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Roadmap to Reconciliation: Moving Communities into Unity, Wholeness and Justice
We can see the injustice and inequality in our lives and in the world. We are ready to rise up. But how, exactly, do we do this? How does one reconcile? What we need is a clear sense of direction. Based on her extensive consulting experience with churches, colleges and organizations, Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil has created a roadmap to show us the way. She guides us through the common topics of discussion and past the bumpy social terrain and political boundaries that will arise. In these pages she voices her call to all "It's time for the followers of Jesus to embark on the prophetic journey that leads to reconciliation and transformation around the world. Many of us may already be aware of the need for reconciliation in our own backyards. . . . We cannot ignore the plight of the people around us and as globalization continues its relentless march onward, we cannot turn a blind eye to the world at large either. We have to face the realities here at home and we must also embrace the stories of people all around the world." Each chapter lays out the next step in the journey. With reflection questions and exercises at the end of each chapter, it's ideal to read together with your church or organization. If you are ready to take the next step into unity, wholeness and justice, then this is the book for you.
142 pages, Hardcover
First published January 4, 2016
79 people are currently reading
925 people want to read
About the author
Brenda Salter McNeil
22 books39 followersRev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil is a dynamic speaker, author, and trailblazer with over twenty-five years of experience in the ministry of racial, ethnic, and gender reconciliation. She was featured as one of the fifty most influential women to watch by Christianity Today in 2012 and is an associate professor of reconciliation studies in the School of Theology at Seattle Pacific University, where she also directs the Reconciliation Studies program.
Salter McNeil was previously the president and founder of Salter McNeil & Associates, a reconciliation organization that provided speaking, training, and consulting to colleges, churches, and faith-based organizations. She also served on the staff of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for fourteen years as a Multiethnic Ministries Specialist. She is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church and is on the pastoral staff of Quest Church in Seattle.
Salter McNeil was previously the president and founder of Salter McNeil & Associates, a reconciliation organization that provided speaking, training, and consulting to colleges, churches, and faith-based organizations. She also served on the staff of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for fourteen years as a Multiethnic Ministries Specialist. She is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church and is on the pastoral staff of Quest Church in Seattle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
February 3, 2016
Well, everything about this book is timely, practical, and relevant. Much like the New Testament (ha!) this book is deceptively short, and yet if you were to follow its advice, it would most likely require you to change everything. The parable of the rich young ruler, which she quotes, is particularly relevant.
If you are an evangelical Christian interested in breaking down racial barriers, seeking justice, and shaking up your predominantly white organization, this is THE book for you. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil's deep knowledge and years of experience working among Christian organizations and churches around issues of race and ethnicity are the bedrock on which this book stands. Very powerful.
Side note about the title: if you don't run in evangelical circles you might not know that the term "reconciliation" typically refers to issues of racial justice and ethnic diversity. Nowhere on the front or back cover is race or ethnicity referenced. However I think/hope the lessons related to race and ethnicity could be used to address other kinds of divisions and forms of marginalization.
If you are an evangelical Christian interested in breaking down racial barriers, seeking justice, and shaking up your predominantly white organization, this is THE book for you. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil's deep knowledge and years of experience working among Christian organizations and churches around issues of race and ethnicity are the bedrock on which this book stands. Very powerful.
Side note about the title: if you don't run in evangelical circles you might not know that the term "reconciliation" typically refers to issues of racial justice and ethnic diversity. Nowhere on the front or back cover is race or ethnicity referenced. However I think/hope the lessons related to race and ethnicity could be used to address other kinds of divisions and forms of marginalization.
December 19, 2020
So good, challenging, and helpful! I am excited to talk to people about it and continue on the ongoing path of reconciliation. Also love that McNeil prayed for us multiple times throughout the book.
August 29, 2016
This book is one of the first things I have read on racial reconciliation that actually offers some concrete steps of how a concerned citizen can work to change their own prejudices and be a part of helping their community make positive change. McNeil offers hope in a world that seems lost in a darkness of racial tension. It is designed to be read through with a group, and I hope at some point I get to reread it that way.
