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236 reviews for:
Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope
Esau McCaulley
4.44 AVERAGE
236 reviews for:
Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope
Esau McCaulley
4.44 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
An overtly important read based on the importance of biblical interpretation as presented by each individual reader’s unique life and cultural circumstances, as well as because it sheds much needed light of the plight of the Black reader and each of us who should read in light of the ENTIRETY of the “multitude of tribes and peoples and language.”
“Peacemaking, then, cannot be separated from truth telling. … Beyond naming there has to be some vision for the righting of wrongs and the restoration of relationships. The call to be peacemakers is the call for the church to enter the messy world of politics and point toward a better way of being human.”
Church, it’s time we open our eyes and take note. It starts and ends with us.
“Peacemaking, then, cannot be separated from truth telling. … Beyond naming there has to be some vision for the righting of wrongs and the restoration of relationships. The call to be peacemakers is the call for the church to enter the messy world of politics and point toward a better way of being human.”
Church, it’s time we open our eyes and take note. It starts and ends with us.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
3 stars for writing style; 4 stars for content. I am a white Christian, and I hope white Christians don’t think this book isn’t for them. It is time white Americans are reminded Christianity is neither a white nor an American religion. This book provides scriptural evidence for this. It’s actually sad it is needed, but it is sorely needed in white Christian circles. Even if I didn’t get anything out of the rest of the book (and I did), the chapter, The Bible and the Pursuit of Justice, is worth the entire book. McCauley beautifully and continually reminds us to interpret Scripture as evidence of God’s character. When we do that, Scripture cannot be anything but the greatest story of hope.
“Reading While Black” by Esau McCaulley is a challenging book for me to review. It is brilliant and I highly recommend it! I am not American or Black so my experience of the book was different to perhaps the journey Esau intended. However, he sets out to give hope and I definitely got that and I found the Biblical interpretation insightful and beautiful.
The Black experience in America is heartbreaking, slavery is chilling and the reality of the pain and suffering made me angry on the behalf of those enduring it. South Africa has many problems and in no way do I believe racism is behind us (just today Twitter is on fire with a local brand being criticised for negatively stereotyping our beautiful Black women’s hair) but I have not personally heard the Bible twisted to condone racism. The concept of manipulating the God of love’s Word so is just horrifying.
Esau tackles a different theme in each chapter and each stands alone in being moving and compelling but as a whole, it is a book which enlightens the reader about the Bible, America’s history and current events and is incredibly relevant in 2020. I love this explanation of why multicultural contributions are essential.
“What I have in mind then is a unified mission in which our varied cultures turn to the text in dialogue with one another to discern the mind of Christ. That means in the providence of God, I need Ugandan biblical interpretation, because the experiences of Ugandans mean they are able to bring their unique insights to the conversation. African American exegesis, then, precisely because it is informed by the Black experience, has the potential to be universal when added to the chorus of believers through time and across cultures.“
From “Reading While Black” by Esau McCaulley
From the outset, Esau didn’t have to sell me on the value of the Black voice but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it highlighted in my Bible and I learnt an incredible amount from His explanations. I sincerely hope this will be the first of many such books from Esau and other African Americans.
“Instead God’s sees the creation of a community of different cultures united by faith in his Son as a manifestation of the expansive nature of his grace. This expansiveness is unfulfilled unless the differences are seen and celebrated, not as ends unto themselves, but as particular manifestations of the power of the Spirit to bring forth the same holiness among different peoples and cultures for the glory of God.“
From “Reading While Black” by Esau McCaulley
It is a five out of five on the enJOYment scale, don’t miss this one!
P.S. read the footnotes, not only are they packed with great information but some made me laugh out loud, Esau has a great sense of humour!
The Black experience in America is heartbreaking, slavery is chilling and the reality of the pain and suffering made me angry on the behalf of those enduring it. South Africa has many problems and in no way do I believe racism is behind us (just today Twitter is on fire with a local brand being criticised for negatively stereotyping our beautiful Black women’s hair) but I have not personally heard the Bible twisted to condone racism. The concept of manipulating the God of love’s Word so is just horrifying.
Esau tackles a different theme in each chapter and each stands alone in being moving and compelling but as a whole, it is a book which enlightens the reader about the Bible, America’s history and current events and is incredibly relevant in 2020. I love this explanation of why multicultural contributions are essential.
“What I have in mind then is a unified mission in which our varied cultures turn to the text in dialogue with one another to discern the mind of Christ. That means in the providence of God, I need Ugandan biblical interpretation, because the experiences of Ugandans mean they are able to bring their unique insights to the conversation. African American exegesis, then, precisely because it is informed by the Black experience, has the potential to be universal when added to the chorus of believers through time and across cultures.“
From “Reading While Black” by Esau McCaulley
From the outset, Esau didn’t have to sell me on the value of the Black voice but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it highlighted in my Bible and I learnt an incredible amount from His explanations. I sincerely hope this will be the first of many such books from Esau and other African Americans.
“Instead God’s sees the creation of a community of different cultures united by faith in his Son as a manifestation of the expansive nature of his grace. This expansiveness is unfulfilled unless the differences are seen and celebrated, not as ends unto themselves, but as particular manifestations of the power of the Spirit to bring forth the same holiness among different peoples and cultures for the glory of God.“
From “Reading While Black” by Esau McCaulley
It is a five out of five on the enJOYment scale, don’t miss this one!
P.S. read the footnotes, not only are they packed with great information but some made me laugh out loud, Esau has a great sense of humour!
