Second Baptist Church (West End) — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Rev. Dr. James Henry Harris (Pastor)

Founded Established congregation (185+ years)

Denomination Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV)

Service Times Sundays at 11:00 AM

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.sbcwestend.com

Pastor Credentials Ph.D. Theology; Distinguished Professor of Homiletics & Practical Theology, Virginia Union University

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Rev. Harris's theological framework emphasizes liberation theology; while not denying Jesus, christology is filtered through liberation/justice lenses that dilute exclusivity.

Caution

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Rev. Dr. James Henry Harris is a published academic theologian whose work is aligned with Black liberation theology — a framework that subordinates Scripture to the experience of the oppressed, undermining inerrancy and final authority of the text.

WARNING!

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Not stated on available sources — no dedicated men's ministry surfaced on website. Verify.

Strong

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

BGAV-affiliated historically-Black Baptist church; Pastor Harris is an academic engaging race/suffering themes. Soteriology appears gospel-adjacent with heavy emphasis on Black liberationist framing rather than substitutionary atonement. Red on BGAV/liberationist trajectory.

Caution

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

BGAV allows women in all pastoral roles; liberation theology framework typically affirms women in all ministry positions.

BGAV allows women in all ministry roles; liberation theology framework affirms full gender egalitarianism

WARNING!

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

BGAV denominational accountability — progressive. Rev. Harris is a VUU professor — an academic/activist theological posture.

WARNING!

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Pastor Harris is published on 'racial suffering and injustice'; preaching is socially-conscious and contemporary-issue-engaged rather than expository verse-by-verse. Vision-centered per Proverbs 29:18 motto.

Caution

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

Mission framing appears to center community transformation and justice work alongside or above personal evangelism and Great Commission proclamation.

Caution

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Rev. Harris is a public intellectual whose published work engages social justice, racial liberation, and African-American political theology. This is the lens through which the Gospel is filtered at this church.

WARNING!

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

BGAV — moderate-to-progressive Virginia Baptist body with no inerrancy requirement.

WARNING!

Assessment

Second Baptist Church (West End) is a historically important Richmond Black congregation with roots stretching over 185 years. Rev. Dr. James Henry Harris is a serious scholar — Distinguished Professor of Homiletics at Virginia Union University and a published theologian. The problem: Rev. Harris is an academic whose theological framework is aligned with Black liberation theology, a school of thought that subordinates Scripture to the experience of racial oppression and reinterprets the Gospel through social and political liberation categories. This is not a Reformed or evangelical framework — it places experience and culture above Scripture's authority. For men seeking a doctrinally sound, Great Commission-focused church, Second Baptist (West End) is not the right fit. The historical legacy is real and deserves respect; the current theological direction is not.

#historically-black-church#baptist#bgav#richmond#liberation-theology#progressive-theology#vuu

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

BGAV historically-Black Baptist with liberationist academic pastor — red rating well-supported.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Archived snapshot web.archive.org/web/20260412154635/https://www.sbcwestend…
↳ Snapshot of sbcwestend.com (live link)

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.