Deep Calls to Deep
Historically Black Theological Institutions & How They Shaped Black Christian Tradition
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Broadleaf Books (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2027
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Publisher's Description
The first definitive history of Historically Black Theological Institutions (HBTIs) and their enduring influence on Black Christian leadership and culture. We can't understand the Black church and Black theology without understanding the influence of Historically Black Theological Institutions (HBTIs. This groundbreaking work dives into the sacred history of the six accredited HBTIs. Sixth-generation pastor Yvette Blair-Lavallais chronicles how these seminaries fostered the development of Black Christian thought and traces how faith leaders answered God's call to create spaces where Black men and women could be theologically trained in liberation, justice, and prophetic ministry. Written in the Black radical preacherly tradition, Deep Calls to Deep uncovers some of the great untold stories of American religious history. HBTIs shaped many of the religious leaders who changed the course of America, including Martin Luther King Jr., Katie Cannon, Vashti Murphy McKenzie, and more. HBTIs nurtured the Black theology that defined the Black church and made it the foundation of the struggle for freedom. Through rich storytelling, historical research, and personal reflection, Blair-Lavallais brings to life the founding and ongoing legacy of Howard University School of Divinity, Payne Theological Seminary, Interdenominational Theological Center, Shaw University Divinity School, Hood Theological Seminary, and Virginia Union University's Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology. Deep Calls to Deep is both a history and an invitation: to honor the past, celebrate the present, and wade into the deep waters of Black faith, scholarship, and spiritual transformation.
Endorsements (7)
“As the dean of a Historically Black divinity school, I read Deep Calls to Deep with deep gratitude and sober recognition. Yvette Blair-Lavallais asks us to imagine African American churches and communities--and American society more generally--without Historically Black Theological Institutions and, in doing so, names what is too often taken for granted. Centering a vanguard of innovative Black women academics and clergy leaders, she offers an insightful narrative of the remarkable founding and promising futures of the Big Six HBTIs, attending carefully to their vulnerabilities to market pressures, their strategies of resilience, and their resistance to the logics of empire and historical erasure. Read and be inspired by this timely and necessary work.”
“Yvette R. Blair-Lavallais takes us on an encyclopedic, creative interdisciplinary journey about the souls of Black folk, Black faith, and the Black religious institutions dedicated to exquisite pedagogical and social-justice education.... Deep Calls to Deep is a must-read for all persons curious about Black religious life, for all who view themselves as leaders of this tradition, and for social-justice activists everywhere.”
“Blair-Lavallais's book surprises, inspires, and motivates the reader to learn even more about these necessary institutions and how they shaped theologians, scholars, and preachers of the present day. She moves these schools from mere buildings to institutions with deep and rich cultural and historical origins that fed students with the spiritual food they did not know they needed. It is almost as though she gets the institutions to speak aloud themselves!”
“Deep Calls to Deep is a sacred and necessary witness to the enduring power of Historically Black Theological Institutions. Dr. Yvette Blair-Lavallais reminds us that Black seminaries are not merely academic spaces but wells of wisdom where faith, struggle, scholarship, and prophetic imagination meet.... This book is both a historical record and a spiritual call to protect, invest in, and celebrate the institutions that continue shaping the future of the Black church.”
“Blair-Lavallais not only reminds us of past strength and resilience, but offers the brilliance of Black intellectual thought empowered by the Holy Spirit as a current gift of sweet love to firm our feeble knees and to see ourselves critically forward, even in such a time as this. This well-researched labor of love is a must for your library.”
“Blair-Lavallais tells the story of how our beloved Historically Black Theological Institutions (HBTIs) were established during one of the most divided times in this country's history. Through meticulous research, she offers not just the origin stories of resilience, fortitude, and determination, but a genealogy of each sacred seminary.... Required reading for anyone who wants to learn about this part of American history.”
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