March 6, 2017
Don't let your possible fatigue regarding terms like "racial justice" and "reconciliation" prevent you from picking up this book. If anything, the practicality and clarity offered here, will inject some energy and hope to restore you!
Brenda (or Dr. B) is a true gift. Here, she draws on a lifetime of pastoral experience and offers a compelling, clear, and realistic vision for undergoing a healthy communal process that results in transformation and wholeness around justice issues. She doesn't avoid the complexities and difficulties inherent in the racial tensions we face, but also does not lead the reader into a quagmire of nihilism. As a college minister, I finished this book with a greater sense of hope for the future, and a practical sense of the next steps I am being called to take in my community.
I highly, highly recommend this for leaders, pastors, elders, and anyone desiring to take a community deeper into justice.
Brenda (or Dr. B) is a true gift. Here, she draws on a lifetime of pastoral experience and offers a compelling, clear, and realistic vision for undergoing a healthy communal process that results in transformation and wholeness around justice issues. She doesn't avoid the complexities and difficulties inherent in the racial tensions we face, but also does not lead the reader into a quagmire of nihilism. As a college minister, I finished this book with a greater sense of hope for the future, and a practical sense of the next steps I am being called to take in my community.
I highly, highly recommend this for leaders, pastors, elders, and anyone desiring to take a community deeper into justice.
April 23, 2020
Especially in circles of religion and community justice, the word "reconciliation" seems to have ten-thousand definitions. Some perceive the word with a negative stigma, and others with rosy optimism. Brenda Salter Mcneil offers a concise definition of biblical reconciliation. She avoids the temptation of fitting the work of reconciliation into a "plug and play" formula, yet details a constructive way forward to the destination of unity, wholeness, and justice in our communities. Her approach is firmly rooted in biblical truth, and she acknowledges the hard-to-swallow truths concerning the state of justice and race in America. This book is a must-read for all pastors and community leaders- especially those striving to be bearers of justice in a messy world.
August 11, 2019
I’ve heard so much about this book, and I’m glad to have finally read it. Brenda Salter McNeil is clearly gifted with a heart to see others and to value lives. Her book is incredible, but the best use of it is in community and in the hands of leadership. Give this book to the pastor of your church, or to the people in your community who want to take steps to include those who have been excluded and marginalized.
January 30, 2023
Really well written. What I like most about this book is that it's short, but practical. Brenda Salter McNeil does an excellent job of explaining not only the importance of reconciliation but of laying out a strategy for churches, individuals, and organizations to follow.
July 23, 2020
Practical and insightful.
August 24, 2018
Tangible, practical steps to seek justice and equality in a world in such disarray. There is such need for it to be seen that there is strength in diversity!
January 8, 2018
Review on roadmap to reconciliation by Brenda Salter McNeil
Looking for a book that can show the art of how to settle with your foes, or the people one has had a hostile dispute with in the past is a useful task. Roadmap to reconciliation target on moving communities into Unity, wholeness and justice. The book says it promise to make the reader take a step into unity, wholeness and justice.
About the author
Rev . Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil is an American woman who works as an pastor, public speaker and author. The leading role she has in reconciliation work gives her some base to write a book about reconciliation. McNeil is a associate professor in the School of Theology at Seattle Pacific University.
The reconciliation
A roadmap to reconciliation between different groups of people with differences is a huge project. In a wider scale, this would mean if there was a recipe for reconciliation there people would find unity, wholeness and justice with each other.
The book is briefly, and just 133 pages and therefore is more like something to consider rather than a total solution and direct useful tool. The author has spent a lot of time defining the term and she explain how she tried to seek out other words like, inter cultural credibility, inter-cultural competence and inter-cultural integrity to better describe the work she hopes the book can do. The author expressed worries that the term reconciliation might be overused or misunderstood.
As a pastor she use the biblical extensively and there are also references to chapters the reader needs to check up themselves, in addition to the paraphrasing. The more direct the topic becomes when the chapter defining the landmarks is read through and the more cyclic approach is explained.
The reconciliation roadmap is the method the for reconciliation, with the understanding of a new reality, identification, where your people become my people, getting ready for lasting change and the actively working for reconciliation. This process is entered through catalytic events. Brenda explain the different phases with real examples, but the reader would maybe benefit from a more in depth narrative about the examples.
