Introduction: From Commemoration to Commitment
For generations, Black Adventists have sustained a faith tradition that nurtures resilience, intellect, and spiritual depth while navigating the weight of white-dominant narratives within the church. To intentionally advance and enhance Black history and culture within Adventism is more than an academic exercise. It is a ministry mandate. Such work requires a shift from passive remembrance to active reclamation, moving from memory to mission.
Deepening Black historical consciousness and cultural representation in the Adventist Church strengthens identity, affirms dignity, and aligns with the denomination's own commitment to "present truth." This truth calls us to confront, critique, and correct the inherited colonial imagery and narratives that have shaped Adventist spaces. Only then can we cultivate a liberatory vision of faith that reflects the fullness of God revealed through the African diaspora. This article will provide practical ways that we can tangibly and intentionally ensure the deepening and advancing of Black History and Culture as a Ministry Core Priority in Adventism.
Why is this Important Now
Black Seventh-day Adventism finds itself at a critical impasse. While many Black Adventist like me may have previously thought that some more politically conservative Adventists might lack sensitivity regarding the history, culture, and perspectives of Black people. These and other issues, such as the lack of Black representation in senior General Conference leadership and limited participation in the 2025 General Conference Session, confirmed these concerns.
I am compelled to assert the importance of sharing our own story. Not as a reaction to these the aforementioned challenges, but because it should be a core missional priority for the Regional work.
I am convicted that we are at a critical juncture. We must tell our story unapologetically and unashamedly, from a lens that is Christ-centered and culturally specific. This is consistent with scriptures such as Joel 1:3 and Psalms 78:3-4 that admonishes us to intentionally share and pass down the history and culture of God's people. Such remembrance should start from an acknowledgement of the presence of African people in the bible and lead to acknowledging the contributions of regional conferences. This calls for an intentional decolonization of our sermons, religious print and visual materials, and images within our churches that center whiteness. And the first thing I suggest we confront is the image of white Jesus.
Reimagining the Sacred: Viewing the Bible in Black
The transition from white Jesus to Black Jesus is not merely aesthetic; it is redemptive and restorative. In the Adventist context, where theology emphasizes truth-telling and prophetic witness, retaining European iconography contradicts both scripture and lived reality. Revelation 1:13-14's depiction of Christ, hair like wool, feet like burnt bronze, resonates far more with African features than white Western depictions.
A Black Jesus affirms the Christ who identifies with the oppressed, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised. He is Emmanuel among the descendants of enslaved people in Mississippi, migrants in Brazil, students in Lagos, and families in Kingston. His Blackness communicates solidarity, offering a ministry of presence for those who have been historically erased from sacred space.
Replacing white Christ images with Afro-diasporic representations is not cosmetic; it is pastoral care. Stained glass, sanctuary murals, Sabbath School materials, and digital worship spaces should reflect contextualized Black biblical imagery. When Black children see themselves reflected in depictions of the divine, they learn that holiness does not require whiteness. This nurtures a theology of belonging, rooted in dignity rather than deficiency.
Centering Black Pioneers in Adventist Memory
Advancing Black history within Adventism requires challenging sanitized and incomplete narratives. Traditional denominational storytelling often centers figures like William Miller and Joseph Bates while relegating Black pioneers to the margins. Yet the full story of Adventism is inseparable from leaders such as William Foy, Lucy Byard, Lewis C. Sheafe, Sojourner Truth, Frank Hale, J.K. Humphrey, Charles Joseph, Rosa Banks and Joseph McCoy. Their stories expand theological imagination and reinforce that Black presence is not ancillary to Adventist history, it is Adventist history.
Liberative Theology as Ministry: Learning from Black Scholars
The work of Black theologians and historians provides the intellectual and spiritual grounding for this ministry. Scholars such as Benjamin Baker, Charles E. Bradford, Keith Burton, Jacob Justis, Louis B. Reynolds, and Calvin Rock, show how the Black experience illuminates divine revelation. Their contributions help decolonize Adventist thought by re-centering African diasporic perspectives within biblical interpretation and church history and practice.
Reclaiming Historical Narratives: Beyond White Saviorism
Many times, our stories have been told through the lenses of white benevolent abolitionists and allies. Even when our narratives were written by Black Adventist authors, some stories centered the role of white people. However, now with the growth in the number of trained Black Adventist theologians and historians over the last several decades, we are better positioned to interpret scripture and history through critical Black lenses and to articulate our theology in Christ-centered, culturally responsive ways.
A ministry-first approach to Black history requires rejecting frameworks that portray white missionaries as rescuers of Black humanity. For example, the story of the Morning Star boat should highlight not merely Edson White's work, but the resilience, faith, and leadership of the formerly enslaved Black believers who built congregations and educational institutions across the American South.
Reframing such stories restores agency and honors the ingenuity of Black Adventists who transformed adversity into institutional excellence. This historical reorientation aligns with Fran Markowitz's scholarship on "divine geography," which critiques colonial cartography that separated Israel and Egypt from Africa. Her work emphasizes the liberative power of reclaiming ancestral memory and spiritual continuity, principles deeply relevant to Adventist historiography.
Toward a Decolonized Adventist Future
The future Adventist Church must embody a liberative faith that affirms African identity as central to God's revelation. Here are a few concrete steps that a local congregation and conference might implement to decolonize their churches to deepen and advance Black History and Culture as a Ministry Core Priority.
1. Iconographic Transformation
Creating and updating sanctuaries, classrooms, and publications filled with culturally accurate Black biblical imagery and visuals that highlight the contributions of Black Adventist. This could also mean re-staining existing stained glass to ensure biblical figures have various brown skin tones. It could also mean commissioning Black Adventist artists to create contextualized religious art of both Black biblical and Adventist figures.
2. Educational Integration
Embedding Black Adventist history into curricula, Sabbath School materials, and leadership training. For example, our institutions such as Oakwood University and Pine Forge Academy would review their curriculum across all disciplines to ensure that it aligns with principles of Black empowerment in addition to our traditional Adventist values and culture.
3. Liturgical Renewal
Infusing worship with African and Afro-diasporic aesthetics, music, preaching, art, and movement that affirm cultural identity.
4. Institutional Recognition
Honoring Black pioneers through scholarships, endowed professorships at Oakwood University, annual commemorations, and denominational archives.
5. Youth Empowerment
Ensuring Black children grow up seeing themselves as fully reflected in the faith narrative, not as guests, but as heirs.
This is not reverse racism. It is restoration, healing, and truth-telling. It dismantles inherited psychological bondage and paves the way for authentic communion with a God who embraces all people, including people of African descent.
Conclusion: Moving From Memory to Mission
To deepen and advance Black history and culture as a ministry priority is to align Adventism with its highest theological ideals. When Adventist communities elevate Black imagery, honor Black pioneers, and center the Black experience in theology and practice, they form congregations where belonging is sacred and liberation is intentional.