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Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCaulley

4.44 AVERAGE

cocopuff02's review

Will come back to review after last book club meeting!

gracerowland's review

4.0
An accessible and engaging introductory look at Black biblical interpretation. Very thought-provoking and though limited in scope, enough to begin to understand this important subject.
foxmcjoel's profile picture

foxmcjoel's review

4.0
informative slow-paced

kylegamm's review

5.0
The black church is not something I’ve experienced, so this book opened my eyes to a perspective that is not my own. I appreciated Dr. McCaulley’s gracefulness as he navigated an extremely challenging history while maintaining a hope for the future. He is (and should be) unashamed of his connection to the black church and is correct in calling out the white evangelical church for essentially looking them over. I feel a little blindsided by the obvious ways in which I’ve read the Bible from my perspective and not really thought a whole lot about how others read it. It would be one thing to just stop there and simply appreciate the beauty of God’s Word, but Dr. McCaulley continually pushes the reader to actively consider how different perspectives actually influence the way we put God’s Word into action.

emwitthuhn's review

5.0
so well written, such a good read. A good word on understanding how our social location influences our engagement with the text. "A hermeneutic of trust" is a phrase that will stick with me"

thefourthwall's review against another edition

5.0
This was excellent for me to read even though I am not its target audience.
jaclyn_k's profile picture

jaclyn_k's review against another edition

3.75
informative reflective slow-paced

wmmcmanlypants's review against another edition

5.0
challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective

bryanmc's review against another edition

5.0
I am not Rev. McCaulley’s intended audience - at least not primarily. I’m just a regular middle class white guy born and raised in the American South. But nonetheless I profited greatly from his exposition on African American biblical interpretation. Growing up in conservative evangelical (white) circles, I got the impression that when black churches did theology, it inevitably ended up on the theologically progressive/liberal end of the spectrum and was suspect. Reading While Black manages to thread a tough needle to me in showing the validity of African American exegesis and how it can remain thoroughly orthodox. It’s a greatly needed bit of insight for non-black readers especially as we wrestle today with issues of racial justice, policing, and so on. Very grateful for his work here.

greg_grunau's review

4.0
I appreciated McCaulley's research and knowledge, as well as the personal perspective he shares in this book. He summarizes the questions he's addressing in his book near the end:
"Does the Bible have a word to say about the creation of a just society in which Black people can flourish free of oppression?
Does the Bible speak to the issue of policing - that constant source of fear in the Black community?
Does the Bible provide us with the warrant to protest injustice when we encounter it?
Does the Bible value our ethnic identity? Does God love our blackness?
What shall we do about the pain and rage that comes with being Black in this country?
What about slavery? Did the God of the Bible sanction what happened to us?"

His book gives a great start to answering each of those questions, which gives great hope to what the Bible actually DOES say about being FOR Black people in every way. A great read!