The book has a lovely tone, a warm charm, but it becomes a bit condense and shallow, not leaving the reader with too much new information about reconciliation. But good to know reconciliation, once achieved is a ongoing process.
Looking for a book that can show the art of how to settle with your foes, or the people one has had a hostile dispute with in the past is a useful task. Roadmap to reconciliation target on moving communities into Unity, wholeness and justice. The book says it promise to make the reader take a step into unity, wholeness and justice.
About the author
Rev . Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil is an American woman who works as an pastor, public speaker and author. The leading role she has in reconciliation work gives her some base to write a book about reconciliation. McNeil is a associate professor in the School of Theology at Seattle Pacific University.
The reconciliation
A roadmap to reconciliation between different groups of people with differences is a huge project. In a wider scale, this would mean if there was a recipe for reconciliation there people would find unity, wholeness and justice with each other.
The book is briefly, and just 133 pages and therefore is more like something to consider rather than a total solution and direct useful tool. The author has spent a lot of time defining the term and she explain how she tried to seek out other words like, inter cultural credibility, inter-cultural competence and inter-cultural integrity to better describe the work she hopes the book can do. The author expressed worries that the term reconciliation might be overused or misunderstood.
As a pastor she use the biblical extensively and there are also references to chapters the reader needs to check up themselves, in addition to the paraphrasing. The more direct the topic becomes when the chapter defining the landmarks is read through and the more cyclic approach is explained.
The reconciliation roadmap is the method the for reconciliation, with the understanding of a new reality, identification, where your people become my people, getting ready for lasting change and the actively working for reconciliation. This process is entered through catalytic events. Brenda explain the different phases with real examples, but the reader would maybe benefit from a more in depth narrative about the examples.
The book has a lovely tone, a warm charm, but it becomes a bit condense and shallow, not leaving the reader with too much new information about reconciliation. But good to know reconciliation, once achieved is a ongoing process.
February 1, 2018
The format of this book requires that a group of diverse people read and discuss it together. That the power to succeed in reconciling with others can only spring from Christ's work to reconcile people to God is somehow lost in the author's exhausting call to self-effort and change makes the road to reconciliation a weary road indeed.
May 3, 2023
This book used easy language which makes it perfect for most audiences and is great for anyone who is looking to go into any sort of community development/ justice work!
This book focused specifically on the process of building organizations and communities of reconciliation while emphasizing that the same process functions as a powerfully transformative experience for individuals (pg. 81). Through this work, McNeil is walking the audience through the steps of the reconciliation roadmap with personal stories that hold clear and nuanced lessons to be applied in seeking reconciliation. This diagram is essential because it demonstrates the ongoing process necessary to produce systemic change and aims to teach you how to build communities of reconciled people (pg. 37). Initially, this book is making an active effort towards laying the foundational importance of our theology on reconciliation and why reconciliation invites us into the bigger story of God’s redemptive work within the world (pg.22). Whenever these steps are followed and we are seeking action, then we are able to join and participate in what God is already doing instead of creating human agendas that frequently burn out and can lead to despair (pg.89).
This book focused specifically on the process of building organizations and communities of reconciliation while emphasizing that the same process functions as a powerfully transformative experience for individuals (pg. 81). Through this work, McNeil is walking the audience through the steps of the reconciliation roadmap with personal stories that hold clear and nuanced lessons to be applied in seeking reconciliation. This diagram is essential because it demonstrates the ongoing process necessary to produce systemic change and aims to teach you how to build communities of reconciled people (pg. 37). Initially, this book is making an active effort towards laying the foundational importance of our theology on reconciliation and why reconciliation invites us into the bigger story of God’s redemptive work within the world (pg.22). Whenever these steps are followed and we are seeking action, then we are able to join and participate in what God is already doing instead of creating human agendas that frequently burn out and can lead to despair (pg.89).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2020
Helpful, relatable, and realistic. Didn't always love the writing style, but very much appreciated the perspective and practical approach.
