Professor Offers New Class in Rhetoric & Religion

Professor Offers New Class in Rhetoric & Religion October 28, 2011

Dr. Andre E. Johnson, the Dr. James L. Netters Assistant Professor of Rhetoric & Religion and African American Studies at Memphis Theological Seminary will offer a new class titled, “The Forgotten Prophet: The Prophetic Rhetoric of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner” at the seminary on Tuesday evenings from 5:30pm-8:30pm. The class will start on January 24.

Henry McNeal Turner (1834-1915) was one of America’s earliest black activists and social reformers, and, as such, he made an indelible mark in history and left an enduring social influence. While Turner was widely known as a great orator, theologian and bishop, history has not been kind to Turner. “One reason,” notes Dr. Johnson “may be that much of Turner’s rhetoric took on a harsh tone. However, he reminds us, “It is important to note that Turner’s rhetoric reflected the times in which he lived. In order to find his voice to speak out against the indignities he and his people faced, he adopted a prophetic persona and much of his oratory took on a prophetic tone.”

In the class, Johnson says that “students will examine Turner’s prophetic discourses and analyze how he was able to communicate unpopular messages to his audiences.” Students will also examine the times in which Turner produced his rhetoric and examine other figures germane to Turner’s career. By engaging in a rhetorical trajectory of Turner’s rhetoric, students will examine Turner’s life and career along with his successes and failures. At the end of the class, students will examine how Turner anticipated some of the arguments that many African Americans presented in the twentieth century.

For more information on enrolling or auditing the class, please call Memphis Theological Seminary at 901-458-8232. Space is limited.


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