The Society for the Study of Black Religion is the oldest scholarly society dedicated to the study of the African-American religious experience. It is dedicated to "scholarly research and discussion about the religious experiences of Blacks."
History
The SSBR was founded in 1970 to support black religious scholars' critical inquiry into the foundations of black theology. The intellectual ferment which led to the group's founding began with Joseph B. Washington's publication of the seminal Black Religion in 1964, and continued with the publication of James H. Cone's Black Theology and Black Power in 1969.
The group chose the name "religion" rather than "theology" to avoid the constraints imposed by the narrower term. Charles Shelby Rooks, who would later become the first African-American head of a traditionally white-led seminary at the Chicago Theological Seminary, took a leading role in the founding and served as the SSBR's first elected president.
Presidents
- Charles Shelby Rooks, 1970–1974
- Lawrence Neale Jones, 1974–1977
- Gayraud Wilmore, 1978–1980
- Charles Shelby Rooks, 1980–1983
- Gayraud Wilmore, 1984–1985
- Charles H. Long, 1986–1989
- Clarence G. Newsome, 1990–1991
- Lillian Ashcraft-Eason, 1996–1999
- Peter J. Paris, 2000–2003
- Katie G. Cannon, 2004–2008
- Lee H. Butler, Jr., 2008–2012
- Emilie Townes, 2012–2016
- Stephen G. Ray, Jr., 2016–present
Notable members
See also
References
- "SSBR". Society for the Study of Black Religion. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
- Paris, Peter J. (1991). "Overcoming Alienation in Theological Education". In Barbara G. Wheeler & Edward Farley (ed.). Shifting Boundaries. p. 183. ISBN 9780664251727.
- Rooks, Charles Shelby (1990). Revolution in Zion: Reshaping African American Ministry, 1960-1974 : a Biography in the First Person. Pilgrim Press. p. 134.
- Long, Charles H. (2003). "Assessment and New Departures for a Study of Black Religion". In Cornel West; Eddie S. Glaude (eds.). African American Religious Thought: An Anthology. p. 223.
- Paris, Peter J. (2014). "The African in African American Theology". The Oxford Handbook of African American Theology. p. 438. ISBN 9780199755653.
- Young, Henry J. (1979). Major Black Religious Leaders Since 1940. Vol. 2. p. 107.
- Encyclopedia of African American Religions. p. 409.
- ^ "Society for the Study of Black Religion: 42nd Annual Meeting" (PDF).
- "Bio: Emilie M. Townes". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
- "Dr. Stephen G. Ray, Jr. Named President-Elect of the Society for the Study of Black Religion". Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
External links
| Archives at | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||
| How to use archival material |
- "Digital Collection: The Society for the Study of Black Religion Collection". RADAR. Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library.