September 23, 2016
In an age of contention over what loaded terms like racism and reconciliation actually convey, the author works hard to establish a spiritual and dynamic definition, "an ongoing spiritual process involving forgiveness, repentance, and justice that restores broken relationships and systems to reflect God's original intention for all creation to flourish." The book lays out a path toward wholeness and justice without getting bogged down and lost in debates. Truly a short and very much to the point workbook with excellent reflection and application exercises, I can't think of a more timely and needed book given the discussion going on in this country today.
November 19, 2016
This book is essential for majority-culture Christian leaders seeking to move their homogeneous organizations toward ethnic diversity. Dr. Salter Mcneil brings a wealth of research and personal experience to this topic. I loved her diagram (referred to throughout the book) that explains how transformation happens in any group (or person), and why it sometimes doesn't happen (and the consequences of that.) It is a sober warning of the incredible commitment and maturity required of leadership to walk their congregations through transformation toward unity and justice.
July 28, 2016
This is well written as a practical guide to starting the journey. The ending was Very strong and left me feeling encouraged and convicted at the same time: "and may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in the world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor. Amen"
December 30, 2015
Very useful, practical guide for churches, organizations and individuals who want to be intentional about reconciliation, racial (the major focus of this book) and otherwise.
September 17, 2020
Perhaps it's just because I read it hard on the heels of White Fragility, but this book came as a breath of fresh air to me. 2020 has been a dark time for race relations in this country, so it's invigorating to hear a message from someone who still expresses hope. The Reverend Doctor Brenda Salter McNeil has spent decades consulting with individuals, churches, and organizations in the areas of racial, ethnic, and gender reconciliation. "Reverend Brenda" (as she is known on our campus) has walked the walk, and her book is chock full of anecdotes and examples from personal experience.
The book does exactly what it's title suggests: It offers a roadmap for individuals, churches, and other organizations looking to go on a reconciliation journey. There's an actual infographic of the roadmap itself, with the various milestones named and checkpoints described. Reconciliation begins with catalytic moments or events, that can then lead to either regression or progression. If a group moves forward, there are four basic steps: Realization, Identification, Preparation, and Actively Working for Reconciliation. The roadmap is laid out as a circle, suggesting that the process repeats and that the work of reconciliation is ongoing.
I've heard some people say that this book is dull. I did not find it so. The information and examples seem very relevant to any group or faith-based organization looking to make progress on racial reconciliation today. The examples from Dr. McNeil's personal experiences and consulting clients are especially helpful as illustrations.
This is a short but incredibly practical book and would probably be ideal for group discussions in organizations or church Bible studies. Dr. McNeil provides something more than nice platitudes about grace, forgiveness, or justice: she presents us with a blueprint for building a diverse and (reconciled) Kingdom of God.
The book does exactly what it's title suggests: It offers a roadmap for individuals, churches, and other organizations looking to go on a reconciliation journey. There's an actual infographic of the roadmap itself, with the various milestones named and checkpoints described. Reconciliation begins with catalytic moments or events, that can then lead to either regression or progression. If a group moves forward, there are four basic steps: Realization, Identification, Preparation, and Actively Working for Reconciliation. The roadmap is laid out as a circle, suggesting that the process repeats and that the work of reconciliation is ongoing.
I've heard some people say that this book is dull. I did not find it so. The information and examples seem very relevant to any group or faith-based organization looking to make progress on racial reconciliation today. The examples from Dr. McNeil's personal experiences and consulting clients are especially helpful as illustrations.
This is a short but incredibly practical book and would probably be ideal for group discussions in organizations or church Bible studies. Dr. McNeil provides something more than nice platitudes about grace, forgiveness, or justice: she presents us with a blueprint for building a diverse and (reconciled) Kingdom of God.
February 27, 2017
Summary: This veteran of racial reconciliation work shows us not only that reconciliation is necessary but the path individuals and groups must take to pursue that reconciliation.
One cannot embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ without embracing the idea of reconciliation. Central to the gospel is the truth of God reconciling an estranged humanity to himself through Christ, and in the process reconciling people to one another across their deepest divisions. Sometimes in the depths of our woundedness, we struggle to believe this is even possible. Even when we do, living into the reconciliation Christ has accomplished is much harder than holding hands and singing "Kumbayah" around a campfire.
