine Giordano Drake Religion in American History A few weeks ago, Jon Stewart made the news with a pithy statement regarding the Catholic Church’s rejection of financial support for medical care they deem inappropriate. He said, “You’ve confused a war on your religion with not always getting what you want.” The statement stirred me for days, as it might have been uttered at any time in American history against any religious leader with a fair degree of temporal power.... Read more

Having obtained both a Bachelors and Masters degree in English Literature from the University of Memphis, as well as an African American Literature Certification, Gee Joyner has utilized his rhetorical prowess as an empowering tool of social commentary to record the dichotomy and disturbing behaviors indicative of God’s wonderful and complex creation; humanity. After surviving an attempted murder in 2002 and using his skills in composition to aid and assist troubled juveniles in their quest to overcome the sociopolitical, economical,... Read more