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Albert Cleage

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Reverend Albert Cleage (1911-2000)


History

Albert Cleage was born in 1911 in Indianapolis and grew up in Detroit. His father was a physician in Detroit. In 1942 he received his BA in sociology from Wayne State University. He worked as a social worker for a short time before going back to school. In 1943 he received his Masters of Divinity from Oberlin Graduate School of Theology. He married Doris Graham in 1943 and he was ordained in the Congregational Church during the same year. He had two daughters and later divorced Graham.

He pastored an integrated church in San Francisco, but that didn't work out for long. He soon returned to Detroit in 1951. Upon returning, he served at an integrated church, St. Marks United Presbyterian mission. However, some of the white leaders of the church disagreed with the way Cleage was leading his Black congregation. In 1953, Cleage and group of followers left the church and formed the Central Congregation Church. Their mission was to minister to the less fortunate and they offered many programs for the poor.

During the 1960's, Cleage became more active in other areas of the community. He became involved with black political leadership and education. In 1967, he began the Black Christian National Movement in 1967. This movement was encouraging black churches to reinterpret Jesus' teachings to suit the social, economic, and political needs of black people. In March of 1967, Cleage installed a painting of a black Madonna holding the baby Jesus in his church and renamed the church The Shrine of the Black Madonna.


"The Black Messiah"

Cleage's book "The Black Messiah", which depicted Jesus as a black revoluitionary leader, was published in 1968. Cleage thought it was important to change the idea of a "white" Jesus to a "black" Jesus to help the African American population. The book may be based on the book "Ethiopian Manifesto" by Robert Young.


"Black Christian Nationalism"

His second book was published in 1972; "Black Christian Nationalism". It was focused on the idea that Jesus was black and that he was to save the black population. He stated that if blacks believed this then they would be able to correct their economic and political issues. This book taught that it was the black population as a whole that mattered not as an individual as Christianity taught. Cleage wanted to save the black people as a whole. This book introduced the Black Christian Nationalist Movement as its own denomination.


Pan African Orthodox Christian Church

In 1970, the Shrine of the Black Madonna was later renamed Pan African Orthodox Christian Church, the black Christian nationalist movement. More Shrine's were made in Atlanta and Houston. The mission of the Shrine's are to bring the black community back to the idea that the original Jesus was black and there to save the blacks. These churches still exist and practice these teachings today.


Other Works

Cleage then changed his name to Jaramogi Abebe Agyeman, meaning "liberator, holy man, savior of the nation" in Swahili. Agyman did not believe in integration for the blacks. He thought that it was important for them to be able to obtain and maintain an economic, political, and social environment of their own. He founded the City-wide Citizens Action Committee to help with black business. He promoted the education of the black children by black teachers.

Albert Cleage

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