People Matter Too! The Politics and Method of Doing Black Liberation Theology (the Ferguson Lecture—the University of Manchester, 18th October, 2007)

Abstract

This essay is adapted from a public lecture given by the author on the occasion of the 2007 Samuel Ferguson Lecture, at the University of Manchester, on 18th October, 2007. This essay outlines an approach to undertaking Black theology in Britain by means of a participative methodology than is drawn from the wider practice of practical theology (Christian education in particular). This approach to Black theology is one that seeks to work, predominantly, with White students in theological education in Britain, in an inductive fashion in order to raise the critical consciousness of these participants in their preparation for authorized, public ministry. The author argues that in beginning with contextual narratives and case studies, this particular approach prioritizes the lived experiences of ordinary people as opposed to the dictates of abstract theory.