Expressive and creative exploration of the Divine from a Black-African descended starting point – one that considers one’s own culture’s source material and beliefs as critical reflection partners - is at the root of what I’m calling BLACK THEOPOETICS.

Black Theopoetics is a means of doing theopoetics attentive to the details, histories, expressions, wisdoms, and movements of African-descended Blackness. It asks questions from Black starting points. Black Theopoeticians/Theopoets ask what our experiences and knowings show us about the Divine, about ourselves, as well as about another. We do not limit viable resources to traditionally white and/or Western-approved voices or epistemologies, but affirm Black ways of knowing as vehicles of divine insight and knowledge. We are unafraid to ask questions from the space of who we are; in fact, we take such questioning - and creative exploration of such questioning - seriously.

Black Theopoetics is an ancestor of Black liberation theology. Indebted to the bold religious voices intent on deconstructing theologies that heralded whiteness as model and standard, like that of Black liberationist theology forefather James Cone, Black Theopoetics is from a theological tradition with a history of Black church roots, educational platforms, and global significance and reach. It extends a message of freedom and ultimately the liberation of Christian values and ideas from ill-constructed ideas of relationship. Its priority is first and foremost the liberation and wellness of African-descended Black persons in the world.

Black Theopoetics is the offspring of womanist religious expression. The descendent of the creative, justice-oriented, communal-prioritizing, and women-loving minds and discourse of womanist foremothers, Black Theopoetics is inspired by the womanist impetus that Black people deserve a life in which they can be fully and creatively liberated. This in turn inspires Christian theology to be fully liberated.

Black Theopoetics is child of a Black feminist tradition (non-Christian and Christian) that emphasizes the freedom of one group starts the cycle of total liberation for all. Black Theopoetics takes its cue from a movement unafraid of its creative force, political involvement, truth-telling posture, and commitment to self love. Black Theopoetics views Black feminists as creatives/creation people and thus treats their creating - of art, of movements, of organizations, of initiatives, of events - as avenues of divine messaging.

Black Theopoetics asserts that our (Black African-descended) ancestors imparted invaluable theological wisdom through honoring their life experiences and ways of knowing. The Black mystical tradition serves as a generative source of inspiration and clarity towards expressing Black Theopoetic ideas and processes of discernment. The rich spiritual traditions and practices of Black mystics serve as reminders that theopoetics attentive to Black identity and Blackness naturally integrates spiritual insight, ways of knowing, movement, and communication with the Divine.

Black Theopoetics believes that every person is a context and we theologize from such a space. Black Theopoetics encourages Black people to ask questions from where they are not what one claims they are or where they want to be. Attention to the in-between-ness of experience and existence often uncovers perspective and truth beneficial to generative theological wondering.

Black Theopoetics is:

1) Black Affirming

2) Honorific

3) Quick/Clever

4) Self-Sourced

5) Dynamic

6) Attentive/Discerning

7) Dialogical

8) Truth-Centered

9) Imaginative

10) Generative