Part of my desire with this podcast is to highlight voices – important voices that may not break through into the Christian mainstream, but powerful and necessary voices nonetheless. One of those voices is the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, pastor of Trinity Church of Christ in Chicago. Dr Moss is a pastor, author, theologian, filmmaker and one of the very best preachers in America today. And I say that without hyperbole.

In this interview I talk with Dr. Moss about the black theological tradition, the black church, black music history, black worship, and what the global church can learn from this heroic, innovative, beautiful expression of the church today.

This is an important conversation. A necessary conversation for racial unity and moral clarity in polarizing times where history is at risk of being either forgotten or rewritten.

Dr. Moss is an amazing communicator. This conversation is full of history, theology, stories, culture, and the celebration of innovative people throughout history. This isn’t just about political cheap shots. This is a celebration of the diversity and beauty of God.

Topics Covered:

The story of Dr. Moss’s call to ministry and his early career aspirations
Why Dr. Moss and his church is “unashamedly black and unapologetically Christian”
Why “black theology” is a helpful categorization
What America can learn about democracy from jazz music
Why politics is not about right or left
What is happening in Chicago right now and why the church can’t stay silent
Why every pastor needs a mentor outside of their cultural tradition
What pastors can learn from professional athletes
Otis’ favorite books, movies, & documentaries

Resources Mentioned:

Show Sponsor: Planning Center
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III (website)
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III (instagram)
Trinity United Church of Christ
Jesus And The Disinherited by Howard Thurman
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World by Padraig O Tuama
The New Abolition: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Black Social Gospel by Gary Dorrien
Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry
Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times by Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III
Blue Note Preaching in a Post Soul World: Finding Hope in an Age of Despair by Rev. Dr. Otis Moss
III
Otis’ Dream
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Daughters of the Dust

Show Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Planning Center, an all-in-one church management software made to help churches help people. You can organize your ministries and keep everyone on your team communicating and aligned around what’s going on.

As a worship leader, good communication is key to building a strong worship team. You can cultivate relationships while ensuring everyone has what they need to successfully prep for your services.

But why not take it up a notch using the chat feature?

Built right into the Services mobile app—which, by the way, you should totally download if you haven’t already—chat helps you coordinate all the service details with your team. Plus, you can have fun while doing it!

No more juggling emails, group texts, and multiple apps to ensure your whole team is aligned. Chat will simplify your communication in one convenient place through the Services mobile app. And everyone can ask questions, request prayer, or join the banter in real-time with one another.

The really cool part about chatting with your teams? Team members are dynamically added or removed from conversations as availability changes!

So if your original bass player suddenly declines (why is it so hard to find a bass player, anyway?), your newly scheduled bass player is automatically added to the chat conversation.

All of your chat conversations stay in sync. No more outdated group threads or irrelevant messages! So what are you waiting for? Download the Services app and start chatting!

The post #374: What We Can All Learn From The Theological And Musical Tradition Of The Black Church with Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III appeared first on Beyond Sunday Worship.