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Visions of a Better World: Howard Thurman's Pilgrimage to India and the Origins of African American Nonviolence
In 1935, at the height of his powers, Howard Thurman, one of the most influential African American religious thinkers of the twentieth century, took a pivotal trip to India that would forever change him—and that would ultimately shape the course of the civil rights movement in the United States.
When Thurman (1899–1981) became the first African American to meet with Mahatma Gandhi, he found himself called upon to create a new version of American Christianity, one that eschewed self-imposed racial and religious boundaries, and equipped itself to confront the enormous social injustices that plagued the United States during this period. Gandhi’s philosophy and practice of satyagraha, or “soul force,” would have a momentous impact on Thurman, showing him the effectiveness of nonviolent resistance.
After the journey to India, Thurman’s distinctly American translation of satyagraha into a Black Christian context became one of the key inspirations for the civil rights movement, fulfilling Gandhi’s prescient words that “it may be through the Negroes that the unadulterated message of nonviolence will be delivered to the world.” Thurman went on to found one of the first explicitly interracial congregations in the United States and to deeply influence an entire generation of black ministers—among them Martin Luther King Jr.
Visions of a Better World depicts a visionary leader at a transformative moment in his life. Drawing from previously untapped archival material and obscurely published works, Quinton Dixie and Peter Eisenstadt explore, for the first time, Thurman’s development into a towering theologian who would profoundly affect American Christianity—and American history.
When Thurman (1899–1981) became the first African American to meet with Mahatma Gandhi, he found himself called upon to create a new version of American Christianity, one that eschewed self-imposed racial and religious boundaries, and equipped itself to confront the enormous social injustices that plagued the United States during this period. Gandhi’s philosophy and practice of satyagraha, or “soul force,” would have a momentous impact on Thurman, showing him the effectiveness of nonviolent resistance.
After the journey to India, Thurman’s distinctly American translation of satyagraha into a Black Christian context became one of the key inspirations for the civil rights movement, fulfilling Gandhi’s prescient words that “it may be through the Negroes that the unadulterated message of nonviolence will be delivered to the world.” Thurman went on to found one of the first explicitly interracial congregations in the United States and to deeply influence an entire generation of black ministers—among them Martin Luther King Jr.
Visions of a Better World depicts a visionary leader at a transformative moment in his life. Drawing from previously untapped archival material and obscurely published works, Quinton Dixie and Peter Eisenstadt explore, for the first time, Thurman’s development into a towering theologian who would profoundly affect American Christianity—and American history.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 27, 2018
For those who have been enriched and inspired by the writings of Howard Thurman, this book is a must read. Focusing on the early years of Thurman's career (before he wrote most of the books for which he is known), this book gives a rich picture of Thurman's development as one of the true mystic-prophets of our time,and a radical thinker who highlighted the inherent contradictions and intersection of religion and civil rights. While the title suggests the book focuses solely on Thurman's 1935 trip to India as part of a 4-person African American delegation to Asia, it is much more. The India trip profoundly shaped Thurman's view on nonviolence and enabled him to meet Gandhi. However his most profound experience in India, according to the authors, was vision of an interracial church he had while looking out over the Khyber Pass.
While two of the six chapters focus on the preparations for India and then the trip itself, the other chapters discuss the years of his childhood and young adult years before and then his participation after in the formation of the first intentionally inter-racial church, the Fellowship of All Nations in San Francisco. These chapters also discuss his commitment to pacifism and rights for black people during the chaotic years leading up to and during World War II.
The book draws the vast majority of its material from the collected papers of Thurman housed at Boston University and portrays a man who articulated his struggles as a black man in America, a committed Christian who saw his faith in interfaith terms, and a deeply spiritual man for whom the religious life was lived in constant communion with God. In so many ways Thurman was a man ahead of his time (which is why he is probably relatively unknown), whose insights now speak to our age in profound ways.
An added benefit to the book is the Epilogue which describes the evolution of thought that lead to Thurman's best known book, Jesus and the Disinherited, and its impact on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. If one has never heard of Thurman, this will book introduce one to the little known prophet of our time, and for those who know Thurman's works, this book will enrich on a much deeper level.
While two of the six chapters focus on the preparations for India and then the trip itself, the other chapters discuss the years of his childhood and young adult years before and then his participation after in the formation of the first intentionally inter-racial church, the Fellowship of All Nations in San Francisco. These chapters also discuss his commitment to pacifism and rights for black people during the chaotic years leading up to and during World War II.
The book draws the vast majority of its material from the collected papers of Thurman housed at Boston University and portrays a man who articulated his struggles as a black man in America, a committed Christian who saw his faith in interfaith terms, and a deeply spiritual man for whom the religious life was lived in constant communion with God. In so many ways Thurman was a man ahead of his time (which is why he is probably relatively unknown), whose insights now speak to our age in profound ways.
An added benefit to the book is the Epilogue which describes the evolution of thought that lead to Thurman's best known book, Jesus and the Disinherited, and its impact on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. If one has never heard of Thurman, this will book introduce one to the little known prophet of our time, and for those who know Thurman's works, this book will enrich on a much deeper level.
August 25, 2022
Howard Thurman's biography is wonderful. The authors let you in on the life and thoughts of a great man who met Gandhi, taught at 4 influential universities, and started an interracial church. Using documents from the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground and his own lectures, we get a glimpse of the fight for freedom in the early part of the twentieth century. Thurman and his family made sacrifices and came to be the inspiration for many including Martin Luther King, Jr. All this from a Southern boy who was told he shouldn't even bother to finish the 8th grade. It's a story of grit and determination as Thurman develops and stands not only for himself, but for all of his race.
February 10, 2021
An engaging, enlightening biography one of the most influential African American religious thinkers of the twentieth century, focusing on this pivotal trip to India and meeting with Gandhi that forever changed him—and would ultimately shape the course of the civil rights movement in the United States.
March 26, 2012
This was a most engaging biography. Quite possibly because the blend of themes and philosophies his life touched on are so interesting and inspiring to me. An early Christian environmentalist! A Feminist man in the 30s! A mystic theologian, grappling with and studying on the religion of the oppressor; addressing the complexity of being black and Christian in Jim Crow America. Concluding that Christ is a representative of the oppressed. Thurman was an intellectual and a spiritual mystical Christian. A pacifist, influenced by Gandhian philosophies. A conscientious objector and passionately committed to integration, thus co-founder of the first integrated church in America (in SF!). An academic, a professor, a mentor! I loved most reading about his intellectual and spiritual struggles with his religion; more than tolerance, but acceptance of other paths to God, such as Hinduism, and Buddhism and his commitment to his ideals. I did not know how much he influenced Martin Luther King, Jr. and other emerging leaders of the civil rights movement. The authors are correct that due to his extensive public influence in the 40's and 50's, that we should know who he is!
The authors did a wonderful job weaving his life's journey for the read, acknowledging where his ideals were not realized and portraying a deeply thinking human man. I think Dixie and Eisenstadt are thinking philosophical types themselves and I would love to be a fly on the wall when they were putting this book together. I would have liked a bit more on his family life, his daughters and his wife, Sue Baily Thurman, who sounds like an amazing woman.
The authors did a wonderful job weaving his life's journey for the read, acknowledging where his ideals were not realized and portraying a deeply thinking human man. I think Dixie and Eisenstadt are thinking philosophical types themselves and I would love to be a fly on the wall when they were putting this book together. I would have liked a bit more on his family life, his daughters and his wife, Sue Baily Thurman, who sounds like an amazing woman.
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July 3, 2013Such an inspiring book! The author takes the reader through a series of events in the life of Howard Thurman up to the ultimate event: meeting Mahatma Ghandhi. It wonderfully chronicles how many of the events of Dr. Thurman's life prepared him for that moment to be in an intellectual discourse with one of the greatest civil rights activists in the world. I enjoyed learning about Thurman's uphill battle with race, gender, and theology which was perpetuated through much of his life's major events. Also, it shows how Thurman became a master of transcendence and meditation, using it not only for his advantage, but also for the greater good of the world. This book is journey in the life of Howard Thurman before much of the world knew him. Without understanding the linkages between his life and the time in which he lived, one cannot adequately appreciate his work. They go hand in hand.
September 6, 2011
The only reason I gave this 4 stars rather than 5 is that the book makes you want to learn more about Howard Thurman, though it may be the case that the book conveys as much as can be known about a person who did not leave a complete written record of his life. The book is well written and holds your interest, particularly if you are aware of the history of the times in which Thurman lived.
January 18, 2016
Great biography on Howard Thurman and how much he influenced Martin Luther King, Jr.!
Appropriate to finish it near the tomorrow's national holiday honoring the martyred MLK!
Thurman in 1943 help found a church in San Francisco. The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples was just two blocks away from where I lived on Russian Hill for 10 years! Small world. May his memory be eternal!
Appropriate to finish it near the tomorrow's national holiday honoring the martyred MLK!
Thurman in 1943 help found a church in San Francisco. The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples was just two blocks away from where I lived on Russian Hill for 10 years! Small world. May his memory be eternal!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews