Daniel L. Ridout: The Omega Man

John Lewis has never let his 40+ arrest affect what he stands for. In Lewis’ book March, he tells his story of segregation in the 60’s and the events that shaped his life. From when he was a little kid, to an older adult, March displays Lewis deal with the segregation in the south, and the hard ships others endure. Although he experienced many events in his life, John Lewis used those events to build himself religiously and help others. Receiving his first bible, Jim Lawsons workshops, his decision not to go to college and Martin Luther King’s speech all helped him become who he is.

Born to parents who had a strong dedication to their faith, Granville Oral Roberts was born near Ada, Oklahoma. His father preached the gospel and established Pentecostal Holiness Churches, and his mother prayed for the sick and led people to Christ. The family was poor, and his father was a farmer while he pastored a church. While Roberts was in his mother’s womb, she dedicated him to the Lord. He was born with a severe stutter, but she continually told him that he would be healed and speak to multitudes.

In writing the Appeal, Walker was looking to initiate a drastic move amongst the black population of The United States of America. Those who believe in the Methodist doctrine believe that all people are created by God, in His image, and regardless of sex, race, or color, all people have the same inherent rights and Walker, who was adamant about change, incorporated this belief throughout his writing. His appeal to the American public however was not only to abolish slavery, but once slaves were free, to allow them all the Biblical rights they are due, as the Egyptians had to do when the Israelis were freed from slavery under Pharaoh. As an abolitionist urging black people, free and enslaved, to rise up against their oppressors by any means necessary, especially by violence, Walker’s purpose in writing the Appeal was to persuade his audience that enough was enough and that the time had come to take a political, social, and economical change.

John Lewis has never let his 40+ arrest affect what he stands for. In Lewis’ book March, he tells his story of segregation in the 60’s and the events that shaped his life. From when he was a little kid, to an older adult, March displays Lewis deal with the segregation in the south, and the hardships others endure. Although he experienced many events in his life, John Lewis used those events to build himself religiously and help others. Receiving his first bible, Jim Lawson’s workshops, his decision not to go to college and Martin Luther King’s speech all helped him become who he is.

What ministry types are present within the Black Urban Church that may not take place in the Black Rural Church setting? (Chapter 6) The present picture of black urban churches is a complicated, mixed picture of some effects of privatization among unchurched sectors of the black population, and the withdrawal of some black churches into a sphere of personal piety and religiosity; but there are also numerous signs of a continuing tradition of activism and involvement in the political, economic, educational, and cultural aspects of black life among the majority of black clergy and churches (Lincoln, C. Eric, and Lawrence H. Mamiya

Spiritual words unite communities to fight injustice and practice in good works. First, Angelou’s minister spoke encouraging words to the community the Sunday before Graduation about the trials they will face. The minister not only spoke to the graduates but also anyone fighting injustice. The minister exhorted, “‘Let your

The Annual Address, written by Joseph Jackson, discusses the issues regarding discrimination and racism. It was written and delivered at the 84th Annual Session of the National Baptist Movement. Although persuading the audience is not challenging, having knowledge of what one is talking about, making personal connections, and having a good reputation as a writer or a speaker may not only persuade the audience, but empower and inspire, just like how Jackson writes his Annual Address. Jackson goes beyond thinking inside the box and effectively connects with the audience emotionally and establishes trust through his reputation as a black activist in order to argue to fight for equality and

He built alliances with Baptists. At the first Black Baptist convention, he gave the speech for which he would be forever known: "We have every right to believe that God is a Negro," he stated, proclaiming that a people needed to see their reflection in

Some of the prominent members at that meeting in 1909 were Jane Addams, who went on to form the Hull House in Chicago, and William Du Bois, who became a very famous civil rights author of the 20th century. (“National Association for the Advancement of Colored People”)

The Annual Address written by Joseph Jackson discusses the issues of discrimination and racism. It was written and delivered at the 84th Annual Session of the National Baptist Movement. Persuading the audience is not an easy job. However, having knowledge of what you are talking about, making personal connections, and having a good reputation as a writer or a speaker may not only persuades the audience but empower and inspire, just like how Jackson wrote his Annual Address. Jackson went beyond thinking inside the box, he used different modes of persuasion: logos, pathos, and ethos to convince his fellow Negroes to take action and fight for equality and freedom. We will be examining the context of this speech and Jackson’s perspective and

The African Meeting House was used for many purposes during the 1800's that was essential to blacks in Boston and helped the mission of antislavery reformers. The meeting house first served as a church founded by Thomas Paul, an African American preacher, in 1805. The church was named the First African Baptist Church. Although, black Bostonians were able to attend white churches, they faced discrimination and were put in assigned seats in the balconies. The creation of the church gave blacks the opportunity to worship freely away from anti black sentiment. The meeting house was constructed entirely on black labor, but funds were raised in white and black communities. The church was meant to be only attended by the black population , but a

Methodism operated in both the state-at-large and in New Orleans. By 1847 there were thirteen Methodist appointments with 1,328 white and 1,280 Negro members in New Orleans alone.20 In Louisiana, the circuit system was at work and by 1850 there were more Methodist churches in Louisiana than any other church denomination. The Methodist conference that met at Mansfield in 1854 reported 5,085 white and 5,459 black members – a gain of 1,000 over the previous year.15 Data shows that in William J. Seymour’s St. Mary’s Parish, the Methodist were present in the 1800’s.21

White grew up in Atlanta Georgia and came from a moderately well to do family. He attended Atlanta University. The summer of his senior year White experienced a great amount of racism while interning for Atlanta Standard Life Insurance. Those actions of racism inspired him to call for a chapter of the NAACP at Atlanta University. This did not occur due to lack of organization and participation. Following graduation Walter White worked at Atlanta Standard Life Insurance. He was very successful as an insurance salesman. This did not deter his will for racial civil rights. White, along with other coworkers, were successful in stopping the school board from cutting eighth grade from black schools to finance white school. An Atlanta branch of the NAACP was soon to follow. White’s life from henceforth would greatly evolve from a well-established insurance salesman to a prominent figure in the NAACP and the civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was arrested and placed in Birmingham jail after leading a non-violent march to protest racism in the streets of Alabama- a highly segregated state at the time. There he received a newspaper containing “A Call for Unity,” which was written by eight white Alabama clergymen criticizing King and his movement’s methods; this prompted King to write a letter in response to the critics. Martin Luther King Jr. employs ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade and demonstrate to the critics and other readers the many injustices of segregation.

During the early 1970’s legendary singer, songwriter, music producer and minister, Reverend Al Green, dominated music charts with his classic hits of southern soul music. Records including “Let’s Stay Together,” “Tired of Being Alone,” and “Love and Happiness,” has endlessly been passed down through generations of families predominantly in the African American community (Dr. J). Although Green has had an enormously influential impact on the history of R&B music, the eleven-time Grammy award winner decided to step away from soul music at the peak of his career and rededicate his life to Christ. He strolled down many paths of which the religious author, James Martin, refers to as the paths of belief, exploration, and return. To further understand how Al Greens has explored each of these paths, this essay will analyze significant moments in the life of Reverend Al Green.