The Power from the Pew

Developing Leaders for Advocacy

Dr. M.W. Couch

• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9781640889903
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

This invaluable resource cover great techniques and teaching that will influence generations of community—and churches of any denomination and any size—and is sure to provide guidance to radicals on how to affect a constructive Christotelic viewpoint for social change in the community toward civic engagement and political challenge. “Vox populi vox dei” is Latin for “the voice of the people is the voice of God.”

This book will help you find your voice.

Appendix B

Curriculum

Theological Interposition

Social Justice

Public Policy

Civic Engagement

COURSE CONTENTS

Introduction

Excerpts from History

“Who Get What, When and How?”

Response to the Right and Left

The Black Church Yesterday and Today

Why church Leader Must Take the Lead

Why the Pulpit Must Speak

The Discontent of the Social Movement

The Prophetic Voice

The Scriptural Basis for Social Movement

God’s Vetting the Prophets

The Black Life Matter Movement

The Voters: The Right—Registration, Education, Protection

The Courts: The Grand Jury

Policing

The Social Dilemma

The Call and Response

The GPS System to Navigate the Cultural Structures

The Definitions of Politics and Policies

The Difference between Social Services and Social Action

The Strategy from the Pulpit to the Pew, to the People to the Poll

Employment, Unemployment, and the Paid-less

Laws and Legislation

Selection and Choices of the Right Candidate

Power, Justice, and Our Rights

Berachah Baptist Church

6237—6329 Limekiln Pike

Philadelphia, PA 19138

Reverend Dr. Robert P. Shine, Sr., Pastor/Founder

[email protected]

PH: 215.225.5522

FAX: [phone]

Working with Reverend Michael Couch, the pastor of New Beginning Church of Philadelphia, on a curriculum for leaders to be trained in Social Justice and civic engagement application. Making use of The Public Policy To The Pulpit To The Pew To The People To The Polls Methodology, as well as exploring.

This is a special privilege and honor to be asked to prepare training syllabus for Reverend Michael Couch DMIN Project. To equip men and women of God in the ministry of “Social Justice.” Critically important is for us to understand that the Church is the “Lead Institution.”

Talcott Parsons, the onetime Dean of American Sociology, defined a “lead institution” as that institution which controls the process of change within a given societal system. A lead institution determines the functions and structure of all other institutions as well as exercising power and influence over the behavior of individuals. The Black Church in the South and its leaders led. The Church in Montgomery, Alabama, and the Morris Brown AME Church, these and other churches and ministers/pastors led the civil rights movement through non-violent protest and in effect were agents of change. Public Accommodation and Fair Employment laws in 1964, and the Voting Rights Act, in 1965. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a renowned African-American Baptist preacher and civil rights leader, and President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), was a formidable force that led the Social Justice Movement through the sixties. His words called out to Clergy across the country to engage in the difficult struggle for civil rights. So, the church today must lead the way in defeating all forms of racism, discrimination, bigotry and prejudice in the country, and culture at large and in the church itself.

Our history can identify numerous others that preceded Dr. King. And while their record might have somewhat disappeared, still their works and labors vibrate even to this day. Bishop Richard Allen co-founder of the Free African Society; Bishop Absalom Jones co-founder of the Free African Society, Prince Hall, founder of the first Black Masonic lodge;

George Liele, pioneer Black Baptist Church, Peter Williams, co-founder of the African Methodist Zion Church, James Varick, first Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. It was these men in part working with thousands of unsung laborers and Protestant, who laid the cornerstones and created the first tiers of the emerging structure for Black America. They were among the Church leaders and pioneers that organized, founded the mutual societies, and an embryonic political cell and insurance company.

These archetypal figures were God’s agents for change in the life of the early stages of Black life in America. Why is this admittedly abbreviated historical background important? For one thing it’s is intended to whet your appetite to know more about our heroes and heroines of the past and their quest and protest for Social Justice. (It goes without saying, that it was as clear to those of yesteryear that “Black Life Matters!”) Secondly, and, as equally important is the fact that people and groups who cannot remember the past, as Santayana once warned us, are condemned to repeat it.

The questions which faces us in this millennium are urgent and answers must readily be available for the questioners: What’s going on as we see the “Right” moving further and further to the Right? The “Left” moving further and further to the “Left” and appears to be slipping off of society’s grid. What’s to this rise of a non-political movement—independent on so many issues? What’s the game plan of the “Tea Party” Does history appear to be repeating itself? Are the minorities helpless pawns in some mad historical game? Or is the real question; “Are the “Right Wing Conservative Republicans going to tragically repeat the history they made more than one hundred years ago?

Students who recognize the strong potential of a fast track reversal in the forth-coming presidential election, are well advised to approach this replay of the Reconstruction drama with the words of Fredrick Douglas who said once, that the law of history is that you only keep what you can keep. Find out, just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice…which will be imposed upon them…! The limits of the oppressors are prescribed by the endurance of those they oppress.

From this vague point, you are in better position to appreciate an extremely perceptive comment—which is; History repeats itself twice: the first time as a tragedy, the second time as farce (embarrassment, disgraceful, a mockery). And what this means for our purposes here is that history itself condemns this second and outrageous, scandalous, appalling attempt to stop the progress and aspirations of a people who have been so long denied, equal advantages and opportunity.

The Black Church must resume its God ordained place in society, yes, calling all men to come to God through faith in Jesus Christ and His offer of salvation, and like Nehemiah on the wall, trowel in one hand and sword in the other. (that is working for what is right, and fighting against all odds of progress) Working on the building of prosperity and fighting the good fight of faith (Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul (which) is lifted up is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith. “); to realize the vision to lift people from the depth of poverty, poor education, poor housing, lack of health care, little or no insurance, joblessness, and the right to vote; while waiting to go to heaven.

Here is where history needs the bodies and passions of aroused and mobilized people, like yourselves, who have assimilated the lessons of the first Reconstruction and are determined to pay the price and bear the burden, as did the prophets of ancient Israel, and our Christian leaders of our past, who led the protest against injustice, unrighteousness, evil, wickedness, and oppression.

Such a work and its application that those who enter upon this arduous assignment, must be already determined that God has called them to this particular ministry. The “Public Policy To The Pulpit To The Pew To The People To The Polls” Methodology; and to realizing and demonstrating that Social Justice, of course is rooted in the Word of God, that it is indeed a Gospel imperative.

And, t...

Table of contents

• The Setting: Frankford
• Social Engagement
• Introduction
• The Setting: Frankford
• Social Engagement
• Implementing the Plan
• Fieldwork
• Ministerial Competencies
• What A Leader Looks Like: Sociability Test: How Sociable Are You?
• Curriculum
• Survey
• Bibliography