Black Church
John Gray is a highly visible Black man with a large audience of followers; This makes his speech inherently dangerous. By visible, I mean popular and by dangerous I mean contentious. Blackness is not monolithic. Black Dominicans are distinct from Black British people and so on. Similarly, Black church is a complicated system of expressions. In his groundbreaking work, Michael Dawson draws out the "linked fate" paradigm that informs collective civil action. Linked fate is the notion that political/social action must be coordinated and synchronous because our fate as Black people across gender and class are linked. The collective struggle for equity, justice, and reparations unite Black people across the diaspora to organize on behalf of causes they deem essential. Connectedness in this manner starkly contradicts the individualistic character of capitalism.
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As the Black population grew to develop a middle class, the culture of Black church expression shifted away from collectivism and toward individualism.
In other words, prosperity gospel’s emphasis on personal transformation as a strategy for economic mobility may foster the beginnings of an alternative style of politics in black communities, one that emphasizes the virtues of individualism, personal responsibility, entrepreneurship, and personal morality. [...] The rise of the prosperity gospel in Afro-Christianity offers a departure from the group-oriented strategy. One could argue that, like the integrating forces of the Protestant ethic in nineteenth century Britain and the United States, the prosperity gospel equips its adherents to thrive in a market-driven economy and in a political system that privileges individuals over groups.
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This prosperity gospel or word of faith movement refers to a theology of abundance. Usually this concept indicates a pastor who has no problem asking their congregation to invest in their ministry under the pretense that God will reward them. Pastors such as Eddie Long or CrefloDollar typify this dynamic. Over time, the accumulation of wealth in general became associated with a particular strand of Black church expression. John Gray fits into this narrative quite neatly. He started at Eddie Long's church and landed at Joel Osteen's ministry. His association with powerful, rich, and connected men of ministry legitimated his status to the world. Gray is a charismatic preacher with great influence, but undoubtedly a Black preacher in praxis. We cannot strip Gray of his Blackness because his biggest audience is behind the screen: on reality television and mediated by a phone screen, tablet, or computer. He has acknowledged both his race and body as impediments to social interaction. Gray 's social capital as a religious leader with a modicum of financial prosperity fashions him into an influential leader. His political capital as a Black man with a devoted legion of religious followers makes him dangerous to White and non-White folks alike. Why? John Gray's social influence is tempered by his Blackness, which means his voice and actions are erroneously associated with broader Black traits. More so, his choices impact the Black pastoral imaginary lexicon.
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Dawson, M. C. (1995). Behind the mule: Race and class in African-American politics. Princeton University Press.
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Harris, F. C. (2010). ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND? The Rise of Prosperity Gospel and Post–Civil Rights Black Politics. In Religion and Democracy in the United States : Danger or Opportunity? Princeton University Press.