Session 4

Africana Spiritualities of Liberation in Historical and Contemporary Perspective

Popular Africana Spiritualities of Resistance

Artists such as Kanye West have appropriated - and in some cases reinterpreted - Christian ideas and images.
Consider the symbolism involved in this image from the 9 February 2006 issue of Rolling Stone. In what ways might this use of such symbolism be considered theologically problematic?
In what ways might this image be commenting on the nature of suffering, salvation, redemption, and American life? Is West's implicit message similar to that forwarded by Henry McNeal Turner?
Have other American artists claimed, or been assigned by their fans, messianic status?
Could it be argued that the roles of African American religious officials, social activists, politicians, and artists have significantly overlapped from the 18th to the 21st centuries?

Citation: administrator. (2006, September 05). Session 4. Retrieved November 23, 2009, from Notre Dame OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.nd.edu/africana-studies/faith-and-the-african-american-experience/session-4.

Session 4

Africana Spiritualities of Liberation in Historical and Contemporary Perspective

Popular Africana Spiritualities of Resistance

Artists such as Kanye West have appropriated - and in some cases reinterpreted - Christian ideas and images.

Consider the symbolism involved in this image from the 9 February 2006 issue of Rolling Stone. In what ways might this use of such symbolism be considered theologically problematic?

In what ways might this image be commenting on the nature of suffering, salvation, redemption, and American life? Is West's implicit message similar to that forwarded by Henry McNeal Turner?

Have other American artists claimed, or been assigned by their fans, messianic status?

Could it be argued that the roles of African American religious officials, social activists, politicians, and artists have significantly overlapped from the 18th to the 21st centuries?