Frederick Douglass: A Profile of Faith for Black History Month

This article is excerpted from a sermon by Rev. Bill Barksdale, Grace UMC in Missoula, Montana.  Most of this text are direct quotes from these sources:

•  “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.” 1995, Dover Thrift Editions.
•  “Frederick Douglass -Ultimate Collection: Complete Autobiographies, Speeches and Letters.” Musaicum Books 2018 digital.
•  “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom” David Blight 2018. Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (October 16, 2018)
•  PBS “Becoming Frederick Douglass” 2022

 
Perhaps the greatest black American human rights leader of the 19th century was Frederick Douglass. Christians in particular should be inspired by his story of faith, his prophetic voice, and his profound influence on events that ensured the United States would no longer be a country that condoned slavery.

Douglass was a living prophet of an American destruction, exile, civil war, and redemption (in comparison to the Old Testament Israelite exile, civil war, and redemption). The prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah were his guides; they gave him story, metaphor, resolve, and ancient wisdom in order to deliver his ferocious critique of slavery and his country before emancipation.

Read more at this link.