God is a Negro: The (rhetorical) black theology of bishop Henry McNeal Turner
Abstract
In this essay, I argue that Henry McNeal Turner was doing something way more complex than just declaring "God is a Negro" when he uttered this iconic statement. It is my belief he was offering a deep theological analysis on God-talk, language and hermeneutics, in addition to providing a radical version of a contextual theology that predates our modern understanding of the term. In addition, Turner's editorial also offers a critique to the hegemonic Christian interpretation of his day, namely, asking African Americans to see and experience God in a new and affirming way. I have accomplished this task by offering a rhetorical analysis of this statement, arguing that Turner engaged in what some scholars call rhetorical theology. By maintaining that all theology is at its core a form of argument, "rhetorical theology" places emphasis on how a speaker or writer situates language in order to persuade its hearers to a certain position. In other words, when Turner spoke and wrote "God is a Negro," he was not doing systematic theology, he was engaged in a public theology - a rhetorical enterprise, that had as its aim a persuasive function within a specific context.
Publication Title
Black Theology
Recommended Citation
Johnson, A. (2015). God is a Negro: The (rhetorical) black theology of bishop Henry McNeal Turner. Black Theology, 13 (1), 29-40. https://doi.org/10.1179/1476994815Z.00000000045
