In part 2 of our interview with Dr. Carl F. Ellis, Jr. he talks about his upcoming book, solutions to the African American cultural crisis, and the danger of making an idol of our theology.

On his Upcoming Book: Thug Spirituality

“It’s essentially an analysis of the African American cultural crisis.  The cultural crisis is simply this: All people groups have two groups within them–achievers and non-achievers–the achievers are typically the ones who set the bar.  They are the dominant group and generally the majority.

In the African American experience that equation is flipped.  The non-achievers have now become the dominant experience.  It’s like we’ve gone from Black is beautiful to Black is ghetto.”

Solutions to the Cultural Crisis: 

“The achievers need to recognize that they are the majority and that they have the power.”

“Now the only way to do that is to have a theology that is comprehensive enough to bear the freight of life and handle all the issues of life.”

Reformed Theology and the Confessions

“Reformed theology presents the kind of robustness that we need in a theology.  But Reformed theology in its present form is not comprehensive enough to deal with the unique issues that have come up since the days of writing the Westminster Confession of Faith.”

“One of the dangers in the Reformed community I find is that we cannot say anything or think anything outside the realm or the scope of what the Reformers thought, and that’s just dangerous. Then what we’re doing is creating an idol out of our own theology.”

I think this new [Reformed African American] movement would open things up, and it has the great potential of bringing forth not only a revival but a reformation and a revival within the church.

Listen to part 1 of our interview with Dr. Ellis here.

Question: What do you think of Dr. Ellis’ ideas?  Post your questions below and he’ll respond!  

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