To those not used to my preaching, this past Sunday would have probably been a different experience than what they're used to - especially if preachers on television are their only point of reference. Preachers these days aren't known to regularly engage topics of rape culture, police brutality, violence against the poor, environmental degradation and the list goes on and on. The truth is you won't hear this kind of preaching on television or big platforms. Preaching that challenges social injustices don't do well for ratings and corporate sponsors. A careful analysis of the substance of preaching currently on television will reveal that while charismatic - televangelist aren't necessaril
Check out this sermon by our pastor, Rev. Dr. Heber Brown, III entitled, An Empire State of Mind. Through the message, Dr. Brown unpacks the reality of empires in the Bible and the empire we face today. (Apologies for the varying quality of the video and audio, but hopefully the message comes through crystal clear!)
On Sunday, August 26, 2018 we studied Black Liberation Theology and discussed ways that our ministry could be informed by this perspective.
The old saying goes: "What the devil meant for evil, God turned it around for my good." It's a quote that comes to mind when I reflect on a video currently being shared around social media of a young woman being verbally assaulted on the back of a Baltimore City bus by her boyfriend. (Click here for excerpt of the video) Others on the bus moved to action in defense of the young woman after they saw him place his hands on her. One woman in particular lead the way in defending her - at one point putting herself between the man and the battered woman. I was so moved by the actions of the courageous woman who put her body on the line for another sister that I began working to contact her and
Our church is in the midst of a re-structuring of our Christian Education Ministry and the primary point of transformation that is happening now is theological - what we believe about God and ourselves in relation to God. We have explored what I believe is the default theological identity in many African American protestant churches which is Evangelicalism with its four distinctive characteristics being: Biblicism - the primacy of scripture Crucicentrism - the core event of Jesus' life was his death on Calvary Conversionism - stresses a personal relationship with Jesus as prompted by a dramatic event and Activism - focus on missions and changing of society as a part of evangelical history R
Our church is in the midst of a re-structuring of our Christian Education Ministry and the primary point of transformation that is happening now is theological - what we believe about God and ourselves in relation to God. We have explored what I believe is the default theological identity in many African American protestant churches which is Evangelicalism with its four distinctive characteristics being: 1. Biblicism - the primacy of scripture 2. Crucicentrism - the core event of Jesus' life was his death on Calvary 3. Conversionism - stresses a personal relationship with Jesus as prompted by a dramatic event and 4. Activism - focus on missions and changing of society as a part of evangelica
For 85 years Pleasant Hope Baptist Church has been shining and sharing God's Love in our community. Despite the average size of our congregation in a numerical sense (about 120 people worship with us on Sundays), God has blessed us to make a profound impact in the world in a variety of ways. We'll use this blog to help tell the story of Pleasant Hope, articulate our thoughts on issues going on around us and share information on resources that can be a blessing to others. Because we are a congregation that welcomes seekers, skeptics, and fellow sojourners, we'll also share posts about God, the Bible, and matters of the church - our questions, convictions, and hopes. Our Pastor, Rev. Dr. Heber
For 85 years Pleasant Hope Baptist Church has been shining and sharing God's Love in our community. Despite the average size of our congregation in a numerical sense (about 120 people worship with us on Sundays), God has blessed us to make a profound impact in the world in a variety of ways. We'll use this blog to help tell the story of Pleasant Hope, articulate our thoughts on issues going on around us and share information on resources that can be a blessing to others. Because we are a congregation that welcomes seekers, skeptics, and fellow sojourners, we'll also share posts about God, the Bible, and matters of the church - our questions, convictions, and hopes. Our Pastor, Rev. Dr. Heb
