Readers are invited to attend a Jackson, Mississippi conference hosted by the Mt. Helm Baptist Church featuring Pastor C. J. Rhodes and Dr. Anthony Bradley

Title of the conference is: “Keep Your Head Up: Being Black and Christian in 21st Century Mississippi”. The topic involves looking at a new generation of Christian leaders address the intersections of theology, race, and culture in an exciting conversation about the future of the black church.

Speakers (see biographies below) will be Pastor CJ Rhodes, Mount Helm Baptist Church, Jackson, MS, and Dr. Anthony B. Bradley, Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics, The King’s College, New York, NY, editor of Keep Your Head Up: America’s New Black Christian Leaders, Social Consciousness, and the Cosby Conversation.

The conference will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2012. Here is the schedule for events that day:

8:30– 9:00 A Celebration of Praise and Worship in Black Church Traditions

9:00-10:15 Session 1 –Dr. Anthony Bradley, “Reformed Theology, White Privilege, and Black Liberation.”

10:15-10:30 Morning Break

10:30-11:15 Session 2 –Pastor CJ Rhodes, “Liberating the Black Church”

11:30–1:00—Break for Lunch (sign up for lunch below)

1:00 – 2:15– Panel and Audience Discussion: “Is the Black Church Dead?”

2:15 – 2:30–Final Remarks and dismissal.

Lunch is provided for those who RSVP via [email protected] by February 6, 2012.

Location is Mt Helm Baptist Church located at 300 East Church Street, in Jackson, MS 39202. Church phone number is 601-353-3981/ Church website is here.

Biography of Pastor C. J. Rhodes

Compared by some to Martin Luther King, Jr., Pastor C. Edward Rhodes, II, is the youngest pastor in Mt Helm’s history. A native Mississippian, he is the son of famed civil rights attorney Carroll Rhodes, Sr., and the former Doris Williams. When he was about one year old, his mother dedicated him back to God, like Hannah did Samuel, and his life seemed to be marked for greatness ever since.

Affectionately called CJ by family and friends, Pastor Rhodes attended Hazlehurst City Schools. While in high school he exhibited great leadership by re-establishing the student government and composing its new constitution, and serving as the first student representative on the school board. It was also during this time that he embraced his public speaking gifts by delivering famous MLK speeches at his school and local churches.

After graduating with honors from Hazlehurst High School in 2000, the same year he received his call to Christian ministry, Pastor Rhodes began his higher education career at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Under the spiritual mentorship of Bishop Arnold Stanton, pastor/founder of New Life Cathedral of Worship in Hazlehurst, Pastor Rhodes initiated a life of faithful witness to the Gospel. During his college years, Pastor Rhodes served in local Baptist and nondenominational churches and led campus ministries. Though beginning his studies in International Studies, he graduated in 2004 with a BA in Philosophy.

In 2009 Pastor Rhodes graduated from the prestigious Divinity School at Duke University with his Masters of Divinity (MDiv) as a Dean’s Scholar and Fund for Theological Education Ministry Fellow. There he served as Vice President of the Black Seminarians Union, an intern chaplain for both the seminary and a hospital, and was voted by his peers to preach the 2008 student orientation sermon. Having travelled nationally and to two Latin American countries, Pastor Rhodes is a much sought after preacher, consultant, and ministry strategist.

Ordained in 2009 by Rev. Dr. Maurice Wallace, pastor of Cornerstone Church, Pastor Rhodes’ formation by various Christian influences — among them Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal — is evident in his ecumenical spirit and commitment to the global Church’s renewal and relevance.

Pastor Rhodes currently serves on the board of the Urban League of Greater Jackson, is a member of the National YALT Advisory Committee (Children’s Defense Fund), and is the President of the Farish St/Main St Project. Denominationally, he is a member of the Young Ministers Division and the Education Committee of the General Missionary Baptist State Convention. He has been recognized by the Mississippi State Legislature, the Jackson City Council, several civic organizations, and local media for his bold, Spirit-led church and citywide leadership. Innovative and visionary, Pastor Rhodes is one of this nation’s emerging transformative leaders.

Biography of Anthony Bradley

Anthony Bradley, Ph.D is Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics at The King’s College in New York City and serves as a Research Fellow at the Acton Institute.
Dr. Bradley lectures at colleges, universities, business organizations, conferences, and churches throughout the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of Liberating Black Theology: The Bible and the Black Experience in America and Black and Tired: Essays on Race, Politics, Culture, and International Development. His writings on religious and cultural issues have been published in a variety of journals, including: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Detroit News, and World Magazine.

Dr. Bradley is called upon by members of the broadcast media for comment on current issues and has appeared on NPR, CNN/Headline News, Fox News and Court TV Radio, among others. He studies and writes on issues of race in America, hip hop, youth culture, issues among African Americans, the American family, welfare, education, and modern international forms of social injustice, slavery, and oppression.

From 2005-2009, Dr. Bradley was Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO where he also directed the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute.

Dr. Bradley holds Bachelor of Science in biological sciences from Clemson University, a Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Westminster Theological Seminary.