Dr. Anthony Pinn is a professor, prolific author and much sought-after lecturer committed to academic rigor. Known internationally as a leading expert in the field of African American religion, Dr. Pinn’s teaching and research interests span liberation theologies, black religious aesthetics, religion and popular culture, and African American humanism.
On today’s episode, I speak with Dr. Pinn about his book The Black Practice of Disbelief. We start with how he defines religion, which might differ slightly from what many Inquirers understand. We talk What distinguishes Black Humanism from Humanism in general, and the need to partner with progressive theists to achieve the social change Humanists strive for. Black Humanists are often considered outsiders even within the Black community, a minority within a minority. Nonetheless, according to Dr. Pinn, Black Humanism is always about what we can do to reduce suffering in this world.
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It doesn't surprise me that Black people never cease to be amazed by the fact that White people are perplexed that they don't trust them! It's all Kumbaya until shit happens and then the person considered most expendable is thrown under the bus... And yet when one really drills down into the history of humanist progress on the ground, the first mover is almost always a Black/Brown marginalized person, most often a woman or sexual minority, who is quickly pushed aside when the movement gathers momentum and leadership roles are worth having, all of a sudden. In the end, underprivileged White men and privileged White women benefit most, only to turn on those who got them there most viciously!
ReplyDeleteAs for the Black church, is it any surprise that the more marginalized the identifiable group, the more performatively religious, given the social supports such organizations provide that can't be sourced from secular sources, by design? As we speak, it's South Korean Christian churches, especially Pentecostals, who run the underground railroad from the North, which is an exercise in extreme proselytizing. Is it that secular humanist organizations aren't stepping up, or are they elbowed out through the unholy alliance of government and religion?