The Defining Moment: Rev. Dr. Howard W. Thurman, Part 2
ByThe Reverend Dr. D.Darrell Griffin
Presented by Omni-U Virtual University
The sub-title of Part 2, of “The Defining Moment: The Spiritual and Soul Care Practice of Rev. Dr. Howard W. Thurman,” could have been modified to “The Spiritual and Soul Care of Mrs. Nancy Ambrose “. As this segment is read, the reader will undoubtedly agree that Rev. Dr.Thurman's grandmother deserves equal billing. That he would have been a great man cannot be denied. However, Grandmother Ambrose is one of the principal- if not THE reason- that he became the author of the revolutionary ideas that influenced not only other great men and women but, also decisively altered the trajectory of both his life and career. Dr. Gloria Latimore-Peace
Servants, be obedient to them who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness or heart, as unto Christ.(6) Not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as Servants of Christ , doing the will of God from the heart. Ephesians 6:5-6 KJV
“Why is it that Christianity seems impotent to deal radically and, therefore, effectively, with the issues of discrimination and injustice on the basis of race, religion, and national origin?”[1] That question flows through the river of African American history from its inception in 1639 when [chattel] slavery, racism, and White supremacy were first codified into American law.[2]
Thurman answers this profound theological question, that contends with theodicy, evil, and the will and character of God, in his short, compelling, and powerful book, Jesus and the Disinherited. Is religion itself inherently weak? Is Christianity’s impotency a betrayal of the genius of the religion itself? Thurman proposes yet another question as he answers the primary one. “"What does the religion of Jesus have to say to those with their ‘'backs against the wall?[3]
Thurman was perplexed by Christianity's failure to address and utilize one of its chief tenets, i.e., that Christian disciples love their neighbors as they love themselves and love one another as Christ loved them. The gospel specifically articulates love as the foundational distinguishing characteristic of Christians: (Matthew 22:37-38; John 13:34, 15:12). [3]
“Why is it that Christianity seems impotent to deal radically and, therefore, effectively, with the issues of discrimination and injustice on the basis of race, religion, and national origin?”[1] That question flows through the river of African American history from its inception in 1639 when [chattel] slavery, racism, and White supremacy were first codified into American law.[2]
Thurman answers this profound theological question, that contends with theodicy, evil, and the will and character of God, in his short, compelling, and powerful book, Jesus and the Disinherited. Is religion itself inherently weak? Is Christianity’s impotency a betrayal of the genius of the religion itself?
Thurman proposes yet another question as he answers the primary one. “What does the religion of Jesus have to say to those with their ‘'backs against the wall? [3] Thurman was perplexed by Christianity's failure to address and utilize one of its chief tenets, i.e., that Christian disciples love their neighbors as they love themselves and love one another as Christ loved them. The gospel specifically articulates love as the foundational distinguishing characteristic of Christians:(Matthew22:37-38; John 13:34, 15:12). [3]
In response to his disappointment in finding no intellectually respectable questions and answers, Thurman began his own search. Perceived as radical and revolutionary for his time, Thurman explored many concepts that drew wisdom from myriad sources as the questions loomed on the canvas of his life and era. I posit that his grandmother Mrs. Nancy Ambrose, Rufus Jones, the Quaker Mystic, and Ghandi combined to offer suitable intellectual and existential answers. They were the primary architects in his theological system.
It is impossible to estimate the moral and spiritual contributions of Thurman's grandmother whose influence assisted him in arriving at a logical and experiential answer to the foregoing questions. It was her view of Christianity that greatly informed Thurman's theological and spiritual thinking. A survivor of the horrors of the practice known as “chattel slavery,” Thurman’s grandmother questioned whether the New Testament sanctioned the diabolical system that relegated her forebears to being claimed as “property” and treated like livestock.
In his autobiography, With Head and Heart: The Autobiography of Howard W. Thurman, he recalls that , as she listened to the reading of the Bible. his grandmother would direct the reader to skip any passages, such as those in the Pauline letters that seemied to endorse the system by which she and her people were victimized. Given their close relationship, her staunch objections to those texts became a dilemma for him.
Thurman's father died ,suddenly and unexpectedly, when he was a young boy. Consequently, his mother became the head of the household. His grandmother served as the primary caregiver while his mother worked to provide for the family. He, like so many others , inherited his cardinal values, principles, and beliefs from his grandmother. The blessings and benefits of such a pivotal relationship are inestimable for she chiseled his character into the values that would guide him toward his lifelong spiritual path.
