Jeymes Samuel’s controversial, “The Book of Clarence” film sparks conversation about acknowledging the divine in ourselves and others.
“Notes on faith” is theGrio’s inspirational, interdenominational series featuring Black thought leaders across faiths.
“Ye are gods.”
To this day, this phrase, as it appears in
However, while some faith circles consider the mere premise of “The Book of Clarence” blasphemous, there are many on the religious spectrum unfazed by the question, “How dare you call yourself God?” Progressive leader Father Divine preached that he was God incarnate, while the famed Rev. Ike was labeled a heretic for teaching his followers about the “God in us.”
And yet, there is something healthy about imagining the ultimate experience of being “of the divine.”
As the song goes, “What if God was one of us?”
In what ways have you been off-put by the perspective that you are of the divine? Do you find this sacrilegious? If so, why?
As faith leaders, we have found in our own faith practice — personally, in our marriage, and in our various public roles — great empowerment through this mindset. What if this posture doesn’t call us to avoid our circumstances, but rather puts into perspective who we are and whose we are? What else have we got? As Samuel said: “Faith is really all we have… The only thing that gets us through is our faith.”
What if there is actually a benefit to experiencing provocative art because it compels the offended community to reassert and redefine itself in response to the provocation? Believe it or not, communities often seem to emerge stronger from the tension.
To our hearing, the real call in this moment is to consider: Who do we have faith to become? To what extent can we actually look, feel, move, think, and be divine? And in what ways might we readily experience the divine in each other…
“Ye are gods,” has been echoed throughout the traditions of the world. So, we leave you with this prompt to reflect on what it might be like to move through the world in your divinity.
With that said family, “Peace to the God.” We honor the divine in you.
Rev. Dr. Alisha Lola Jones is a faith leader helping people to find their groove in a fast-paced world, as a consultant for various arts and faith organizations and professor of music in contemporary societies at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. She is an award-winning author of Flaming? The Peculiar Theopolitics of Fire and Desire in Black Male Gospel Performance (Oxford University Press). For more information, please visit DrAlisha.com.
Rev. Calvin Taylor Skinner is dedicated to empowering frontline communities in Knoxville, Tenn., and the United Kingdom. He uses faith and policy to address energy justice, criminal justice reform, voter education/mobilization, electoral politics, and global affairs. Along with his wife, Rev. Dr. Alisha Lola Jones, they lead InSight Initiative, a consulting firm that focuses on capacity building and live events production.
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The post ‘Peace to the God’: Unpacking ‘The Book of Clarence’ and the audacity of divinity appeared first on TheGrio.
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