The Society for the Study of Black Religion is the oldest scholarly society dedicated to the study of the African-American religious experience. It is dedicated to "scholarly research and discussion about the religious experiences of Blacks."[1]
History
The SSBR was founded in 1970 to support black religious scholars' critical inquiry into the foundations of black theology.[2] The intellectual ferment which led to the group's founding began with Joseph B. Washington's publication of the seminal Black Religion in 1964,[3] and continued with the publication of James H. Cone's Black Theology and Black Power in 1969.[4]
The group chose the name "religion" rather than "theology" to avoid the constraints imposed by the narrower term.[5] Charles Shelby Rooks, who would later become the first African-American head of a traditionally white-led seminary at the Chicago Theological Seminary, took a leading role in the founding and served as the SSBR's first elected president.[6]
Presidents
- Charles Shelby Rooks, 1970–1974
- Lawrence Neale Jones, 1974–1977[7]
- Gayraud Wilmore, 1978–1980[8]
- Charles Shelby Rooks, 1980–1983[8]
- Gayraud Wilmore, 1984–1985[8]
- Charles H. Long, 1986–1989[8]
- Clarence G. Newsome, 1990–1991[8]
- Lillian Ashcraft-Eason, 1996–1999[8]
- Peter J. Paris, 2000–2003[8]
- Katie G. Cannon, 2004–2008[8]
- Lee H. Butler, Jr., 2008–2012[8]
- Emilie Townes, 2012–2016[9]
- Stephen G. Ray, Jr., 2016–present[10]
Notable members
See also
References
External links