Her indelible influence instilled within him a profound and enduring faith, dignity, and resilience. Those key attributes would guide him in formulating an authentically Christian and biblical response to racial segregation and its residual, systemic inequities. Mrs. Ambrose's stories of resilience and faith, in the furnace of oppression, inspired Thurman's unwavering commitment to social justice in answering his profound spiritual inquiry. His grandmother embodied the fortitude and legacy of generations of African Americans who endured prevalent and persistent injustices. Despite unimaginable hardships, she maintained her self-worth as a unique child of God, thereby imparting these values to her grandson. Her stories of survival and perseverance amidst adversity empowered Thurman and bequeathed an immeasurable resilience of the human spirit. Her prayers, hymns, and religious teachings provided a foundation for Thurman's spiritual journey, nurturing his connection to the divine and his commitment to social justice.
Thurman described his grandmother's lessons as having “directness of speech and simplicity of faith.” She posited that “life was to be lived by a simple trust in God.” More significantly, Thurman recalls, "I learned more, for instance, about the genius of the religion of Jesus from my grandmother than from all the men who taught me all the Greek and all of the rest of it, because she moved inside the experience [of the religion of Jesus] and lived out of that kind of center." Essentially, Thurman considers his time and lessons from his grandmother as more beneficial than the formal training in systematic theology, biblical studies, religious history, and missional and practical components of ministerial studies.
Reminiscent of David Walker’'s Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World but in Particular, and Very Expressly, to Those of the United States of America, published originally in 1831 during the decades of radical abolitionism, Mrs. Ambrose's ideas attack the contradictions between Christian concepts of human liberty and equality and racial injustice. On the eve of the American Civil War, i.e., “The War Between the States”,Walker exhorts the “Colored Citizens…in a particular and Very Expressly to Those of the United States… - and, ironically, enslaved Christians of African descent- to rise up in social, political, and military protect to resist the evils of chattel slavery.
Walker stated, unequivocally, that slavery existed in total contradiction to the Will and character of God. He further contended that Christianity demanded that they resist and eradicate this evil. Thurman's grandmother felt the same about its continuation throughout the century of social segregation that followed. True to Thurman's description of her straight-forwardness, Mrs. Ambrose did not mince any words regarding her disdain for the manipulation of Christianity to support inherently contradictory ideas and values. She rejected several of the Pauline Letters because she recognized that they condoned a brutal system of human degradation under which she, herself, had suffered.
While reading the Bible to his grandmother during a summer break following his sophomore year in college, Thurman summoned the courage to inquire about Grandmother Nancy’s refusal to listen to some of Paul's writings in the New Testament. She recalled Baptist and Methodist ministers who proselytized “enslaved” people using Pauline passages by assuring them that God had, in effect, decreed chattel slavery as their purpose and a fulfillment of His Will. Invariably, these preachers expounded upon the text found in Ephesians 6:5-6[1]
Having previously heard this ,and similar passages, Grandmother Nancy resolved never again to listen to them when she became an adult.[4] Her objections and resistance towards the standard interpretations of the dominant culture, regarding Christianity and race, typified lingering theological debates about the character of God, the presence of evil, the allowance of evil, and the human tendency to categorize people according to race, ethnicity, culture, and other differentiating factors.
Her objections to using the Bible to endorse systemic injustice foreshadowed the development of Black Theology, a theological and scholarly movement borne of the Civil Rights Movement. It was reinforced by simultaneous unrest on college and university campuses when students insisted upon articulating a distinctly African American perspective of Christianity. Undoubtedly, Mrs Nancy Ambrose contributed, immeasurably,to this system of thought through her profound mentoring influence on her grandson, Howard W. Thurman, who would subsequently write for both of them.
The Reverend Dr. D. Darrell Griffin serves as the Senior Pastor of Oakdale Covenant Church in Chicago, Illinois; his pastorate there exceeds a quarter of a century. He is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia where he earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion. He holds the Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge
BlogNotes:
[1] Howard W. Thurman. Jesus and the Disinherited.
[2] Ibid. Thurman
[3] op cit
[4]Matthew 22:37-39 KJV Jesus said unto them, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
(38) This is the first and great commandment.
(39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
[5] Ephesians 6:5-6 KJV
Servants , be obedient to them who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness or heart, as unto Christ.(6) Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as Servants of Christ , doing the will of God from the heart.
Recommended Readings:
Lisa M. Henry. African American Readings of Paul
Recommended Viewing :
Interview with Lisa M. Henry
Oakdale Covenant Church
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