Religions of the Enslaved
Saturday I had an opportunity to audit an initial class of a course at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, “Religions of the Enslaved” taught by Dr. Alphonso F. Saville, IV. I took some notes on the lecture, which focused primarily on the text, “Life, Last Words and Dying Speech of Stephen Smith,” who was a condemned, enslaved African-American man executed in Boston in 1787. This genre of literature is fraught with challenges, in part because of the role of an “amanuensis,” which was a new term for me:
An amanuensis is a person who writes or types what another dictates or copies, or signs a document on behalf of another. Learn about the origin, role and examples of amanuenses in Ancient Rome, medieval Europe and modern contexts.”
I used Claude to compose an image prompt visualizing key themes from my iPad handwritten notes, and created the image with Gemini. It took multiple iterations to correct a few spelling errors, however. (convo 1 – convo 2) This is an idea visualization concept I’m calling, an “AI Sketchnote.”
My initial image prompt draft for Claude was:
Please draft an image prompt in the style of a sketchnote in the style of Rachel Smith and Mike Rhode https://rohdesign.com/about/ for these notes about the course at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, “Religions of the Enslaved” taught by Dr. Alphonso F. Saville, IV which I audited today in person. Use the attached photo as a basis for a sketchnote version of Dr Saville, the professor today
From a content standpoint, I was really pleased and thankful to be able to audit this particular class. As I briefly reviewed the degree program options at UPS, I wasn’t sure if their M.Div. program provided many elective options. It turns out they do, but students need to be careful to complete all core class requirements as some are offered on a rotating term schedule. Since Shelly and I participated in and completed the “Confronting Whiteness Course” created by Rev. Dr. Ben Boswell, I’ve been much more aware of my own need to deepen my understanding of the ways ideas of white supremacy, race and racism, and white privilege shaped and continue to shape my life as well as the culture in which we live. I’m looking forward to joining our church’s Anti-Racism Council this spring, and continuing my own journey of listening, learning, studying, and striving to live with a deeper understanding and greater sensitivity to the ways conceptions of race shape our lives together.
I’m not sure I am called to attend seminary at this point, but God has placed this question on my heart so I will continue to discern the right path forward for me and for our family together. I would love to teach “Media Literacy for Pastors” at a seminary like UPS, but I don’t think my Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction is an adequate credential for that professorial role. I do know that I want to continue working as a “culture healer, not a culture warrior.”
It will be both interesting and exciting to see where that path will lead next.