Eric Betts, Ph.D.

Black Identity in the Workplace Building Resilience and Cultivating Success: Strategies for Black Professionals

If Christians took Mary’s song seriously, we would not care whether Starbucks had appropriately Christmas themed cups this year. We would not demand that our Target cashiers wish us “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays.” We would not rush out to Black Friday sales to fill our Christmas stockings with goodies. Indeed, we would reject the whole enterprise of consumer Christmas, which coopts the Christ child into a system of ravenous self-gratification and economic exploitation, lining the pockets of the wealthy at the expense of the health, dignity, and well-being of the poorest of the poor. We would find ways to be among our neighbors, to cross the lines that divide us, to heal the divisions that separate us, to repair the damage we have done to others in our quest to be like gods. Prof. Robet Williamson Jr.

None of us was ’lowed to see a book or try to learn. Dey say we gitsmarter den dey was if we learn anything, but we slips around and gits hold of dat Webster’s old blue back speller and we hides it ’til way in de night and den we lights a little pine torch,2 and studies dat spellin’ book. We learn it too. I can read some now and write a little too.
Jenny Proctor, enslaved in Alabama, interviewed in Texas, ca. 1937
I have no education, I can neither read nor write, as a slave I was not allowed to have books. On Sundays I would go into the woods and gather ginseng which I would sell to the doctors for from 10¢ to 15¢ a pound and with this money I would buy a book that was called the Blue Back Speller. Our master would not allow us to have any books and when we were lucky enough to own a book we would have to keep it hid, for if our master would find us with a book he would whip us and take the book from us. After receiving three severe whippings I gave up and never again tried for any learning, and to this day I can neither read nor write.
George Thompson, enslaved in Kentucky, interviewed in Indiana, 1937
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Black Theology 101 Interpreting scripture and theology through the African American lens and experience

In his prophetic and timely study, Reconciliation: Geopolitical Perspectives of a Black Theologian (2022), Eric M. Betts pulls the theological cover off some of most critical issues facing people of color in Africa, the United States and the Middle East. With the capitalistic oppressions of race, poverty, and blatant dehumanization in full view, Betts cohesively collaborates the various systems of evil into one overarching, theological perspective: Evangelical theology in the bent of political consideration must reexamine its commitment to human liberation. Here, Betts makes it clear that liberation includes the practical work of cultural critics, trained theologians, church laity, and ordained clergy. With an emphasis on the importance of proactively combining information and knowledge within a certain type of materialized envisioning, Betts goes beyond the theological call of duty. He does not just state the problem areas. Most importantly, he also provides a logical plan of action that is designed to be a part of God’s liberation and reconciliation in the most oppressive of human contexts. At the very least, Betts’s new book is a theological masterpiece of courage, expectation, and vision.

Rev. Darvin A. Adams, Ph.D. Theology and Ethics (Economic Theory) Author of Inner-City Blues: Black Theology and Black Poverty in the United States (2023) Pastor of the Lane Tabernacle CME Church in Hopkinsville, Kentucky

Ewwwww weeeeeh! This will ALLLLWAYS be a classic!!! THANK YOU LORD!!!!

Holiday Struggles and Community Empowerment Black and small business owners often face a significant challenge during the busy holiday season, beginning with Black Friday and extending beyond. According to The Grio.com, this predicament stem…

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Eric Betts, Ph.D. | Lecturer, Author and Theologian| Udemy Eric Betts, Ph.D. is a Udemy instructor with educational courses available for enrollment. Check out the latest courses taught by Eric Betts, Ph.D.

https://drericbetts.wordpress.com/2023/11/10/divine-reversals/
Be informed and inspired by this latest article concerning Yusef Salaam's recent victory-a member of the New York exonerated five.

Divine Reversals The Central Park Five was a case that gripped New York City and the nation in 1989. It involved five young African-American boys – Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santa…

Had the pleasure of being invited to contribute to a community forum where refugee voices from Gaza, and the West Bank were heard. I am pictured with Ahmad Abu Alrub and wife. Chapters 3 ad 4 of my book "Reconciliation" addresses the issue.

This course will go live in a few days. Enroll today for this exclusive complementary offer for my fan page. At your own pace. https://www.udemy.com/course/black-identity-in-the-workplace/

These posts have me smh. Jesus did come to save chocolate skin and bodies from enslavement. Whose presence do you think guided the underground railroad and defeated the confederacy? Who resided within a Black church to defeat Jim Crow to save black bodies from disenfranchisement? John said there are countless works Jesus did that are not recorded in the bible. Jesus healed lepers to show he also came to save our skin and bodies from attack.

Check out my latest article on the power of Unity! (4 min read)

Strength in Unity is “The Answer” Shaquille O’Neal’s appointment as the president and Allen Iverson-nicknamed “The Answer” as vice president of Reebok Basketball signifies a significant moment in cultural an…

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According to the esteemed African-American biblical scholar, Cain Hope Felder, the notion of Israel as Jahweh's elected nation did not solidify into a religious ideology or sacralization until the period of Deuteronomistic history, near the end of the seventh century. Before then, this divine election was a theological belief, an expression of Israel's unique relationship with the divine, but not yet a mechanism for othering or ethnocentrism. This transformation into sacralization, Felder suggests, was a response to the existential crises of the time, including the threat of foreign nations and the struggles for religious and cultural identity. Thus, theological election became a double-edged sword—providing a sense of purpose and distinction for Israel, while simultaneously laying a foundation for ethno-supremacy and exclusion.

https://drericbetts.wordpress.com/2023/10/12/a-prayer-for-peace-and-reconciliation/

A Prayer for Peace and Reconciliation by Eric M. Betts Dear heavenly Father, we come before You today with heavy hearts, burdened by the crisis unfolding in Israel/Palestine. We beseech You, O Lord, deliver us, we pray, from the devour…

Don't believe hype if you are watching news coverage of the Israeli/Palestinian war. Order my book today. If you have it, pick it back up and get the real news! Amazon Kindle. https://www.amazon.com/Reconciliation-Geopolitical-Perspectives-Black-Theologian/dp/1951300564?ref_=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=3a2a23a4-de02-4cc8-93aa-7fa2eba1b344