A Book Review by Rev. Sharon Minor King, Ph.D.  

THE RELEVANCE OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FOR LAY PASTORS IN HAITI: Published by A New Vision, by Dr. Fritz Olivier. 2007. 324 pages.

 Retrospectively, Bishop Judy Fisher’s suggestion that I read Dr. Olivier’s book, appears quite prophetic. During the summer, I often review books for the upcoming semester that will refresh both of my university-level courses, “The Black Church” and “The Black Family”.  In light of the current situations facing Haiti today, my following reflections on this book also seem a timely opportunity to teach and inspire others to reorient any thinking that keeps Black people from uniting due to “mis-education”.[i] The need for global studies on the African Diaspora’s multiple-cultural and spiritual responses to the Creator is woefully apparent based upon recent comments made by the “dis-educated” who guise their knowledge as benevolent evangelism to the uninformed and sufferers of cultural identity-theft.[ii]

 Dr. Olivier successfully reports his experiences as a trained, disciplined Christian minister from an “immersed” perspective that celebrates the traditions and visions of the future through the eyes of the Haitians. Beyond his own baptism and calling as a Christian, his book indicates that he has a sincere commitment to walking the path of Jesus Christ by understanding the multiple cultures that encourage people to live a life of dignity and community. Throughout his book, he provides evidence of how traditional African religions, such as vodun, continue to manifest elements of Christianity that link to their ancient collective past. Like Jesus as evidenced by many stories throughout the Gospels, Olivier follows the path of connecting present realities with envisioning possibilities for the future.

 His sensitive interpretation of the Vodun religion - too often spelled “voodoo” by popular culturalists and spiritual antagonists - is worth a careful reading and reflection. His choice of providing case studies based upon narrative and anecdotal interviews, research by both Haitian scholars and lay pastors, and exegetical biblical interpretations, gives the reader a wealth of information about the culture and the daily lives of those who connect their spiritual lives with those of their ancestral past.  

 The strengths of this book include his commitment to establishing a methodology that reflects both an educated and empathetic perspective. Clearly, he wants other clergy to take his observations seriously, and to encourage followers to minimize the guilt often carried because of necessary dual existences they seem to live, spiritually. If only spiritual leaders could reconnect their own ambivalence towards God that stems from an ignorance of their own history, culture, and personal identity! A careful comparative study of religions like Dr. Olivier’s provides paths to such reconciliation for all of us.

 While the book often reads like a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation, it also has the sentiments of one who is guided by a moral commitment to speak from personal experiences and the voices of the people, themselves. Some of the interpretations of Scripture might be a bit questionable, however his views have merit and he expresses courage in providing them to such a vast and potentially critical audience.

 The need for current understandings of traditional African religions among Black people globally is one of the core sources of confusion and division among culture groups, today. While Africans throughout the world link themselves with Christianity based upon overt, often subliminal dis-educated views of anything African, practicing followers of Jesus Christ are becoming more aware of the need to restore memories and histories that connect us as one people of God that is much older than westernized hermeneutics. 

 Still, it often amazes me how good “Christian” folk fear religions that recognize their ancestors, yet the same have no difficulty worshiping Jesus Christ, as if he were not an “ancestor”. Equally, it is troubling to hear traditional African religion followers castigate Christianity, which is often the religion of two or more generations within their own families. Misinformed beliefs that the ‘White man’ has lobotomized the mind of Black folks are neither beneficial nor socially and collectively responsible thinking![iii]

 However, even more distressing is the continuous support Black folks give to any clergy that self-righteously describes biblical history based upon refuted interpretations of the Bible that suggest that curses and witchcraft are exclusively linked to anything “African” as metaphor. What better an example of this foolishness than the recent ignorance displayed by an internationally recognized Christian leader who interpreted the recent dilemmas upon Haiti (to an apparently ‘mute’ woman) by connecting them to the spiritual choices of the people! Both an uneducated clergy, as well as an under-educated laity, perpetuate such nonsense globally!

 Dr. Olivier attempts to break through these barriers of religious pre-judgments and cultural inferiority by writing a book from an honest and scholarly perspective. It is my hope that his generous heart will gain immediate and eternal rewards for the people he so diligently serves. Amen.

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 This book is available through contacting Dr. Judy Ann Fisher" <jafisher@fishersworld.com> for $15.99 (plus shipping). All proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the educational project designated for rebuilding the university which is part of the educational program to educate Haitians through Mercy Outreach Ministries.

 Rev. King is the founder of A MINOR ENTERPRISE, an education consultancy firm, and CyberChurch International Academy, a virtual church <http//:cyberchurchinternationalacademy.com>. She is a member of the Africana Studies faculty at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), and an art specialist for the Montgomery County Public Schools. To contact Dr. King, send messages to sharonk@umbc.edu.

 The copyright for this book is registered by Dr. Fritz Olivier. All rights reserved. ISBN: 1-4196-4709-1, and ISBN-13:978-1419647093.