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”.

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.

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: 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: 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.

*See an updated Regular Contributor list here.

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.

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 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.

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 @RAANetwork.

*Originally posted by Trillia Newbell.