Regent's Park College, University of Oxford, April 13-16 2010
A Collaboration between the Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture at Regent's Park College, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Jamaica Baptist Union and BMS World Mission
The Sam Sharpe Story
The Conference takes as its
centre-piece the story of Sam Sharpe, the Baptist deacon and enslaved person
who played an important role in the ‘Great Jamaican Slave Revolt’ of 1831. One
of the leaders of a group of enslaved persons who took part in a ‘sit-down
strike’ against slavery, he was executed together with more than 500 others.
Nevertheless, their revolt is recognized by historians and theologians as
having a powerful influence on the process leading to the abolition of slavery,
and Sam Sharpe is honoured as a National Hero in Jamaica. The story is of a
Baptist Christian whose actions were clearly motivated by his faith and by his
reading of scripture; he is reported to have said, ‘In reading my Bible, I
found that the white man had no more right to make a slave of me than I have to
make a slave of the white man.’ He remains a witness to the principle of
‘liberation from below’: that is, true liberation comes when those who are
oppressed or marginalized participate in making their own freedom and justice,
rather than simply having it granted to them by those who have power and
authority. This is what the Conference identifies as the ‘legacy’ of Sam Sharpe
today.
The Conference
The Conference aims to explore this story with regards to its
- Context: making a scholarly examination of the
characters, events and social institutions of the time
- Theology: offering a theological reflection on
the enslaved revolt, as a contribution to liberation theology
- Legacy: asking what light the story might shed on
present-day concerns of oppressed or minority groups, and exploring its
global impact.
In particular, the conference will explore the relevance of the Sam Sharpe story for the West African experience of slavery. It will also offer a theological framework for the process among UK Baptist churches (‘the Journey’) which has followed the apology for slavery by the Baptist Union of Great Britain, and will draw upon the experience of churches of both the Caribbean and the African diasporas in the UK and the USA.
Book Launch
The conference marks the publication of a book centred on Sam Sharpe, called Burning
For Freedom: A Theology of the Black Atlantic Struggle For Liberation (Kingston: Ian Randle, 2010) by Delroy A.
Reid-Salmon, Research Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture
at Regent’s Park College
Invited Speakers
include:
Dr Neville Callum (Baptist World Alliance)
Ms Rosemarie Davidson-Gotobed (London Baptist Association)
Prof Paul Fiddes (University of Oxford)
Prof Dwight Hopkins (University of Chicago)
Revd Wale Hudson-Roberts (Baptist Union of Great Britain)
Dr David Muir (Evangelical Alliance)
Revd Lynette Mullings (Queen’s Theological Foundation, Birmingham)
Dr Delroy Reid-Salmon (New York & Regent’s Park College, Oxford)
Prof. Horace Russell (Palmer Theological Seminary, Philadelphia)
Revd David Shosanya (London Baptist Association)
Dr Burchell Taylor (Kingston, Jamaica)
Dr Mary Turner (School of Advanced Study, London University)
Hi Andy, who's organising this, 'cos having just written a response for the BMJ in which I at least mention Sharpe, I'd be interested to come to this!
Thanks, Ed.
Posted by: Ed Kaneen | February 05, 2010 at 07:47 PM
Contact Nick Wood to give a paper or Louise Nelstrop to attend. Their contact details can be found on the regent's website on the centre's pages.
Posted by: andy goodliff | February 05, 2010 at 08:03 PM