Africana Manna

Mika Edmondson joins co-hosts Cyril Chavis, Jr and Noelle Shaw this week as we discuss redemptive suffering. Have you ever gone through deep seasons of suffering? Have you wondered if God has any purpose for your suffering? Have you wondered how our Christian African American ancestors processed suffering in the midst of oppression? Then this episode is for you! We learn from Dr. King as we dive into this always relevant topic.

Rev. Dr. Mika Edmondson is the pastor of Koinonia Church, a cross-cultural Presbyterian church in the Bordeaux neighborhood of Nashville, TN. He is married to Dr. Christina Edmondson and has two lovely daughters. He is the author of The Power of Unearned Suffering. 

Candace Robins joins co-hosts Cyril Chavis, Jr; Noelle Shaw; and Alafia Bailey to discuss self-awareness and its importance for human thriving. They talk about what it is and what it isn't, how friends and community are vital, trends in the black church, the role God plays in our path to self-awareness, and more! They also discuss the life of the queen of gospel music, Mahalia Jackson, and what we can learn about self-awareness from her life. 

Mrs. Candace Robins is the Partner Services Coordinator for Jackson Leadership Foundation; the Assistant Director of Worship at Redeemer Church in Jackson, MS; and working towards a Master of Arts degree at Reformed Theological Seminary. 

01:15 Intro of Guest
04:03 Intro of Mahalia Jackson 
05:48 Mrs. Robins' journey into music
08:01 What is self-awareness?
14:16 Does the church embrace self-awareness?
19:25 Obstacles and opportunities for Africans in self-awareness
32:41 Is community important for self-awareness?
40:00 Wisdom from Mahalia Jackson 
47:10 Self-awareness and staying in your lane
52:50 Final inspirations from Mrs. Robins
54:25 How to follow our guest
54:40 Prayer 

Co-host Noelle Shaw gives you a sneak peak into what's coming up next! On behalf of the Africana Manna team, welcome to Season 3. Season 3 dropping Friday, September 24!!

Thank you for listening to Africana Manna's Season 2! Please leave a review, letting us know what you enjoyed about season 2 and what you are looking forward to in season 3. Give us some ideas on topics and ancestors you would like to hear about! We want to serve you well, and the only way to do that is to hear from you. 

See you all in season 3. 

Nathan Walton joins co-hosts Cyril Chavis, Jr.; Noelle Shaw; and Alafia Bailey to discuss the youngest and upcoming generation - Gen Z - and how they are engaging the world. We engage the wisdom of James Cone in seeing how theology is meant to be concrete and political. We discuss Gen Z's spiritual longings, their engagement with social media, their fierce activism, and much more! If you are concerned about how to engage Gen Z theologically and practically, this is for you. 

Dr. Nathan Walton is the Executive Director of Abundant Life Ministries  which seeks to demonstrate God's love through holistic community development in Charlottesville, VA. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia. In addition to his role with Abundant Life, Nathan serves as Pastor of Formation and Discipleship at Charlottesville Vineyard Church.

01:40 Intro of Dr. Walton 
04:31 Intro of James Cone
11:00 Gen Z's characteristics 
25:10 Learning about Gen Z in Ministry 
29:20 Gen Z vs. Mills with Being Present
34:55 Gen Z vs. Mills with family
39:40 Gen Z Political Trends 
46:02 Gen Z Spiritual Health 
56:08 Wisdom from James Cone 
1:02:17 Learning from Different Camps 
1:08:33 The Church Welcoming Gen Z
1:12:15 The Church Partnering with "Religious Nones"
1:16:55 Final Inspirations from Dr. Walton
1:18:37 Keep Up with Dr. Walton 
1:19:53 Prayer 

Mentioned Resources:

Black Theology and Black Power by Cone 

Carl Ellis, Jr. joins co-hosts Cyril Chavis, Jr; Noelle Shaw; and Alafia Bailey in discussing the ways that the church has been held captive by traditions and anti-Christian beliefs and practices. They talk about un-churchables (people allergic to institutional church as we know it), white Christianity-ism, the future of Christianity among African Americans, and much more! If you are wondering how the church relates to and engages the surrounding culture, tune in!

Dr. Carl Ellis is the Provost's Professor of Theology and Culture for Reformed Theological Seminary. He is married to Professor K.A. Ellis, the love of his life and partner in ministry. 

