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4.5 AVERAGE
4.5 AVERAGE
I can understand why Martin Luther King Jr carried this book with him at all times. I will reread this book again, and probably again and again.
For now the words that are lingering with me and that caused me to instantly tear up are:
“He placed a crown over her had which for the rest of her life she would keep trying to grow tall enough to wear.”
I cannot think of a gospel any sweeter than this.
For now the words that are lingering with me and that caused me to instantly tear up are:
“He placed a crown over her had which for the rest of her life she would keep trying to grow tall enough to wear.”
I cannot think of a gospel any sweeter than this.
I so understand why this book was so important to so many of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and as is often the case with important works, it has as much to say now as it did then. What a powerful work.
"It ill behooves the man who is not forced to live in a ghetto to tell those who must how to transcend its limitations. Full of pastoral wisdom and social conscience, this is as convicting a book as one could hope to read. Written for those on the underside of oppression, it is arresting to read it from the advantaged side and to reckon yourself the enemy to be loved. Thurman is the opposite of disheartening, however. Reading this, one glimpses the spiritual strength of that generation which raised and then stood behind the civil rights activists that were soon to come.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Thurman combines in-depth Biblical knowledge, deep reflection, liquid prose and conciseness, making this possibly one of the most important books on Jesus in the English language.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Transformative and poignant, a continuing challenge to live up to
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
There aren't too many books written in the 1930s that can still speak to us so vividly now. This tiny book is dense and you will have to go slow with it, because there is so much content. Howard Thurman was was a pacifist who visited with Ghandi and became a mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. MLK traveled with this book and read it many times. It was interesting just to see what had such a big influence in his life. Part of what makes it so timeless is Thurman's evaluation of Christianity from a Black man's perspective, and it differs from traditional White American Christianity's interpretations of Jesus. Thurman's interpretation feels right and true because Jesus was a poor Jew under Roman occupation, he was the disinherited in his time.
Way ahead of its time and still very relevant and readable. The frameworks and ideas presented are very helpful, but they do leave some big questions unanswered - like how to build inner strength in community, or how to pair spirituality with political engagement.
Profound. Probing. Resonates deeply with my internal questions about faith and discipleship these days. Helpful in walking through a framework of fear, deception, and hatred towards a life of love towards oppressors and enemies.