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challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
James Baldwin was barely a name I was familiar with, so of course I didn’t know who he was in the context of history. When the author Greg Garrett spoke at my church last year along with author Robert P. Jones at an event regarding racism in the church, I picked up copies of both of their books; I’ve adopted the mantra “learn more, be better”, and I knew these books would help me in that regard.
This book is an excellent primer for who Baldwin was and where in his body of work I might explore next. I was grateful to learn that many of the beliefs that I hold dearest were shared by him and was further convicted by many of the included quotes. This felt like an appropriate book to be reading the week of the 2025 US presidential inauguration (and, for that matter, the same week as MLK Day) as elements of politics and religion are crisscrossed and mashed together, perhaps just as they always have been.
But like Baldwin, I believe that we can be - and hopefully will be - better one day. I will continue to strive for that myself and will do my best to bring people alongside me.
Bookstagram - @chelsealikesbooks
This book is an excellent primer for who Baldwin was and where in his body of work I might explore next. I was grateful to learn that many of the beliefs that I hold dearest were shared by him and was further convicted by many of the included quotes. This felt like an appropriate book to be reading the week of the 2025 US presidential inauguration (and, for that matter, the same week as MLK Day) as elements of politics and religion are crisscrossed and mashed together, perhaps just as they always have been.
But like Baldwin, I believe that we can be - and hopefully will be - better one day. I will continue to strive for that myself and will do my best to bring people alongside me.
Bookstagram - @chelsealikesbooks
fast-paced
There are times when a book emerges that offers a necessary word, times we need reminding that racism is an ever-present problem. The election of Barack Obama did not usher in a post-racial world. Instead, it seems to have ignited a period of racial unrest. Thus, we need to hear the voices and be reintroduced to the voices that have spoken truth to moments like this. Among those of the past who offer gospel truth is James Baldwin, author, and activist.
In "The Gospel According to James Baldwin," Greg Garrett has done just that. Garrett is the Carole McDaniel Hanks Professor of Literature and Culture at Baylor University as well as Canon Theologian at the American Cathedral in Paris. It is in the context of his vocation that Garrett has spent much time studying and teaching the life and literature of James Baldwin.
I have only read, that I have evidence, one book by James Baldwin. That would be [b:The Fire Next Time|464260|The Fire Next Time|James Baldwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657560861l/464260._SY75_.jpg|1129041]. I have not, as I know of, read his fiction. However, after reading Garrett's book, I recognize my need to do so. Thus, for me, as a reviewer, Garrett's "The Gospel According to James Baldwin," is in many ways an introduction to Baldwin's life and message. While Baldwin was by no means a traditional Christian his message speaks to the heart of the Gospel, one that calls for justice and mercy.
Garrett begins and ends his book on a pilgrimage to experience the footsteps of James Baldwin. As an author, Garrett is white, straight, and relatively orthodox in his Christian theology. Baldwin was Black, Gay, and not traditional, though he grew up with a stepfather who was a preacher and spent some time as a teen preaching in Black churches. So, he knew the message and in many ways lived it better than most. It's possible that Baldwin could be banned from school libraries for not falling in line with the current trends. However, as Garrett notes, based on teaching Baldwin to his Baylor students, "We experience an enlargement of what it means to be human in Baldwin's presence, gain burgeoning insights into why we might be here, what we are made for, how transcendence feels, what beauty is, how we're meant to live with each other, how are called to love each other and to be responsible for each other" (p. 5). Such is the Gospel according to James Baldwin.
