Instructors
The Rev. Dr. John Elford, a retired United Methodist pastor, who served several congregations in southwest Texas and is pastor emeritus at University United Methodist Church in Austin. He continues to engage in anti-racism and social justice activism.
Dr. Ashley Boggan D., general secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History, who has a Ph.D. from Drew Theological School, with a specialty in Methodist/Wesley studies and Women’s/Gender studies.
Deaconess M. Garlinda Burton, formerly Director of Program Resources for the General Commission on Religion and Race.
Course Curriculum
Introduction
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Session One: Missing The Mark (1784-1844)
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- Before Session 1
- Lesson 1: Watch this video, which includes an opening prayer by Jorge Roque and a course introduction by the Rev. Dr. John Elford. (6:26)
- Lesson 2: Reflection
- Lesson 3: Watch this video on definition of terms used in this course by Deaconess M. Garlinda Burton. (3:26)
- Lesson 4: Quiz
- Lesson 5: Video (6:35)
- Lesson 6: Reflection
- Lesson 7: Watch this video by the Rev. Dr. John Elford and Dr. Ashley Boggan on the history of Methodist General Conference’s actions regarding the practice of enslaving Black people. (8:23)
- Lesson 8: Naming White Supremacy in Our Church
- Lesson 9: Video and Closing Prayer (2:37)
- Notes of Session 1
Session 2: Finding Safety in The Unholy Middle (1844-1939)
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- Before Session 2
- Lesson 1: Video and Opening Prayer (5:54)
- Lesson 2: Reflection on a Lukewarm Faith
- Lesson 3: Watch video of The Dr. Rev. John Elford and Dr. Ashley Boggan as they talk about the post-Civil War church and the church’s ongoing struggle with anti-Black racism. (5:57)
- Lesson 4: Read "Black Methodists Reject Racism, Form Own Denominations”
- Lesson 5: Watch this video with the Rev. Dr. Larry D. Pickens, who discusses the creation of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and the other historically Black U.S. Methodist denominations. (19:43)
- Quiz: What Did You Learn About Historically Black Methodist Denominations?
- Lesson 7: Watch video of the Rev. Dr. John Elford and Dr. Ashley Boggan, discussing ways that the church continued to wrestle with itself on the issue of racism, Scripture, and the changing society. (6:35)
- Lesson 8: Quiz
- Lesson 9: Watch this video on the creation and history of the Central Jurisdiction, a racially segregated judicatory legally established by the Methodist Church in 1939. (3:08)
- Lesson 10: Exercise
- Lesson 11: Closing video and prayer (1:49)
- Before Session 3
- Notes on Session 2
Session 3: Are We Lukewarm Still? (1939-present day)
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- Before Session 3
- Lesson 1: Watch the video, which includes the opening prayer and a review of Session 2 by the Rev. Dr. John Elford. (4:05)
- Quiz: Who Are These Methodist Anti-Racism Heroes?
- Lesson 3: Watch this video in which Drs. Elford and Boggan discuss further how turmoil of 50s and 60s affected the Methodist Church, and how it led to a controversial merger that eventually ended the church’s practice of legal racial segregation. (11:38)
- Lesson 4: Read "Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture"
- Lesson 5: Watch this video of the Rev. Dr. George McClain, a long-time social justice activist and United Methodist pastor, as he describes how white Methodists responded to anti-Black racism in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. (7:02)
- Lesson 6: Download, read, and reflect “Living With Contradictions of Anti-Racism Work.”
- Lesson 7: Watch this video by the Rev. Dr. Tamara Lewis of Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas, on the legacy of the 1968 union and creation of the United Methodist Church. (10:47)
- Lesson 8: Watch this video in which Drs. Elford and Boggan discuss the ongoing work of the United Methodist Church and its General Conference to confront racism and eradicate it from denominational life, witness, and mission. (5:11)
- Lesson 9: Statistics that point to both institutional and systemic racism in the church. (1:00)
- Lesson 10: Watch this video by Deaconess M. Garlinda Burton, on what today’s General Conference delegates and other church leaders can do to continue building a more loving and just kin-dom for all people by addressing anti-Black racism. (2:53)
- Lesson 11: Action Plan for Addressing Racism
- Lesson 12: Watch this video by Bishop Cynthia Moore-KoiKoi, who calls the church, under the power of Jesus Christ, to end racial violence and injustice. (2:34)
- Closing Prayer (3:27)
Online Course Feedback
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