Tradition and Discovery: The Polanyi Society Periodical

Volume 42, Issue 4, October 2016

Reflections of a White Ghetto Preacher on the Life and Teachings of Dr. William H. Poteat

W.H. Poteat’s critique is that the Western white way of knowing, “gone mad on Descartes,” led to the corruption of Western culture. The author was inspired by his personal relationship with Poteat and the resonance of Poteat’s teaching—“The whole thing must be rethought”—with Howard Thurman’s corresponding account of a culture profaned by slavery in need of transformed relationships— “We are made for each other.” Consequently, the author entered a 40-year career as a white minister and Preacher at the (Black) St. Mark Union congregation in Kansas City, Mo.