The Seminary Explores

Dr. Richard Perry, Prof. Emeritus of Church and Society, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and Dr. James Thomas, retired Prof. of Church and Ministry, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary Lenoir-Rhyne University discuss the life and ministry of Dr. William Herzfeld.

Dr Herzfeld was the first African American to be presiding bishop of a Lutheran denomination in the United States. They discussed his years as parish pastor, Civil Rights leader(worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Southern Christian Leadership Conference), bishop of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and executive position in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They also describe him as a synthesizer, nurturer, liberator, and community builder who showed his faith. In his life and with his organizational skills, he created space for Black Lutherans. He had a commitment to the global church. They both conclude that his life and ministry continues to inspire them and their work.

Bishop Herzfeld photo: https://coslutheran.org/bishop-will-herzfeld-1937-2002/

Dr. Mark Tyler, Historiographer of the AME Church, and the Inaugural Daniel A. Payne Lecturer, highlights the life and work of Daniel A. Payne and the importance of his years at Gettysburg Seminary.

He emphasizes the importance of and the role that education exhibited in Payne’s life as an African American intellectual in the 19^th century. Tyler also discusses Payne work as the first  historiographer of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; he (Tyler) is the 15^th person to hold that position. While a true intellectual, Tyler notes the fact that Payne’s life emphasized the use of Head and Heart in ministry. The intellect and the emotional commitment are inseparable; they inform one another.

Dr. Tyler's full lecture can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n6aoWutn20

Dr. Mark Tyler

Thumbnail image source: By C M Bell - https://www.loc.gov/item/2016690322/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=103021368 

Dr. James Thomas, retired professor of Church, Ministry and Worship at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University, discusses various people he interviewed and researched for his book, A Rumor of Black Lutherans. He emphasizes the importance of telling and sharing their stories as members of Lutheran churches in the U.S. In addition, he notes that the lives of these Black giants in Lutheranism indicates their contribution to the life of the whole church and people do not know them. For example, he mentioned Jehu Jones, Daniel Payne, Rosa Young. He encourages future scholars to continue to research and share the stories of Black Lutherans who have made contributions to our lives from their secular work as involved Lutheran laypersons (doctors, teachers, etc.).

Pew Research data on the Racial and ethnic composition among members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

This episode focuses on the work of Dawn Stewart and Mark Staples. They are part of a group of friends and colleagues of the late Dr. Richard Stewart. Dr. Stewart concentrated his work on the history of Black Lutherans. Mark and Dawn share their two-year project of reading and identifying articles in The Lutheran, Lutheran Standard, and Partners magazines which centered on Black Lutherans.

In continuing the work of Dr. Stewart, they hope to make their findings available to the public, students, and scholars. From their investigation, they were able to identify trends (Civil Rights, Housing, etc.) in the reporting as well as Black Lutherans who contributed to daily life in the United States and to the Lutheran Church.

Pastor Leonard killings of Advent Lutheran Church in Cleveland, Ohio shares the story of Adent Lutheran Church having an historical marker placed on its building.

While the congregation is sixty years old, he describes its uniqueness as this event contributes to the history of Black Lutheran history and American Church history. He recalls its history as a mission developed in Lee-Harvard, a middle-class Black community. The architects of the building were Black twins who were just beginning their careers and Advent was their first major project.

Killings describes the criterion measures for landmark designation as well the process which took over a year a half. While the landmark designation is a remembrance of its past, Advent congregational members also see it as a commitment to Word and Sacrament ministry, Word and Service ministry and dedication to remain in the Lee-Harvard community of Cleveland, Ohio.

Jean Howard-Green highlights the history, development and the present-day use of the Lincoln Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA. First used in 1867, it contains the graves of several Black men of Gettysburg who fought as members of the Colored Troops during the American Civil War.

As a native of Gettysburg, she shared that some members of her family are buried there as well. Serving as president of the Lincoln Cemetery Project Association, she described the responsibilities of that office as well as the on-going upkeep of the cemetery. The cemetery is private and therefore relies on contributions from the greater Gettysburg community.

Jane Nutter, the President of the Gettysburg Black History Museum, talks about the development of the museum. She emphasizes the fact that the museum goes beyond the presence of African Americans in Gettysburg during the Civil War. The museum highlights the Blacks in Gettysburg before, during, and after the War. She notes that the museum contains artifacts from various individuals and families of color including photographs, furniture, and documents. The community was enthusiastic to contribute to the collection. In a sense, due to segregation, the Black community established its own vibrant society and community life  that included its own American Legion, the Elks, and community events.

Author Gregory Christianson shares the development of his newest book Gettysburg Fast Facts for Kids and Families. The story of Gettysburg is told through the eyes of children. He discussed how his interest in the Civil War began and his desire to make the Gettysburg visit experience accessible to children. His inclusion of the contributions of woman and African Americans are pieces of the Gettysburg narrative often omitted when talking about the war. Although the book is designed for children it is a basic book of facts that is helpful to adults as well. 

This is a program of remembrance. Three colleagues and friends of Dr. Richard Stewart share their memories of him.

Dr. Joseph Donnella emphasizes Stewart’s work on making connections among people, groups and churches. He highlighted the collegiality he experienced with Stewart when they both were serving parishes in St. Croix.

For Mark Staples, his conversations with Stewart were important of him. Stewart’s work on African American history and the Lutheran Church was a labor of love.

Dr. Charles Leonard focused on Stewart’s global interests. He and Stewart co-led trips to Africa with seminarians. Leonard also reflected on Stewart’s interest in making sure that the contributions of Blacks in the Lutheran church were not omitted as demonstrated in his digital interviews of Black rostered leaders.

Please join us in celebrating the life and legacy Richard Stewart.

Other interviews with Dr. Stewart:

• http://seminaryexplores.uls.edu/e/african-american-lutheran-clergy-an-oral-history/
• http://seminaryexplores.uls.edu/e/black-lives-matter/

Dr. Richard Perry, Professor emeritus of Church and Society and Urban Ministry Program, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago discussed the formation and history of the Conference of International Black Lutherans or CIBL. From the beginning, CIBL was and continues to be  dedicated to the  research, study, and examination of Lutheran theology through the African American experience. Conversation between Dr. Albert Pero (United States) and Dr. Ambrose Moyo (Zimbabwe) in the mid-1980s developed dialogue with African American and African Lutheran theologians which culminated with the first CIBL conference in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1986. Perry highlighted the contributions of this professional organization including:

1. the diverse way to experience the Lutheran faith experience,
2. the publication of scholarly works for professional and lay persons within congregations, and
3. providing space to empower other ethnic communities in the church. Dr. Perry concluded the interview by suggesting ways to cultivate another generation of Black scholars in the Lutheran church.