Phillis Wheatley, engraving on paper by unidentified artist, 1773. (National Portrait Gallery/Public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
By Dr. Kristen Barnes-Holiday, Ph.D., Contributing Columnist
Several weeks ago, I listened as my colleague preached, opening his sermon by recollecting Phillis Wheatley as the mother of Black liberation theology. When I heard this statement, I wanted to learn more, eventually spiraling into a research frenzy—to my avail discovering Wheatley’s involvement with Calvinist theology.
You guessed it; we are on the precipice of taking a theological journey to uncover Phillis Wheatley as a student of John Calvin’s work, often incorporating his principles into her well-acclaimed poetry.
John Calvin was distinguished as a reform pioneer who disrupted the long-standing, powerful Catholic Church. He believed that the Catholic Church had turned to opulence, placing God and congregants on the back burner. Calvin was widely recognized for his thoughts around what he coined as “Divine Providence,” or the idea that nothing happens by chance but is pre-ordained by God. In fact, in his famed book Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin stated, “God’s omnipotence is such that he governs and regulates all things. He has not merely set things up so that they follow some pre-determined law of nature, but rather continually watches, directs, and guides them.”
As an emancipated slave, who was set free through her deceased owners will, Wheatley eventually became a Congregationalist, which was a denomination that was part of the reformed Protestant Church. Wheatley was a devout Christian, a prolific writer and a free woman—obviously during the time when most Africans were still enslaved—who often explored the intersection between religion, morals and enslavement in her poetry.
Her poetry served as a mere representation of her positionality, navigating life as a Ghanaian or Gambian native converted slave, entering the foreign land of America as an 8-year-old little girl, serving an esteemed White family.
Aware of her curiosity and brilliance, Wheatley’s slave owners poured into her, teaching her to read the entire Bible and speak prolifically about the readings. In fact, she wrote an elegy, or a poem of lament at just 12-years-old, and at the age of 15, she published one of her most prominent works, “On Being Brought from Africa to America.” It is in this poem that it appears that Wheatley is embracing her Calvinistic perspective regarding her lived experiences and the experiences of the enslaved.
Now, while I would not argue that Wheatley is proclaiming that God pre-ordained slavery, it is important to note that Wheatley is exposing the hypocrisy of Christians who are holding slaves captive yet proclaim to operate in alignment with the will of God.
Recounting her pilgrimage from West Africa to America, she says:
‘Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand, That there’s a God, that there’s a Savior too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew,
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
“Their colour is a diabolic dye.”
Remember, Christians, Negroes Black as Cain,
May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train.
Assuming she is using Calvin’s concept of “divine providence,” it becomes obvious that she is not referencing God ordaining slavery and forced adoption of American culture and religion, but through satire, she is making her audience aware of the double-edge sword that hides behind the guise of Christianity. Though she appears to be grateful to have found God, she seems torn that she and other enslaved individuals found God in the midst of captivity.
Let me be clear, it is evident that through her writing she is not ordaining slavery—nor did God. Sure, slavery happened, but God didn’t sign, seal and deliver it. (We can discuss this more later but know that God gives humanity autonomy.) Wheatley is saying that though it appears that God ordained slavery, God actually gave these men free will and they decided to use it to abuse humankind while proclaiming to be Christian. Could this be Phillis Wheatley’s interpretation of Divine Providence? I think so, but I’ll let you decide.
Happy Women’s History Month. And may we never forget the path that SO many giants have paved for us. Cheers to breaking more barriers through voice, service and commitment to a cause in which we believe.
Until next time…
Love and blessings.
Dr. Kristen Barnes-Holiday, Ph.D. is a professor of English at Wayne County Community College District, a second-year divinity student at Duke University, and a Christian blogger. In addition, she is a teacher, preacher, and lifelong student of the Word of Jesus Christ.
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