Reformed African American Network: An Interview with Phillip Holmes and Jemar Tisby
You’ve most likely heard the term “young, restless and reformed.” It was first coined by author and Editor Collin Hansen’s book of the same name: Young, Restless, and Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists. The crowd is known as the New Calvinist made up of young men zealous to revitalize Reformed Theology and restless for God. Hiding in the background, quietly working to encourage the faith of their brothers and sisters in-Christ, have been two young, restless, and reformed African American men who are eager to share resources with their community.
Phillip Holmes and Jemar Tisby have been laboring together to build a network and a team of contributors to provide resources for the black community. In October 2011– after discovering their mutual desire for multi-ethnic churches, gospel-centered resources for the black community, and an interest in the Reformed tradition– the duo partnered to start the Reformed African American Network.
Holmes and Tisby met while taking classes together at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. Learn more about Holmes and Tisby and their organization in this Q & A.
Q: How did you decide to begin the Reformed African American Network?
Phillip: Although Jemar and I met in the summer, we didn’t actually become close friends until the winter. RTS sent the two of us, along with another friend, to the Impact Conference in New Orleans to recruit. It was here he told me about RAAN and at this point, Jemar already had a Facebook page and Twitter account for it. I made a few suggestions and gave some feedback concerning the broader vision and the Twitter account. Apparently, they were good because Jemar was gracious enough to give me the title “Co‐founder”.
It peaked my interest because as I met more and more Blacks that were Reformed, I quickly realized how unique my experience was. It was mainly Black men that introduced me to this system of theology, but this isn’t the case for most. Typically some unknown Anglo brother or a pop Calvinist preacher like John Piper introduces most Blacks to Reformed Theology. Therefore, after awhile many are often left wondering, “Where are the Black preachers and lay men who believe this and are applying it to my experience? Am I the only one?” I think RAAN can be a supplement for those brothers and sisters.
Jemar: The idea for RAAN was birthed over Labor Day weekend 2011. Wy Plummer, Mission to North America (MNA) African American Ministry Coordinator for the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), gathered a small group of African American seminary students at New City Fellowship Church in Chattanooga, TN. The goal of the weekend was to demonstrate that the PCA and Reformed churches could be multi-ethnic and contextualized to the African American community. The weekend had the feel of a family reunion. Although I had never met most of the folks there, they were African American and Reformed, so I felt a familial kinship. Then I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could connect more often? If there were some sort of organization that got us talking to each other across the nation on an ongoing basis.” Thought piled on thought and RAAN emerged.
Our work together on RAAN, however, began taking shape after we attended the Impact National Conference. Impact is the African American outreach that grew out of Cru (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ). We attended the conference to recruit for the newly formed African American Leadership Initiative (AALI). Phillip and I complemented each other’s gifts–Phillip loves meeting new people and can strike up an interesting conversation with anyone, I like talking about vision and strategy. When I told Phillip about RAAN he ushered in a new phase of development for the budding organization. He expanded our network of contacts and began managing our Twitter account which brought additional exposure. Since then we have continued our partnership and look forward to continued collaboration.
Q: Why do you believe African Americans need resources specifically addressing their needs?
Phillip: We all have unique experiences and it often helps when a minister knows the person and context that they are ministering to. All theology is shaped and articulated a certain way based on the culture it is birthed out of. The Heidelberg and Westminster Catechisms are both great examples. I’m a confessional Christian who trusts both catechisms for the most part, yet though the content in each of them is biblical and consistent, how they articulate sound doctrine is different. African
Americans, I believe, need not necessarily confessions or catechisms of our own, but Biblical theologians and pastors speaking to our unique experience and culture.
Jemar: The history of race-based chattel slavery in this country means that African Americans have had a unique experience among other ethnic groups in America. Even after Emancipation and the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans have continued to endure marginalization and segregation in many spheres. In terms of the Church, African Americans and the Anglo majority have largely remained segregated. This is especially true in Reformed circles. Most of the largest and most influential Reformed organizations are overwhelmingly White. By nature, the interests and concerns of the majority get the most “air time” at conferences, in pulpits, and on the web. Where, then, do African Americans who are Reformed get the opportunity to ask the questions, address the issues, and take up the topics most pertinent to them? The Reformed African American Network exists not to be the voice of the Reformed African American community but to be the stage for many voices to be heard. We want to be a gathering place for Reformed African Americans and Christians of any race to congregate and explore Reformed theology from an African American perspective.
Q: Where do you hope the org will be in 5 years?
Phillip: I want RAAN to be an established resource site for both Christians and unbelievers from all ethnicities, as well as a platform for the minority and majority ethnicities to confess blind spots (on all sides) and develop theology in a diverse community. The famous slogan of the Reformation was “always reformed, always reforming”. However, because of my strong background in the Black church and love for those in it, I have a strong desire to see our organization infiltrate the Black community and expose some of the bad theology that is prevalent there today as well as ignite a multi-ethnic view and connect our history back to the Reformation. Bad theology is everywhere and though I have a heart to see all men think rightly about God and love Him with all their heart, even more so for my kinsmen according to the flesh.
Jemar: In five years time I hope that the organization will be a steady voice in the conversation that develops and applies Reformed theology. Phillip and I have a multi-ethnic vision for RAAN and could see developing an umbrella network called the Reformed Minority Network which would encompass several ethnicities–African American, Hispanic, Asian, and more. The model of RAAN can be applied across any ethnic context and there is certainly a need. Additionally, we would like to have our own website with original content–blog posts, interviews, book reviews, featured churches, etc.–being posted frequently. If God continues to bless this ministry, we could see co-sponsoring conferences to help gather more Reformed minorities.