In many ways, Garrett takes us on a pilgrimage, which begins with "The Life of James Baldwin," who was born in Harlem in 1924, the grandson of a slave who never knew his biological father. Garrett points out that Baldwin "knew from an early age that he was Black and that he was smart, and that if he was going to escape the crippling poverty and his family endured, ...it was going to have to be through that intelligence." (p. 11). While he never pursued education beyond high school, he became one of America's great intellectuals, who held his own in a debate with William F. Buckley. His writing talent was recognized early and nurtured by one of his teachers. As he moved into adulthood, he began his writing career, publishing essays in major magazines. Nonetheless, he came to believe that if he stayed in the US he would end up on a path to self-destruction, so he boarded a ship to France, where he lived as an expatriate in Paris. It was there he struggled financially but me the love of his life, a young Swiss artist. It was while living in Switzerland that he finished his novel [b:Go Tell It on the Mountain|17143|Go Tell It on the Mountain|James Baldwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348424233l/17143._SY75_.jpg|1027995] (1953) that made his name. Garrett takes us from there through Baldwin's life, lifting up his written work and experiences of life, much of which was spent in the south of France. But his spirit still lives and his voice still speaks.
In a chapter titled "Baldwin as Prophet of Humanity," we discover Baldwin's own sense of purpose, as he identified with Jeremiah. In this role, he sought to call the people to account on matters of race and justice, identity and culture. He claimed that it was because of his love of America that he felt called to engage in perpetual criticism, serving to remind white Americans of their delusions of innocence. As a prophet, Baldwin also spoke to matters of culture. Garrett writes that "For Baldwin, art, literature, and culture are central ways we understand ourselves and the world we occupy, and so he held his roles as artist and critic to be sacred" (p. 28). He believed that good art enlarges us while bad art puts us in cages. Thus, he could be highly critical of art and literature that he felt did not enlarge. He was concerned when art, literature, and film glossed over hard truths, wanting them to depict society critically and honestly. That's what he sought to do as he addressed matters of race, faith, and identity.
The title of the book speaks of the Gospel, and so we might expect some words on matters of faith. Garett doesn't disappoint. He offers a chapter titled "Baldwin on Faith." The former teen preacher would leave the church behind as an adult, yet he speaks in his works to matters of faith and used the "language of church, the Bible, and theology" in his works. Among the works I wish was available is an unfinished play titled "Welcome Table," which speaks to matters I'm concerned about. Perhaps we can learn something from his separation from institutionalized Christianity, as he bore witness to the failings of both white and black churches. Garrett points out that "To the end of his life, Baldwin spoke of the concept of the welcome table, a place where this brotherhood and sisterhood, this kind of live, this kind of unity might be possible" (p. 79).
As one might expect, Baldwin devoted much of his life and work, his literature and his activism, to matters of race. He experienced the full impact of racism and addressed it, even as the Civil Rights Movement was fully underway. He reminds us that racism has been with us as a nation from the beginning, and unfortunately, long after his death, it's still with us. But he helps us wrestle with this stain on our society. Baldwin believed, rightly so, that race is a social construct that has been erected by white folks to subjugate Black people and other people of color. This construct has damaged both Black and White. One of the stories present in the book concerns a meeting that Baldwin helped set up with Bobby Kennedy, then Attorney General, in 1963, with a set of influential Black people. What we see here is that Kennedy called the meeting in many ways to let these African Americans know how much he and the administration had done and was taken aback when his conversation partners challenged him. It serves as a reminder of how well-meaning white people fail to truly understand the realities experienced by others. Despite everything he experienced he remained optimistic about the future. Unfortunately, that optimism has experienced a rather hard hit in recent years. Nevertheless, he offers a witness that addresses where we fall short. Related to matters of race, Garrett takes us to a discussion of "Baldwin on Justice." Here we discover that Baldwin spoke not only to race but to other matters of injustice, including poverty and incarceration. He invites us to speak out.
Not only did Baldwin write about faith, race, and justice, but he also addressed identity. Garrett points out that the titles of many of Baldwin's works speak of a lack of knowing and being known. Interestingly, in his interviews, Baldwin tended to resist defining himself. In his mind, Garrett suggests there will come a day "when we reach that New Jerusalem, when we all sit at the Welcome Table, there will be no need for names, labels, distinctions, or identities that divide or group us. Not the ones imposed on us by others, nor the ones we chose to use to define ourselves." (p. 143). Of course, we're not there yet, but the question of identity is one that we wrestle with and Baldwin does so as well in his works. As seen in his works, including that final unfinished play, Baldwin wants us to reject the status quo and "work toward a future where hatred and prejudice will, always, be overwhelmed by love" (p. 160). That is, I believe Gospel.