I've had the privilege to watch, if from a distance, the author of this book live into that calling of reconciliation. She is an African-American preacher, former staff with the ministry I work with, and professor. In this book, she brings together the gospel vision, experiences, and research of several decades to not only cast a reconciliation vision, but to give us a "roadmap" for pursuing that vision. It's not an easy road, and she helps us count the cost, shows us how it is possible, and the transformation we can hope for as we follow that roadmap.
After an introduction that shares something of her own journey, Salter McNeil makes a theological case for reconciliation as a way of life, giving this definition:
"Reconciliation is an ongoing spiritual process involving forgiveness, repentance and justice that restores broken relationships and systems to reflect God's original intention for all creation to flourish." (Italics in original)
She then proposes that the idea of a journey with landmarks and phases may be the best way to think about a transformative reconciliation process. She offers a roadmap rooted in Contact Theory involving these specific steps:
Catalytic events, which break us out of our efforts to preserve the status quo. They seem chaotic and threatening, but when they force one to empty out one's preconceptions, ask new questions, and recognize the new thing God wants to do, they can put people on the road to reconciliation.
Realization involves understanding a new reality, reorienting our perspective, requiring a readiness to change followed by taking the first steps to restoration.
Identification is when "your people become my people" which comes through empathic listening and deeply entering into the story of the other to the point where we are willing to share in that story, with all its pain.
Preparation is doing the hard work to get ready for lasting change. It is often here that reconciliation efforts falter, as groups lose a sense of urgency. Preparation involves the hard work of structural, systemic change, that is often costly in terms of power and privilege, but moves from transactional changes to transformational ones.
Activation or actively working for reconciliation involves CARE: Communication, Advocacy, Relating and Educating.
Salter McNeil concludes the book with some coaching about how one stays the course, and paints a vision of hope for experiencing at least a foretaste of the heavenly vision of peoples from every race, tribe, people, and nation before the throne.
Each chapter is designed with practical material to help groups move forward with each phase of the reconciliation journey (which is why reading this summary is no shortcut for reading the book!). The author lays biblical foundations, gives specific steps, illustrates with stories to enhance understanding, and invites individuals and groups into the next stage of the journey.
I would observe that the book seems to presume that the readers have experienced a catalytic event or will. I suspect these things can't be planned but will happen to any who go very far in pursuing reconciliation efforts. Things blow up, chaos occurs, and what happens next seems key in determining whether we will return to preserving our world, or enter a new journey. What Brenda Salter McNeil does here, and at each stage, is help us understand what is happening, the dynamics of the phase we are in, the posture that will help us move forward, and how God can meet us as we summon the courage to take the next step. The rest is up to us.
One cannot embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ without embracing the idea of reconciliation. Central to the gospel is the truth of God reconciling an estranged humanity to himself through Christ, and in the process reconciling people to one another across their deepest divisions. Sometimes in the depths of our woundedness, we struggle to believe this is even possible. Even when we do, living into the reconciliation Christ has accomplished is much harder than holding hands and singing "Kumbayah" around a campfire.
I've had the privilege to watch, if from a distance, the author of this book live into that calling of reconciliation. She is an African-American preacher, former staff with the ministry I work with, and professor. In this book, she brings together the gospel vision, experiences, and research of several decades to not only cast a reconciliation vision, but to give us a "roadmap" for pursuing that vision. It's not an easy road, and she helps us count the cost, shows us how it is possible, and the transformation we can hope for as we follow that roadmap.
After an introduction that shares something of her own journey, Salter McNeil makes a theological case for reconciliation as a way of life, giving this definition:
"Reconciliation is an ongoing spiritual process involving forgiveness, repentance and justice that restores broken relationships and systems to reflect God's original intention for all creation to flourish." (Italics in original)
She then proposes that the idea of a journey with landmarks and phases may be the best way to think about a transformative reconciliation process. She offers a roadmap rooted in Contact Theory involving these specific steps:
Catalytic events, which break us out of our efforts to preserve the status quo. They seem chaotic and threatening, but when they force one to empty out one's preconceptions, ask new questions, and recognize the new thing God wants to do, they can put people on the road to reconciliation.
