We’re excited to be launching a new space for commentary and exchange of ideas. Thank you for your patience as we put the finishing touches on “Theology Now!” More soon!
The Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia is a research initiative, whose mission is to study the social consequences of theological ideas for the sake of a more just and compassionate world.
Cheryl Sanders, a PLT collaborator and dear friend to the project, recently shared a few kind words about our book Lived Theology: New Perspectives on Method, Style, and Pedagogy (Oxford University Press, 2016):
“Lived Theology is essential reading for students, activists, pastors, and scholars who are attentive to present and future opportunities for theological engagement and witness in the public square. These essays establish the importance of lived theology as a rationale and methodology for analysis of the primary source data of social change, such as field reports, position papers and oral histories, in order to discover vital theological conversations, convictions, and commitments.”
Sanders is a professor of Christian ethics at Howard University’s School of Divinity, where she teaches courses in Christian ethics, pastoral ethics, and African American spirituality. She also serves as senior pastor of the Third Street Church of God in Washington, D.C. She has participated in several PLT initiatives.
Thank you, Cheryl! We are thankful for the way in which this important volume about lived theology as an academic discipline continues to help shape theological curriculum in seminaries and graduate programs in the U.S. and beyond!
In the summer of 1973, Dr. Robert Marsh accepted the call as senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dothan, Alabama. Early in his tenure, an African American couple and their two children walked the aisle on a Sunday morning to join the church.
Dr. Marsh welcomed the family into the 3,500-member congregation as he would any new family. But when the morning service ended, a gaggle of deacons approached Marsh to let him know in no uncertain terms that Blacks were not permitted to join First Baptist, according to bylaws written in the early 1960s, buried deep in the church records.
In the coming weeks, Marsh used the Wednesday Fellowship Meal and Bible Study to explore the theme of racial reconciliation, focusing on Gal. 3:26-29 and 2 Cor. 5:11-21. The month-long study, attended by 150-200 church members, concluded with this sermon, “Amazing Grace for Every Race,” which led in turn to the full acceptance of the Black family from Queens, New York, and the removal of the whites-only paragraph in the church bylaws.
The sermon marks one of many small acts of individual conscience that brought southern segregation in its extralegal forms to an end.
Charles Marsh, October 12, 2021
by Rachel Olson, 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellow in Lived Theology
I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience as a fellow at the Project on Lived Theology. Throughout my time, I had the opportunity to create a comprehensive addition to the Project on Lived Theology’s website, composed of all topics relating to religion and the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia. I was able to gather a plethora of information on the subject, then present that information in a manner which could be easily understood by those in academia.
Under the leadership of my mentor, Isaac Barnes May, I was able to navigate historical and religious research. Isaac was a phenomenal mentor, whose expertise guided me to connect fragments of information into a whole work. At the beginning of my project, I obtained numerous primary sources detailing events and figures of the Civil Rights era in Virginia. Soon after, Isaac advised me to make timelines and categories of events, which led me to investigate further. At the end of my fellowship, I was able to conduct my first interview in the form of a podcast and write extended articles on major topics.
From taking these steps, I gained an in-depth view of the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia, of which I will highlight a few. First, I learned about Harry Byrd, former Virginia senator, whose segregationist ideas bled into society. I also learned about the lengthy public school shutdown in Prince Edward County, which was an exceptionally harsh stance of white massive resistance. It is because of heroes such as Dr. Milton Reid, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Roy Wilkins, and the Reverend Curtis Harris, who all were champions for the rights of African Americans, that progress could be made. I also read about the civil rights demonstrations in Danville and “Bloody Monday,” a historic time when African Americans unified in opposition to segregation in their community. Finally, I realized religion and civil rights go hand in hand. They both deal with issues of the heart, and religion became the driving force of the Civil Rights Movement.
My experience not only expanded my knowledge, but it also aided my personal and professional development. I gained a key takeaway that it is important to think critically about one’s opinions and views. We must ask ourselves why we hold these views, how our environment and personal biases have impacted our opinions, and what effect these views have on others. I believe if we answer these questions so that they have a positive impact, then we can continue to make strides towards a society of justice, peace, and love. In the future, I aim to become a physician. I will utilize my expanded knowledge of civil rights and religion to treat every interaction with sensitive care and respect, knowing that the way things are can always change for the better and that individuals can be shaped in unique ways.
Read Rachel’s first and second blog posts here and here.
Learn more about the 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship in Lived Theology here.
The Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia is a research initiative, whose mission is to study the social consequences of theological ideas for the sake of a more just and compassionate world.
by Rachel Olson, 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellow in Lived Theology
In the last few weeks of research, my team and I have made meaningful strides uncovering hidden figures and events from the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia. Specifically, I learned a great deal about Danville as well as about eugenics at the University of Virginia. I wrote an article and gathered photos of public demonstrations held in Danville. In 1960, sixteen Black students attempted to use an all-white library that held books and facilities superior to the amenities at the Black library. Those students were removed from the white library, which closed promptly after the incident. Following this and several other incidents of racial injustice, the Danville Christian Progressive Association (DCPA) was formed. The DCPA led hundreds of united African Americans and allies to march to city hall, as well as to hold countless other demonstrations. Many African Americans were jailed as a result of these events, especially on the tragic “Bloody Monday,” during which white policemen committed violence against protestors. After months of protest, Danville citizens elected a Black mayor.
Eugenics, the study of manipulating reproduction in order to generate desirable traits, was a staple at the UVA hospital. James Lawrence Cabell, UVA professor of anatomy and surgery from 1837 to 1889, believed that “black persons were permanently handicapped by intellectual, emotional, and physical limitations.” He outlined his theory of race science in his book The Testimony of Modern Science in the Unity of Mankind. The University hospital, which opened in 1901, segregated Black patients to the basement in very poor, crowded conditions. Paul Brandon Barringer, UVA faculty chair from 1895 to 1903, saw African Americans as a major threat to public health and reinforced the argument that African Americans remain in separate sections of the hospital. UVA president Edwin Alderman and Barringer elected Harvey Earnest Jordan as a faculty member in 1907; Jordan would become dean of the medical school in 1939. He supported sterilization laws and discouraged interracial marriage. He also encouraged stopping treatment for African Americans if they were to become severely ill.
Thus far, I have had to slowly “digest” the new information I have discovered. I have learned a great deal about the stories of African Americans in Charlottesville and in Virginia. It was a battle for them each day to remain vigilant in fighting for equality. Uncovering more and more details causes me to reflect on how far Virginia has come. It is sad to reflect on the horrors of eugenics and police brutality, but I am grateful we are becoming a more integrated community that possesses a common respect for each other.
Read Rachel’s first blog post here.
Learn more about the 2021 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship in Lived Theology here.
The Project on Lived Theology at the University of Virginia is a research initiative, whose mission is to study the social consequences of theological ideas for the sake of a more just and compassionate world.
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