The Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE)
The Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE)
Click Here to View the NOBLE & Black Scholars Letter from Dr. Pamela R. Lightsey.
Click Here to View the NOBLE & Black Scholars Photos on Facebook.
Click Here to Visit The Center for the Church and the Black Experience Website.
The Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE) is an academic initiative focusing on church life as experienced by Black people. From it's inception in 1970, CBE has prepared graduates of Garrett-Evangelical to be "leaders among leaders!"
"The critical task of Garrett-Evangelical is to deliberately, systematically, and creatively work to make of its own life a microcosm of the kind of world of racial interaction which Christian faith demands at this point in history." The social and theological charge embodied in these words of CBE's first director, Dr. Hycel B. Taylor, ring true to the present generation, 40 years later.
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary has named Dr. R. Drew Smith the director of its highly regarded Church and the Black Experience program. Smith will split his time between Garrett-Evangelical's CBE and his work as scholar in residence at Morehouse College's Leadership Center in Atlanta. During his 11 years at the Leadership Center, he has initiated and directed a number of projects related to religion and public life, including the Public Influences of African-American Churches Project and the Faith Communities and Urban Families Project.
Smith plans to bring similar projects to CBE, which has a rich tradition at Garrett-Evangelical and has had a major impact on churches and church leaders across America. Established in 1970, CBE focuses on the African American experience and ministry. It also models the inclusive church as it seeks to prepare students for bold leadership.
"Part of my task is to look for ways to build on that tradition," he said. "That requires becoming more familiar with what has been done over the past 39 years and listening to faculty, staff, students, alums and other stakeholders who have led CBE to where it is today. I will clearly bring my own emphases: 1) the black church and public life; 2) churches and urban poverty; and 3) immersion in the developing world, especially Africa. And I'll be look for ways to include scholarly dialogue through seminars and conferences here at Garrett and Northwestern."
Smith is an ordained minister and political scientist who has taught at Indiana University, Butler University, Case Western Reserve University and New York Theological Seminary. He has been actively involved in international community development and youth leadership development, initially with Operation Crossroads Africa in the 1980s. He has traveled widely in Africa and Latin America. He served in 2005 as a Fulbright Professor at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and in 2009 as a Fulbright Senior Specialist at Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Cameroon.
Garrett-Evangelical is a graduate school of theology of The United Methodist Church founded in 1853. Located on the campus of Northwestern University, the seminary serves more than 400 students from many denominations and various cultural backgrounds, fostering an atmosphere of ecumenical interaction. Garrett-Evangelical creates bold leaders through master of divinity, master of arts, master of theological studies, doctor of philosophy and doctor of ministry degrees. Its 4,500 living alumni serve church and society around the world.
Click Here to View the NOBLE & Black Scholars Letter from Dr. Pamela R. Lightsey.
Click Here to View the NOBLE & Black Scholars Photos on Facebook.
Click Here to Visit The Center for the Church and the Black Experience Website.