Black Prophetic Witness: Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and James Baldwin

3 credits · Divinity School

This course is a study of Martin, Malcolm, and Baldwin as the three distinctly Modern US prophetic voices that have not only marked the distinctive and diverse genius of the civil rights movement to which they greatly contributed but also the ways in which their writings, theologies, and activism inform the depths of theological education and religious studies for this present generation as their religious heritage, cultural context, spiritual/personal formation and global leadership have expanded and evolved to include the scholarly trajectories and political platforms of countless marginalized groups who strive to reconcile social justice with divine justice. In this class we will see how these three modern day prophets have inspired countless marginalized groups-women, immigrants, LGBTQ people, the disabled and the working poor to name a few-who found themselves the beneficiaries of new laws, social customs, and religious perspectives due to their legacy.Through an examination of their respective religious worldviews and writings, this course will compare and contrast the personal, political and religious basis of the formation of their Black prophetic discourses. [3] Mr. Floyd-Thomas