Q: You are currently assembling a number of contributors to represent RAAN through writing. What are some of the topics you hope to address?
Phillip: I have quite a few that I would love for our contributors to chime in on, but two separate topics that I’m especially hoping we will address are on the multiethnic church and the family. RAAN, however, won’t limit our contributors to only writing on practical issues. We will encourage them to write articles on key doctrines as well and defend against a lot of the unhealthy stuff being taught in the church.
Jemar: RAAN addresses any topic that has particular bearing on the African American community: current events (Obama’s statement on homosexual marriage, the potential first black president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Trayvon Martin case), conferences, books by Reformed African Americans, and theology (e.g. Would you be willing to attend a church where you are in the ethnic minority if the theology was sound?).
So far our regular contributors are:Reddit Andrews, III(Assistant Pastor of Practical Theology at RTS Jackson); Michael Campbell (Senior Pastor of Redeemer Church Jackson, PCA); Randy Nabors (Pastor Emeritus of New City Fellowship, Chattanooga, TN), Dr. Carl Ellis, Jr. (President Project Joseph) and his wife, Karen Ellis (M.A.R. Westminster Theological Seminary); Tony Carter (author and Pastor of East Point Church); Trillia Newbell (writer, editor, and entrepreneur); and Adam Thomason (Church Planter, Pastor of Damascus Road, Collision Records Co-Owner, and Entrepreneur.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself, specifically how did you become a Christian?
Phillip: I made a profession of faith at Greater Fairview Baptist Church in rural
Pickens, MS. At 11 I said that I was called to preach and at 12 I was licensed in the National Baptist Convention. So I’m very familiar with the Black Church experience.
I’m grateful for my experience, my family and the people at my old church. However, like most teenagers I struggled with my identity and lived a double life. I believe now that it was those identity issues that led to me making a profession at 6 years old and announcing a “call” at 11. I now realize that I was trying to find my identity in the black church experience and ministry. It was during the end of my freshman year of college, I was introduced to a few key guys that were all instrumental in introducing me to Reformed Theology and helping me connect the dots from the Gospel to my heart.
Dishon Knox (Christian rapper and Covenant Seminary student) who introduced me to El McGowan, was at the time finishing seminary and about to start the work of RUF at Jackson State. El mentored me for about four months and introduced me to Redeemer Church. Finally in the fall of 2012, El introduced to Chad Smith, who was, at the time, the RUF Campus Minister at Belhaven. Chad began to apply the Gospel to my life and heart. It was during this time I began to realize that I was a sinner and free to confess that sin, because God was pleased with me based on Christ’s righteousness, not my own. This, not only, freed me from the guilt of sin but also its bondage. Though I struggle daily, I’m constantly learning to rest in the Gospel and sufficiency of God’s grace. I had heard some of this before, but I believe it was the work of the Holy Spirit and the centrality of the Gospel and Christ in the preaching, teaching and mentoring I’m under that led me to a genuine conversion.
Jemar: I grew up in a nominally Christian home and I was baptized at age 8, but I didn’t truly repent and believe in Jesus Christ until high school. I was 16 and I remember the smell of wet socks and cedar. I was in a cabin on a winter retreat surrounded by my youth pastor, small group leader, and the friend who had first invited me to the youth group. I said a prayer–which I admit that I didn’t fully understand–but God knew what He was doing. I have, by God’s grace, been walking with him ever since.
I later attended the University of Notre Dame–a Catholic school–where for the first time I was challenged to explain my evangelical beliefs. Thankfully a friend, the same one who prayed with me when I first accepted Christ, was attending John Piper’s church and he sent me the book, Desiring God. Immediately the centrality and sovereignty of God gripped me as I discovered how this theologian expressed thoughts so closely matching what I read in the Bible. I began consuming more of this theology by tracking down more books and authors in footnotes or bibliographies. I soon came across Anthony Carter’s book, On Being Black and Reformed, where I finally discovered that this system of thought had a name–Reformed theology.
After college, I spent one more year at Notre Dame as an intern in their campus ministry department ministering to African Americans and Protestants on campus. Thereafter, I became a teacher through the Teach For America program. I was placed in a small town in the Delta called Helena, Arkansas at a brand new school named KIPP Delta College Preparatory School. I had always known that I wanted to do full-time ministry at some point, so after four years of teaching 6th grade Science and Social Studies I made the move to Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. I spent one year in the MDIV program there, and then accepted a call back to my old school to become the School Director (principal). I served as a middle school administrator there for three years until enrolling in seminary again, this time at RTS in Jackson, MS.
For more information about RAAN or to receive updates and news follow them on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/reformedafricanamericans and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ReformedAFAM(@ReformedAFAM).
More about Phillip Holmes
Phillip Holmes is currently working on his Master of Divinity at RTS and will complete his degree in 2015. Upon graduation he hopes to pursue ordination in the Presbyterian Church of America and work as Campus Pastor for Reformed University Fellowship on a Historical Black Campus. He works as an Admissions Counselor at RTS, Assistant Resident Director at Belhaven University and Ministry Intern under Elbert McGowan, Jr. at Jackson State with RUF. He is currently interning with Trinity Presbyterian Church in Norfolk, Va the until the Fall. Holmes is single and lives in Jackson, Mississippi. Follow him on twitter at @PhillipMHolmes.
More about Jemar Tisby
Jemar Tisby was born and raised near Chicago, IL. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame and is now pursuing a Masters in Divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson. He currently works in the Admissions of Office of RTS and will soon begin an internship with Redeemer Church Jackson. Upon completion of his degree, Jemar seeks to become a full-time ordained pastor. His wife is Janee’ and they have a two year old son, Jack.
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