Garrett closes the book where he begins, on pilgrimage. He takes a journey to the Swiss Alps, to Leukerbad, where he finishes this book, along with a novel he had been working on for six years. He returns to this important place in Baldwin's life to reflect on Baldwin's influence on his life and work. While Baldwin might be an unlikely saint, Garrett believes that is exactly what he is. As he writes: "Saints are not saints because they're picture-perfect. They're saints because they show up and put their hands in the real and get them dirty. And they're saints because they inspire us." (p. 164). That is what Garrett believes St. James Baldwin does in his life and his works.
As I noted at the top, I've not read much of Baldwin's works, but I am inspired to do so. Garrett has done an exemplary job introducing us to this unlikely saint who addresses difficult questions and yet remains hopeful that love will triumph. That is something worth catching hold of.
In "The Gospel According to James Baldwin," Greg Garrett has done just that. Garrett is the Carole McDaniel Hanks Professor of Literature and Culture at Baylor University as well as Canon Theologian at the American Cathedral in Paris. It is in the context of his vocation that Garrett has spent much time studying and teaching the life and literature of James Baldwin.
I have only read, that I have evidence, one book by James Baldwin. That would be [b:The Fire Next Time|464260|The Fire Next Time|James Baldwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657560861l/464260._SY75_.jpg|1129041]. I have not, as I know of, read his fiction. However, after reading Garrett's book, I recognize my need to do so. Thus, for me, as a reviewer, Garrett's "The Gospel According to James Baldwin," is in many ways an introduction to Baldwin's life and message. While Baldwin was by no means a traditional Christian his message speaks to the heart of the Gospel, one that calls for justice and mercy.
Garrett begins and ends his book on a pilgrimage to experience the footsteps of James Baldwin. As an author, Garrett is white, straight, and relatively orthodox in his Christian theology. Baldwin was Black, Gay, and not traditional, though he grew up with a stepfather who was a preacher and spent some time as a teen preaching in Black churches. So, he knew the message and in many ways lived it better than most. It's possible that Baldwin could be banned from school libraries for not falling in line with the current trends. However, as Garrett notes, based on teaching Baldwin to his Baylor students, "We experience an enlargement of what it means to be human in Baldwin's presence, gain burgeoning insights into why we might be here, what we are made for, how transcendence feels, what beauty is, how we're meant to live with each other, how are called to love each other and to be responsible for each other" (p. 5). Such is the Gospel according to James Baldwin.
In many ways, Garrett takes us on a pilgrimage, which begins with "The Life of James Baldwin," who was born in Harlem in 1924, the grandson of a slave who never knew his biological father. Garrett points out that Baldwin "knew from an early age that he was Black and that he was smart, and that if he was going to escape the crippling poverty and his family endured, ...it was going to have to be through that intelligence." (p. 11). While he never pursued education beyond high school, he became one of America's great intellectuals, who held his own in a debate with William F. Buckley. His writing talent was recognized early and nurtured by one of his teachers. As he moved into adulthood, he began his writing career, publishing essays in major magazines. Nonetheless, he came to believe that if he stayed in the US he would end up on a path to self-destruction, so he boarded a ship to France, where he lived as an expatriate in Paris. It was there he struggled financially but me the love of his life, a young Swiss artist. It was while living in Switzerland that he finished his novel [b:Go Tell It on the Mountain|17143|Go Tell It on the Mountain|James Baldwin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348424233l/17143._SY75_.jpg|1027995] (1953) that made his name. Garrett takes us from there through Baldwin's life, lifting up his written work and experiences of life, much of which was spent in the south of France. But his spirit still lives and his voice still speaks.
