September 26, 2006 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States …. [Mark A. Kellner/ANN]
In a world sometimes starved for tales of genuine achievement – with so many people becoming “famous” for being famous–From the Hood to the Hill, the life story of Seventh-day Adventist Pastor Barry C. Black is, indeed, as bestselling author Rick Warren says, “a fascinating read.”
And, to borrow from former United States Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, “it has the added advantage of being true.” Born in Baltimore, Maryland, as an early member of the “baby boom” generation, Pastor Black grew up in a mostly single-parent household, with six siblings, in deep poverty. His mother was a housekeeper. His father, largely absent from the household, was an alcoholic who died at age 59, which Black believes was before his time.
In spite of these circumstances–or perhaps because of them– Barry Black not only survived, but also thrived. He is not only an Adventist minister, but also a retired Rear Admiral of the United States Navy, having been the chief of Naval chaplains before his 2003 retirement from the service. Today, Pastor Black serves as the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate, the first former naval chaplain, the first Adventist and the first African-American to hold this prestigious position.
A graduate of two Adventist schools, Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, and the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, Black went on to earn an additional master’s degree and three doctorate degrees, satisfying what he called “a degree hungry society” along the way. His secret? Studying lessons instead of watching television reruns. Saying “no” to television paid spiritual benefits as well, he says.
Black wasn’t always the smiling, confident individual photographed on the cover of this book. He learned about hard work, responsibility, ethics and perseverance from his late mother, Pearline, and from the negative examples he saw while growing up. Years of hard work, including door-to-door selling of religious books and magazines, taught him to relate to other people, become gregarious and pleasantly assertive. His dedication to preaching, and a chance encounter with the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., sharpened his presence on the platform as well as his determination to go beyond the expectations of others. In so doing, doors “opened up” for him, leading to a career with unexpected opportunities, including conducting the at-sea memorial service for John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife and sister-in-law.
As might be expected, much of the book centers on Barry Black’s seemingly unlikely 27-year career as a U.S. Navy chaplain. Advised against military service–even as a non-combatant clergyman–by both Adventist colleagues and others, Black enlisted after three sailors commuted weekly from Norfolk, Virginia, every weekend for worship. When Black complimented the men on their devotion, one replied, “Hey, we don’t have an African-American chaplain.”
Despite his interest in meeting the needs of service members, Black had to confront the questions of war, peace and nonviolence which had been promoted both by his church and leaders such as Dr. King. One memorable chapter in this book–in which Black notes the Seventh-day Adventist preference for non-combatancy–discusses a rationale for “just war,” and the case for its use to oppose evil. The chaplain’s “bottom line” here is clear: it is best to strive for “a new era in which we rise above our differences and peace with justice is, at least partially, a reality.” At the same time, Black concedes, “The state [i.e., national government] has the God-given responsibility to maintain order and justice and to employ force where necessary to fulfill this responsibility – even in the light of nuclear factors.”
This book is not only filled with fast-moving and fascinating vignettes of a life fully lived, but Black connects these incidents with the various lessons they’ve taught him, offering readers suggestions on incorporating those lessons in their own lives. It is a book that is not only worth reading by those wanting a glimpse at an amazing career, but for those wishing to inspire themselves (or others) to great achievements.
FROM THE HOOD TO THE HILL: A Story of Overcoming; By Barry C. Black, Ph.D., D.Min., D.D.; 223 pp. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc. U.S. $22.99.
Related Web site: http://www.admiralblack.com/
Copyright (c) 2006 by Adventist News Network.
