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A review by dkatreads
Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by Esau McCaulley
4.0
An exercise in hope indeed. This wasn’t what I expected. The issues discussed are so deeply rooted in the Black ecclesial experience, and yet, as McCaulley points out, there’s such little scholarly interpretation, that it honestly surprised me how basic he had to go (which is, in reality, a reflection of the whiteness of Biblical scholarship).
He remains so faithful to historic understandings of the Biblical metanarrative, and yet is unafraid to challenge dominant white exegesis. This approach makes McCaulley unique. I believe it’s also what made this book so popular—it’s challenging, but not invalidating, to most conservative readers. It’s a sweet spot that’s much needed in today’s discourse. And McCaulley writes with both a scholar’s voice and a preacher’s tone. He’s unapologetically himself. It’s refreshing, even if it’s a bit of whiplash for the reader.
I appreciate this book. I also know that I can’t appreciate it in the same way the communion of Black Christians can (and do). I’d highly recommend it.
He remains so faithful to historic understandings of the Biblical metanarrative, and yet is unafraid to challenge dominant white exegesis. This approach makes McCaulley unique. I believe it’s also what made this book so popular—it’s challenging, but not invalidating, to most conservative readers. It’s a sweet spot that’s much needed in today’s discourse. And McCaulley writes with both a scholar’s voice and a preacher’s tone. He’s unapologetically himself. It’s refreshing, even if it’s a bit of whiplash for the reader.
I appreciate this book. I also know that I can’t appreciate it in the same way the communion of Black Christians can (and do). I’d highly recommend it.