5/30/2023 0 Comments Charles octavius bootheBoothe describes his grandfather as a "pure African." His great-grandmother was born in West Africa before being captured and forced to live as a slave in Virginia. BOUND TO THE BOOKĬharles Octavius Boothe (1845–1925) was born on June 13 in Mobile, Alabama, and was the legal property of Nathaniel Howard. I felt seen and excluded-seen because my professor highlighted Boothe's story excluded because unlike others in the room, I had yet to experience my faith through the lens of someone who looked like me. Yet I was angry that his theological reflections about God, humanity, salvation, the church, and last days weren’t available for me to read. I was proud that an African American man, who was born a slave, had accomplished writing a systematic theology with limited access to education and resources. My heart bounced back in forth as I looked at Boothe's photo. With the fuzzy, black and white picture in the background, my professor explained how our knowledge of church history was limited because many of its documents, like Boothe's systematic theological handbook, had been lost. At the time, all he could only offer us was a photo of Boothe. I was struggling to stay awake in day two of an eight-hour church history class when my professor mentioned him.
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