African American Religious Life and the Story of Nimrod (Black Religion/Womanist Thought/Social Justice)

From support for racial discrimination to justification for struggle against the status quo, the biblical text and its key figures have played a prominent role in the development of religious discourse on pressing socio-political issues. Slavery and continued discrimination were given theological sanction through the Old Testament story of Ham, but what of his descendent Nimrod the hunter? African American Religious Life and the Story of Nimrod interrogates the nature and meaning of the biblical figure Nimrod's legacy for the children of Africa, shedding light on an intriguing question: For people of African descent is Nimrod famous, or infamous? Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 List of Contributors......Page 12 Introduction: "Figures of the True"......Page 14 Section One: Nimrod as Hero......Page 26 1 The Hunter and the Game: Reappropriating the Legend of Nimrod from an African American Theological Perspective......Page 28 2 God of Restraint: An African American Humanist Interpretation of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel......Page 40 3 "I Am Black and Beautiful, O Ye Daughters of Jerusalem...": African American Virtue Ethics and a Womanist Hermeneutics of Redemption......Page 48 4 "Lest We Be Scattered Abroad": Nimrod, Marcus Garvey, and Black Religious Humanism in Harlem......Page 66 5 More than a Mighty Hunter: George Washington Williams, Nineteenth-Century Racialized Discourse and the Reclamation of Nimrod......Page 82 6 The Story of Nimrod: A Struggle with Otherness and the Search for Identity......Page 98 7 Nimrod: Reading the Bible with South African Eyes......Page 110 8 Nimrod and Dead Prez: Walking Like a Warrior......Page 124 9 Nimrod and the South African Context......Page 134 10 Who Is the Man...?: Nimrod, Afrocentricism, and the African American Dream......Page 146 Section Two: Nimrod as Infamous......Page 158 11 The Strength of Collective Man: Nimrod and the Tower of Babel......Page 160 12 Nimrod: Paradigm of Future Oppressive Systems......Page 176 13 Beyond the Curse of Noah: African American Pastoral Theology as Political......Page 192 Section Three: A Neutral Stance......Page 204 14 A Tower of Pulpits......Page 206 15 Reorientation by Reference to "Wrong Way" Makers: Evaluating a Modern Signifying Mythicization of an Ancient Mythicization......Page 228 Appendix......Page 234 Selected Bibliography......Page 270 B......Page 280 G......Page 281 M......Page 282 S......Page 283 Z......Page 284 Introduction: Figures Of The True / Allen Dwight Callahan -- The Hunter And The Game : Reappropriating The Legend Of Nimrod From An African American Theological Perspective / James H. Evans, Jr. -- God Of Restraint : An African American Humanist Interpretation Of Nimrod And The Tower Of Babel / Anthony B. Pinn -- I Am Black And Beautiful, O Ye Daughters Of Jerusalem : African American Virtue Ethics And A Womanist Hermeneutics Of Redemption / Stacey M. Floyd-thomas -- Lest We Be Scattered Abroad : Nimrod, Marcus Garvey, And Black Religious Humanism In Harlem / Juan M. Floyd-thomas -- More Than A Mighty Hunter : George Washington Williams, Nineteenth-century Racialized Discourse, And The Reclamation Of Nimrod / Abraham Smith -- The Story Of Nimrod : A Struggle With Otherness And The Search For Identity / Arthur L. Pressley -- Nimrod : Reading The Bible With South African Eyes / Elelwani B. Farisani -- Nimrod And Dead Prez : Walking Like A Warrior / Ralph C. Watkins -- Nimrod And The South African Context / Dorothy M. Farisani -- Who Is The Man? : Nimrod, Afrocentricism, And The African American Dream / Lee H. Butler, Jr. -- The Strength Of Collective Man : Nimrod And The Tower Of Babel / Allen Dwight Callahan -- Nimrod : Paradigm Of Future Oppressive Systems / Jimmy Kirby -- Beyond The Curse Of Noah : African American Pastoral Theology As Political / Edward P. Wimberly -- A Tower Of Pulpits / Dale P. Andrews -- Reorientation By Reference To Wrong Way Makers : Evaluating A Modern Signifying Mythicization Of An Ancient Mythicization / Theodore Walker, Jr. Edited By Anthony B. Pinn And Allen Dwight Callahan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [257]-265) And Index. Introduction: "Figures of the true" / Allen Dwight Callahan The hunter and the game : reappropriating the legend of Nimrod from an African American theological perspective / James H. Evans, Jr. God of restraint : an African American humanist interpretation of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel / Anthony B. Pinn "I am black and beautiful, o ye daughters of Jerusalem" : African American virtue ethics and a womanist hermeneutics of redemption / Stacey Floyd-Thomas "Lest we be scattered abroad" : Nimrod, Marcus Garvey, and Black religious humanism in Harlem / Juan M. Floyd-Thomas More than a mighty hunter : George Washington Williams, nineteenth-century racialized discourse, and the reclamation of Nimrod / Abraham Smith The story of Nimrod : the struggle with otherness and the search for identity / Arthur L. Pressley Nimrod : reading the Bible with South African eyes / Elelwani B. Farisani Nimrod and dead prez : walking like a warrior / Ralph C. Watkins Nimrod and the South African context / Dorothy Farisani Who is the man? : Nimrod, Afrocentricism, and the African American dream / Lee H. Butler, Jr. "The strength of collective man" : Nimrod and the Tower of Babel / Allen Dwight Callahan Nimrod : paradigm of future oppressive systems / Jimmy Kirby Beyond the curse of Noah : African American pastoral theology as political / Edward P. Wimberly A tower of pulpits / Dale P. Andrews Reorientation by reference to "wrong way" makers : evaluating a modern signifying mythicization of an ancient mythicization / Theodore Walker, Jr.