Realization involves understanding a new reality, reorienting our perspective, requiring a readiness to change followed by taking the first steps to restoration.
Identification is when "your people become my people" which comes through empathic listening and deeply entering into the story of the other to the point where we are willing to share in that story, with all its pain.
Preparation is doing the hard work to get ready for lasting change. It is often here that reconciliation efforts falter, as groups lose a sense of urgency. Preparation involves the hard work of structural, systemic change, that is often costly in terms of power and privilege, but moves from transactional changes to transformational ones.
Activation or actively working for reconciliation involves CARE: Communication, Advocacy, Relating and Educating.
Salter McNeil concludes the book with some coaching about how one stays the course, and paints a vision of hope for experiencing at least a foretaste of the heavenly vision of peoples from every race, tribe, people, and nation before the throne.
Each chapter is designed with practical material to help groups move forward with each phase of the reconciliation journey (which is why reading this summary is no shortcut for reading the book!). The author lays biblical foundations, gives specific steps, illustrates with stories to enhance understanding, and invites individuals and groups into the next stage of the journey.
I would observe that the book seems to presume that the readers have experienced a catalytic event or will. I suspect these things can't be planned but will happen to any who go very far in pursuing reconciliation efforts. Things blow up, chaos occurs, and what happens next seems key in determining whether we will return to preserving our world, or enter a new journey. What Brenda Salter McNeil does here, and at each stage, is help us understand what is happening, the dynamics of the phase we are in, the posture that will help us move forward, and how God can meet us as we summon the courage to take the next step. The rest is up to us.
December 28, 2017
Last spring, I heard Brenda Salter McNeil speak on racial conflict in America, particularly American churches. Her voice is powerful and moving, and I looked forward to reading something from her. I finally got around to it.
This probably wasn't the best choice as it is a curriculum designed to be done as a group. I read the parts I could read, which were good, but I skimmed over the group activities. After all, I am not a group, and I only have my perspective, so there was nothing to be gained there. Maybe if I did this with a group, I would have given it five stars.
The thing is, we have a problem with race in America. And we do have a problem with race in our churches. Even when things seem okay, which they can for white people, there are issues simmering below the surface. We do need to deal with them, and no matter how much I read, I can't deal with them if I stay in a primarily white environment.
We have lots of diversity at school, and while I do try to encourage acceptance of multiple perspectives, the fact that I'm handing out grades means in large part I set the culture.
One thing that Salter McNeil says is that in order to develop reconciliation communities, we will need to bring subconscious racial bias to the surface, which can be very uncomfortable and can elevate conflict, which allows true reconciliation. We have to deal with the conflict, conscious or subconscious. I think this may be true.
Overall, good book. Worth the read. I would love to be a part of a group that worked through the curriculum, but I don't think I could lead it.
This probably wasn't the best choice as it is a curriculum designed to be done as a group. I read the parts I could read, which were good, but I skimmed over the group activities. After all, I am not a group, and I only have my perspective, so there was nothing to be gained there. Maybe if I did this with a group, I would have given it five stars.
The thing is, we have a problem with race in America. And we do have a problem with race in our churches. Even when things seem okay, which they can for white people, there are issues simmering below the surface. We do need to deal with them, and no matter how much I read, I can't deal with them if I stay in a primarily white environment.
We have lots of diversity at school, and while I do try to encourage acceptance of multiple perspectives, the fact that I'm handing out grades means in large part I set the culture.
One thing that Salter McNeil says is that in order to develop reconciliation communities, we will need to bring subconscious racial bias to the surface, which can be very uncomfortable and can elevate conflict, which allows true reconciliation. We have to deal with the conflict, conscious or subconscious. I think this may be true.
Overall, good book. Worth the read. I would love to be a part of a group that worked through the curriculum, but I don't think I could lead it.
May 9, 2017
The greatest accomplishment of this book is incorporating our present struggle into the entirety of the biblical narrative (and metanarrative). The use of scripture was outstanding and the exegesis of our culture, history, and institutions was equally impressive.
