Reverend Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr. Discusses Compassion

Oakland has a history of deeply rooted social problems, many of them connected to the black community’s relationship with the local police department. In 1966, this birthed the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. (If you have Netflix, I’d urge you to see the film: “Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution.)

At the time of the rise of the Panthers, most churches were completely disconnected from the struggle of poor and marginalized people in the community. When church members began to talk about racism, they would point to the next world where the streets are paved with gold. Few pastors would actually confront the power structure of the city of Oakland, California about the inequitable distribution of wealth or the police rampant brutality. However, there was one minister who made that stand publicly at Oakland City Hall. Even today, when I speak to former members of the Black Panther Party, they almost take their hats off when I mention the name Reverend Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr., internationally recognized as one of the greatest social justice preachers of our time.

I had an amazing conversation with the Reverend Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr, Pastor Emeritus of historic Allen Temple Baptist Church, East Oakland, last night. One thing that I appreciate about Pastor Smith is that he is a theologian and an intellectual. One of my first questions in the course of any conversation that I’ve had with him over the past nearly 20 years has been: “What books are reading now?” Last night, he shared with me that he had gone back to work on his ancient Hebrew and that he was memorizing some of the Torah’s prayers. I was blown away that he had the recall to recite the prayers to me in Hebrew and then translate them back into English.

I usually call with a string of questions that I want to ask him, as he has been my pastor and mentor since 2002. Last night I said, “Pastor Smith, here’s one thing that I can’t understand. I see pastors who step over the homeless. They ignore the cries of mothers whose children have been unjustly convicted of crimes. They are charged with ministry to communities where the suffering is at best intolerable and still they don’t pour out their lives to do whatever they can to meet the challenge of being present in those communities and healing broken people in the beloved community. Yet they say, “God called me,” If God called them, why aren't they out beyond the walls of the church, walking the streets in the hoods where their churches are located? Why aren't they ministering at homeless encampments, preaching hope to gang impacted youth or shaking hands in front of the liquor store telling the folks that there is hope in Christ? Why aren't they out on the Jericho Road?

Pastor Smith proceeded to break it down for me. He said: "Today, ministry has transitioned from the sacredness of a calling to the practically of a profession. The people that you are speaking about are members of a professional ministerial class. Their goal is to be able to tout their standing as respected members of a religious aristocracy worthy of public honor. The highlight of their work is presenting position papers at conferences and arguing theological concepts at cocktail parties. They live their lives far away from the cries of the people. They are purposely not going to put themselves out in places where the suffering of the disinherited and distressed is going to be visible to them. Its not who they are. Its not what they do."

Pastor Smith went on to say, “The scriptures say in several places that when Jesus saw human suffering, he was moved with compassion. When translated to English, compassion is muted and softer. The intensity of the original Greek is lost in the translation. The word in the original language is 'splagchnizomai' which means to be moved in the inward parts; the kidneys, intestines. It means to be impacted in a way that one has a sensitive stomach. When Jesus saw human suffering, he would become physically ill.”

I asked Pastor Smith if the world will ever see another Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He said, “Oh yes, there are several of them in the making right now!”