In a chapter titled "Baldwin as Prophet of Humanity," we discover Baldwin's own sense of purpose, as he identified with Jeremiah. In this role, he sought to call the people to account on matters of race and justice, identity and culture. He claimed that it was because of his love of America that he felt called to engage in perpetual criticism, serving to remind white Americans of their delusions of innocence. As a prophet, Baldwin also spoke to matters of culture. Garrett writes that "For Baldwin, art, literature, and culture are central ways we understand ourselves and the world we occupy, and so he held his roles as artist and critic to be sacred" (p. 28). He believed that good art enlarges us while bad art puts us in cages. Thus, he could be highly critical of art and literature that he felt did not enlarge. He was concerned when art, literature, and film glossed over hard truths, wanting them to depict society critically and honestly. That's what he sought to do as he addressed matters of race, faith, and identity.
The title of the book speaks of the Gospel, and so we might expect some words on matters of faith. Garett doesn't disappoint. He offers a chapter titled "Baldwin on Faith." The former teen preacher would leave the church behind as an adult, yet he speaks in his works to matters of faith and used the "language of church, the Bible, and theology" in his works. Among the works I wish was available is an unfinished play titled "Welcome Table," which speaks to matters I'm concerned about. Perhaps we can learn something from his separation from institutionalized Christianity, as he bore witness to the failings of both white and black churches. Garrett points out that "To the end of his life, Baldwin spoke of the concept of the welcome table, a place where this brotherhood and sisterhood, this kind of live, this kind of unity might be possible" (p. 79).
As one might expect, Baldwin devoted much of his life and work, his literature and his activism, to matters of race. He experienced the full impact of racism and addressed it, even as the Civil Rights Movement was fully underway. He reminds us that racism has been with us as a nation from the beginning, and unfortunately, long after his death, it's still with us. But he helps us wrestle with this stain on our society. Baldwin believed, rightly so, that race is a social construct that has been erected by white folks to subjugate Black people and other people of color. This construct has damaged both Black and White. One of the stories present in the book concerns a meeting that Baldwin helped set up with Bobby Kennedy, then Attorney General, in 1963, with a set of influential Black people. What we see here is that Kennedy called the meeting in many ways to let these African Americans know how much he and the administration had done and was taken aback when his conversation partners challenged him. It serves as a reminder of how well-meaning white people fail to truly understand the realities experienced by others. Despite everything he experienced he remained optimistic about the future. Unfortunately, that optimism has experienced a rather hard hit in recent years. Nevertheless, he offers a witness that addresses where we fall short. Related to matters of race, Garrett takes us to a discussion of "Baldwin on Justice." Here we discover that Baldwin spoke not only to race but to other matters of injustice, including poverty and incarceration. He invites us to speak out.
Not only did Baldwin write about faith, race, and justice, but he also addressed identity. Garrett points out that the titles of many of Baldwin's works speak of a lack of knowing and being known. Interestingly, in his interviews, Baldwin tended to resist defining himself. In his mind, Garrett suggests there will come a day "when we reach that New Jerusalem, when we all sit at the Welcome Table, there will be no need for names, labels, distinctions, or identities that divide or group us. Not the ones imposed on us by others, nor the ones we chose to use to define ourselves." (p. 143). Of course, we're not there yet, but the question of identity is one that we wrestle with and Baldwin does so as well in his works. As seen in his works, including that final unfinished play, Baldwin wants us to reject the status quo and "work toward a future where hatred and prejudice will, always, be overwhelmed by love" (p. 160). That is, I believe Gospel.
Garrett closes the book where he begins, on pilgrimage. He takes a journey to the Swiss Alps, to Leukerbad, where he finishes this book, along with a novel he had been working on for six years. He returns to this important place in Baldwin's life to reflect on Baldwin's influence on his life and work. While Baldwin might be an unlikely saint, Garrett believes that is exactly what he is. As he writes: "Saints are not saints because they're picture-perfect. They're saints because they show up and put their hands in the real and get them dirty. And they're saints because they inspire us." (p. 164). That is what Garrett believes St. James Baldwin does in his life and his works.
As I noted at the top, I've not read much of Baldwin's works, but I am inspired to do so. Garrett has done an exemplary job introducing us to this unlikely saint who addresses difficult questions and yet remains hopeful that love will triumph. That is something worth catching hold of.