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4.5 AVERAGE
4.5 AVERAGE
"The disinherited will know for themselves that there is a Spirit at work in life and in the hearts of people which is committed to overcoming the world. It is universal, knowing no age, no race, no culture, no conditions. For the privileged and underprivileged alike, if the individual puts at the disposal of the Spirit the needful dedication and discipline, he can live effectively in the chaos of the present the high destiny of a son of God."
This is a true 5 star read. It's often rumored that this was an or the go-to book that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. carried around with him, and I can almost not see how that is not the case. Thurman's twofold love for the oppressed and for Jesus, and his vision for the indelible relationship between these two loves, were picked up and carried on by African-American religious leaders of subsequent generations like Dr. King and Dr. James Cone. Thurman seemingly balances poignant social criticism with hopeful ways forward, pastoral and practical sensitivity with a healthy sense of universality and idealism... not unlike the very Jesus who guides him and us away from the well-trodden paths of fear, deception, and hatred toward the path of love, the only viable path forward for oppressed and oppressor alike.
This is a true 5 star read. It's often rumored that this was an or the go-to book that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. carried around with him, and I can almost not see how that is not the case. Thurman's twofold love for the oppressed and for Jesus, and his vision for the indelible relationship between these two loves, were picked up and carried on by African-American religious leaders of subsequent generations like Dr. King and Dr. James Cone. Thurman seemingly balances poignant social criticism with hopeful ways forward, pastoral and practical sensitivity with a healthy sense of universality and idealism... not unlike the very Jesus who guides him and us away from the well-trodden paths of fear, deception, and hatred toward the path of love, the only viable path forward for oppressed and oppressor alike.
When Deidra Riggs recommends a book, I listen. This is the book she puts at the top of a list of suggested books for white evangelicals. It is provoking, challenging, and world-expanding. As a white woman, this book is not written to or for me, but I needed to read it. Howard Thurman is a trustworthy teacher on my journey to re-center my view of Jesus as an outsider, a member of an oppressed people group, a minority, citizen of an enslaved nation. These are wise words, and I will likely need to re-read them.
Anyone who permits another to determine the quality of his inner life gives into the hands of the other the keys to his destiny.
The most important personal questions upon which mental health depends: “Who am I? What am I?”
Even more relevant now than when it was written decades ago. Thurman makes a powerful case for Jesus as one of the disinherited living as a Jew in a Roman world. Out of this Jesus’ life and testimony become even more striking.
The most important personal questions upon which mental health depends: “Who am I? What am I?”
Even more relevant now than when it was written decades ago. Thurman makes a powerful case for Jesus as one of the disinherited living as a Jew in a Roman world. Out of this Jesus’ life and testimony become even more striking.
It was easy to see how this book was a pre-cursor for MLK & James Cone’s liberation theology. I wish I had read this one before reading someone like Cone because I had a hard time trying not to compare the two. Cone is significantly less generous to oppressors than Thurman, which I think is more realistic. Yet, given their respective historic moments, this is a great start. I love how Thurman defines the Gospel as the religion for/by oppressed people & that Jesus chose to identify with that. Thurman was also way ahead of his time when he discussed fear within oppressed groups & its chemical effects on behavior (ie. - fight or flight). I really appreciate the attention he gives to reinterpreting the Gospel for our present moment/conditions.
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
reflective
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Go slowly. Read thoughtfully. Reflect deeply.