02:03 Intro of Dr. Ellis
06:31 Definition of Ancestor 
11:25 Intro of Garnet 
15:49 Unchurchables in the Nation of Islam and Hebrew Israelites
23:31 What is white Christianity-ism?
30:47 How have AfAms fought against Cultural Captivity in US?
33:34 How have AfAms become captive to the culture?
42:37 What's the future of Christianity in AfAm Community?
47:41 Lessons on resistance from Henry Highland Garnet
52:18 Black Presbyterians in History 
54:05 Christian foundations of HBCUs
55:11 Final Inspirations from Dr. Ellis
57:39 Keeping up with Dr. Ellis
58:30 Prayer 

Mentioned Resources:

Free at Last? by Dr. Carl Ellis 

No episode this week! Enjoy your Spring Break, and tune in next week for more Africana Manna. Please take two seconds to rate us, give us a review, and subscribe. 

Co-hosts Cyril Chavis, Jr. and Alafia Bailey reflect on the recent documentary by PBS The Black Church. The reflect on their own experiences in the black church, the complexities of the black church, the rarity of Christians who both believe the Bible and care about justice, and hopes for the future of the church. Are you wrestling with what to make of current day perceptions of the black church and its history? Tune in!

02:06 First Impressions 
03:50 Personal Impressions of the Black Church 
14:45 What We Wished the Documentary Did 
29:12 What Did We Really Appreciated About the Doc
38:02 Practical Take Aways from the Doc
43:20 Prayer 

Mentioned Resources:

Black Theology and Black Liberation by James Cone 

Africans Who Shaped our Faith by Wright 

Norton Anthology of African American Literature 

Irwyn Ince, Jr. joins co-hosts Cyril Chavis, Jr. and Noelle Shaw to discuss the phrase "Black is Beautiful" with the added wisdom of the Johnson brothers who wrote The Books of the American Negro Spirituals. They talk about the importance of black beauty, it's connection to God's purpose in the world, how beauty relates to God's justice, the influence of the spirituals, and more!

Rev. Dr. Ince is a pastor and the Executive Director of Grace DC's Institute for Cross Cultural Mission in Washington, DC. He is the 46th Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in America's General Assembly. He is the author of The Beautiful Community and has a deep love of CrossFit and kettlebells.

01:35 Intro of Ince
03:45 Intro of James Weldon Johnson
05:20 What do you think when you hear "Black is Beautiful"?
14:40 What does Black beauty have to do with God?
20:30 Black is useful vs. Black is beautiful
25:40 Black is beautiful as resistance
28:27 How to evaluate the Black aesthetic
29:06 Beauty of the spirituals
34:38 Looking at Black cultural expressions
44:10 The center of Black Christians' identity
49:05 Johnson Bros and their take on the Negro Spirituals
52:18 The Nobility of the Spirituals
55:26 The beautiful aspects of the spirituals
1:00:12 The spirituals shaping our worship
1:09:02 Dr. Ince's final inspirations
1:10:36 Keep up with Dr. Ince
1:11:48 Prayer

Mentioned Resources:

Praise and Protest by Common Hymnal (album)

The Beautiful Community by Ince

The Books of the American Negro Spirituals by Johnson brothers 

Jemar Tisby joins Co-hosts Cyril Chavis, Jr. and Noelle Shaw to discuss fighting for racial justice. They talk about the dynamics of racism, how history affects the present, the ARC method for racial justice, Fannie Lou Hamer's faith-filled fight against racism, and much more. If you are looking for practical ways to fight racism that are informed by Jesus' life and teachings, look no further!

Mr. Jemar Tisby is a speaker, author, and historian. He is the New York Times Bestselling author of The Color of Compromise and president of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective where he writes about race, religion, politics, and culture. He is also cohost of the Pass the Mic podcast. Tisby is a PhD candidate at the University of Mississippi where he studies race, religion, and American politics.

01:45 Intro of Jemar Tisby
04:12 Intro of Fannie Lou Hamer
09:55 What is Racism?
14:34 What is Racial Justice?
16:02 A Wholistic Approach to Racial Justice
22:44 The ARC Method in the Bible
29:34 The Role of HBCUs in Racial Justice
40:40 Wisdom from FLH and the Relevance of the Black Church
46:53 Partnership Between the Black Church and Non-Christians
51:56 Final Inspirations from Jemar Tisby

Mentioned Resources:

How to Fight Racism by Tisby

In Search of the Talented Tenth by Williams

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Tatum

America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities by Lovett