“Reading While Black” by Esau McCaulley is a challenging book for me to review. It is brilliant and I highly recommend it! I am not American or Black so my experience of the book was different to perhaps the journey Esau intended. However, he sets out to give hope and I definitely got that and I found the Biblical interpretation insightful and beautiful.
The Black experience in America is heartbreaking, slavery is chilling and the reality of the pain and suffering made me angry on the behalf of those enduring it. South Africa has many problems and in no way do I believe racism is behind us (just today Twitter is on fire with a local brand being criticised for negatively stereotyping our beautiful Black women’s hair) but I have not personally heard the Bible twisted to condone racism. The concept of manipulating the God of love’s Word so is just horrifying.
Esau tackles a different theme in each chapter and each stands alone in being moving and compelling but as a whole, it is a book which enlightens the reader about the Bible, America’s history and current events and is incredibly relevant in 2020. I love this explanation of why multicultural contributions are essential.
“What I have in mind then is a unified mission in which our varied cultures turn to the text in dialogue with one another to discern the mind of Christ. That means in the providence of God, I need Ugandan biblical interpretation, because the experiences of Ugandans mean they are able to bring their unique insights to the conversation. African American exegesis, then, precisely because it is informed by the Black experience, has the potential to be universal when added to the chorus of believers through time and across cultures.“
From “Reading While Black” by Esau McCaulley
From the outset, Esau didn’t have to sell me on the value of the Black voice but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it highlighted in my Bible and I learnt an incredible amount from His explanations. I sincerely hope this will be the first of many such books from Esau and other African Americans.
“Instead God’s sees the creation of a community of different cultures united by faith in his Son as a manifestation of the expansive nature of his grace. This expansiveness is unfulfilled unless the differences are seen and celebrated, not as ends unto themselves, but as particular manifestations of the power of the Spirit to bring forth the same holiness among different peoples and cultures for the glory of God.“
From “Reading While Black” by Esau McCaulley
It is a five out of five on the enJOYment scale, don’t miss this one!
P.S. read the footnotes, not only are they packed with great information but some made me laugh out loud, Esau has a great sense of humour!
The Black experience in America is heartbreaking, slavery is chilling and the reality of the pain and suffering made me angry on the behalf of those enduring it. South Africa has many problems and in no way do I believe racism is behind us (just today Twitter is on fire with a local brand being criticised for negatively stereotyping our beautiful Black women’s hair) but I have not personally heard the Bible twisted to condone racism. The concept of manipulating the God of love’s Word so is just horrifying.
Esau tackles a different theme in each chapter and each stands alone in being moving and compelling but as a whole, it is a book which enlightens the reader about the Bible, America’s history and current events and is incredibly relevant in 2020. I love this explanation of why multicultural contributions are essential.
“What I have in mind then is a unified mission in which our varied cultures turn to the text in dialogue with one another to discern the mind of Christ. That means in the providence of God, I need Ugandan biblical interpretation, because the experiences of Ugandans mean they are able to bring their unique insights to the conversation. African American exegesis, then, precisely because it is informed by the Black experience, has the potential to be universal when added to the chorus of believers through time and across cultures.“
From “Reading While Black” by Esau McCaulley
From the outset, Esau didn’t have to sell me on the value of the Black voice but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it highlighted in my Bible and I learnt an incredible amount from His explanations. I sincerely hope this will be the first of many such books from Esau and other African Americans.
“Instead God’s sees the creation of a community of different cultures united by faith in his Son as a manifestation of the expansive nature of his grace. This expansiveness is unfulfilled unless the differences are seen and celebrated, not as ends unto themselves, but as particular manifestations of the power of the Spirit to bring forth the same holiness among different peoples and cultures for the glory of God.“
From “Reading While Black” by Esau McCaulley
It is a five out of five on the enJOYment scale, don’t miss this one!
P.S. read the footnotes, not only are they packed with great information but some made me laugh out loud, Esau has a great sense of humour!
Esau McCaulley's book, Reading While Black, is a series of reflections drawing from Black church tradition(s) on theological and practical matters related to Black Christian life, including policing, political activism, recognizing race as an important factor in life, and so forth.
McCaulley was clearly drawing from a lot of source material that I'm familiar with and have read, e.g., Howard Thurman's Jesus and the Disinherited, MLK, Jr., and so forth. As such, I didn't find much of what he said particularly unique or groundbreaking (I don't mean that as a critique).
I think McCaulley's book works best probably for someone who is fairly conservative theologically, but skeptical yet open toward racial justice issues. It seems particularly well situated to speak to someone with that kind of standpoint.
McCaulley was clearly drawing from a lot of source material that I'm familiar with and have read, e.g., Howard Thurman's Jesus and the Disinherited, MLK, Jr., and so forth. As such, I didn't find much of what he said particularly unique or groundbreaking (I don't mean that as a critique).
I think McCaulley's book works best probably for someone who is fairly conservative theologically, but skeptical yet open toward racial justice issues. It seems particularly well situated to speak to someone with that kind of standpoint.
4.5 This book brought back so many memories through the years of learning about God's Story with people who see things that I can't see because of their background and experiences. Definitely makes me want to read more broadly.
yet another edition of Wheaton BITH professors reminding me of why I even believe in God in the first place and restoring my faith in Christianity as a religion
also: Dr. McCaulley made this book so accessible. You don't have to know big theological words to know the point he's making.
also: Dr. McCaulley made this book so accessible. You don't have to know big theological words to know the point he's making.