The practical "how-to" section is generally helpful but seems a bit vague and ethereal. The reflection questions were as helpful as they could be, but the "roadmap" itself can only be implemented by the leaders of an institution or organization and might make an individual within an organization frustrated or given over to despair. The book tries to, in 117 pages, give an overview, history, and diagnosis of the problem with a prognosis for individuals, churches, colleges, and organizations. To say that it is ambitious is an understatement!
I really enjoyed the majority of this book although, despite its best efforts, the overall tone felt despondent. There are times it drifts too far into cynicism and other times it dwells in sentimentality. There is not a clear vision of hope presented consistently throughout the book.
The practical "how-to" section is generally helpful but seems a bit vague and ethereal. The reflection questions were as helpful as they could be, but the "roadmap" itself can only be implemented by the leaders of an institution or organization and might make an individual within an organization frustrated or given over to despair. The book tries to, in 117 pages, give an overview, history, and diagnosis of the problem with a prognosis for individuals, churches, colleges, and organizations. To say that it is ambitious is an understatement!
I really enjoyed the majority of this book although, despite its best efforts, the overall tone felt despondent. There are times it drifts too far into cynicism and other times it dwells in sentimentality. There is not a clear vision of hope presented consistently throughout the book.
May 16, 2018
A relatively brief but excellent handbook on how to motivate individuals, churches and communities to become active in addressing division and injustice. Written from the context of racial inequality in the US in the wake of the post-Ferguson tensions, but before the advent of Trump, McNeil's closing reference to MLK's vision of A Beloved Community, 50 years after his death demonstrates that the process of realising this is not a quick fix and requires sustainable strategies such as outlined here. It's applicability is wider than US race relations however and could easily be applied to other situations and issues including our own enduring divisions in NI.
January 5, 2018
It took me almost a year and a half to finish this book - but only because I read it as I lived it. Dr. McNeil is spot-on accurate with describing the pattern of the reconciliation journey. It was a comfort to know that everything I have experienced or felt was not new and was understood. She has made me feel equipped, encouraged, and hopeful to continue on and never stop pursuing racial reconciliation in The Church. Every Christian should read this. It lacks absolutely nothing. I have never underlined so much of any other book I’ve ever read.
February 10, 2022
A great read with very practical steps for racial reconciliation. I would say this book is ideal for a group but still really enjoyed it as an individual. My favorite part was the last chapter, where she discussed shalom as the way God intended the world to be. We have a responsibility to heal and mend what we can to create shalom on earth, while recognizing it will never be fully realized until Jesus comes, and longing for that day when every tribe, tongue, and nation will be represented in heaven.
July 2, 2018
This book had some awesome moments. It was much more of a sociology work than a theological work. She largely assumes the biblical premise for the work and that diverse communities are already present and desiring reconciliation before starting down the roadmap. It’s a helpful flowchart but very narrow in its focus and wouldn’t apply to many situations.
October 6, 2021
Practical, direct and compassionate. Brenda Salter McNeil provides valuable insight and mentorship through this book. Although it caters more to church and organizational leadership, her frameworks, analysis and action steps are helpful for anyone who wants to be a minister of reconciliation in the world!
October 21, 2017
Great tool and inspiration
This reading offers great practical and accessible ideas to do justice at an individual and organizational level. Strongly recommend this to anyone who cares to do justice and reconciliation.
This reading offers great practical and accessible ideas to do justice at an individual and organizational level. Strongly recommend this to anyone who cares to do justice and reconciliation.
February 12, 2018
Very practical guide for churches and organizations desiring to pursue racial reconciliation from the highly experienced Rev. McNeil. Some lack of focus on the power of the gospel to accomplish this goal.
May 2, 2018
This book provided a tangible and easy-to-understand foundation for how to implement and structure racial reconciliation. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see racial equity in religious spaces, but doesn't know how to make it a reality.
July 4, 2018
I wish it were this easy. But I along with thousands and hundreds of thousands and perhaps even millions in the dream.
But as the author points out I too have read the end of the book and we win. Not only with Christ’s victory but also multiculturally.
But as the author points out I too have read the end of the book and we win. Not only with Christ’s victory but also multiculturally.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews