What do you think?
Rate this book
Subversive Witness: Scripture's Call to Leverage Privilege
Learn to leverage privilege. Privilege is a social consequence of our unwillingness to reckon with and turn from sin. But properly stewarded, it can help us see and participate in God's inbreaking kingdom. Scripture repeatedly affirms that privilege is real and declares that, rather than exploiting it for selfish gain or feeling immobilized by it, Christians have a responsibility to leverage it. Subversive Witness asks us to grapple with privilege, indifference, and systemic sin in new ways by using biblical examples to reveal the complex nature of privilege and Christians' responsibility in stewarding it well. Dominique DuBois Gilliard highlights several people in the Bible who understood this kingdom call. Through their stories, you will discover how to leverage privilege to: By embodying Scripture's subversive call to leverage--and at times forsake--privilege, readers will learn to love their neighbors sacrificially, enact systemic change, and grow more Christlike as citizens of God's kingdom.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published August 24, 2021
106 people are currently reading
1263 people want to read
About the author
Dominique DuBois Gilliard
5 books63 followersDominique DuBois Gilliard is the director of racial righteousness and reconciliation for the Love Mercy Do Justice (LMDJ) initiative of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). He serves on the boards of directors for the Christian Community Development Association and Evangelicals for Justice. In 2015, he was selected as one of the ECC’s “40 Under 40” leaders to watch, and the Huffington Post named him one of the “Black Christian Leaders Changing the World.” An ordained minister, Gilliard has served in pastoral ministry in Atlanta, Chicago, and Oakland. He was executive pastor of New Hope Covenant Church in Oakland, California and also served in Oakland as the associate pastor of Convergence Covenant Church. He was also the campus minister at North Park University and the racial righteousness director for ECC’s ministry initiatives in the Pacific Southwest Conference. With articles published in the CCDA Theology Journal, The Covenant Quarterly, and Sojourners, Gilliard has also blogged for Christianity Today, Faith & Leadership, Red Letter Christians, Do Justice, and The Junia Project. He earned a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in history from East Tennessee State University, with an emphasis on race, gender, and class in the United States. He also earned an MDiv from North Park Seminary, where he served as an adjunct professor teaching Christian ethics, theology, and reconciliation.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
August 28, 2021
One of the Best Books of 2021. In Subversive Witness, author Dominique DuBois Gilliard illuminates the stories of important biblical characters to show that Christians have the ability and responsibility to administer, use and sometimes to give up privileges to advance the Kingdom of God and to help the people around us. From the daughter of Pharaohs Esther, Moses, Paul, Silas, Jesus, and Zacchaeus - the author shows how the Holy Spirit leads the people of God to be stewards of our privileges. This book is a MUST READ!
August 23, 2021
This is a must-read piece for our place in history and society today as Christ-followers. Privilege has become a word and concept that has created rifts in our society because of very differing understandings of what it is, who has it, and what that means.
Being able to identify privilege and the ways we may have access to different kinds of privilege allows an honest exploration of the unique ways in which we may be able to invest our power...or ways in which we must be aware of how that power may impact us unknowingly.
In Subversive Witness, Dominique uses the stories of Esther, Moses, and others within scripture to give examples of what privilege can be and how it can be leveraged to glorify God and for the sake of making the world better. This scripturally rooted and supported teaching helps us as readers, and believers, to hold the tension of what privilege has been portrayed as around us and what the Bible says. It allows a more critical introspection of ourselves. Dominique's voice permeates the text offering unapologetic prophetic truth with the grace and hope filled care of a pastor walking someone through a hard reality.
Being able to identify privilege and the ways we may have access to different kinds of privilege allows an honest exploration of the unique ways in which we may be able to invest our power...or ways in which we must be aware of how that power may impact us unknowingly.
In Subversive Witness, Dominique uses the stories of Esther, Moses, and others within scripture to give examples of what privilege can be and how it can be leveraged to glorify God and for the sake of making the world better. This scripturally rooted and supported teaching helps us as readers, and believers, to hold the tension of what privilege has been portrayed as around us and what the Bible says. It allows a more critical introspection of ourselves. Dominique's voice permeates the text offering unapologetic prophetic truth with the grace and hope filled care of a pastor walking someone through a hard reality.
September 2, 2021
Gilliard picks up the thread that Bruggemann began weaving more than 40 years ago in Prophetic Imagination. He examines the very real ways that our shared reality has been imagined into existence, and offers a way to use our reality to create a more just and equitable future. His is a voice uniquely suited to examine scripture, understand history and imagine the Church’s role in a world that looks more like the Kingdom of God. Read it, wrestle with the truths, and discuss it with your peers. It’s that important, and that hopeful.
April 3, 2022
[Excuse the length of this post. I have tried to condense it as much as possible, but to do any justice to this book I am going to have to spend extra time addressing it.]
First, I admit (as Gilliard so compellingly proves) I am privileged. Although I am the son of coal miner, from a long line of coal miners, and although I am from a broken home, compared to most people I have lived a life of ease and comfort – comparatively. I attended a private high school. My college education was paid for. I had many opportunities that other will never have. Simply by living in the West, I enjoy a level of material comfort, health, and abundance even kings two hundred years ago could not have imagined.
Second, any benefit, blessing, health, wealth, talent, or privilege I have, I have because they were gifted to me by God. As such, they are not mine to enjoy. I am but a steward of them for the benefit of his kingdom. Privilege is obligation.
Third, there are gross, systemic injustice in our world and in our country. As an attorney, I saw firsthand the injustice of our criminal justice system, though I would say the inequity is due to poverty more than race. If you don’t have money, you can’t buy justice. If you’re rich, you avoid it. This is sinful.
On these matters, I agree with Gilliard and appreciate the insights he brings to the table. Where I part company with him (I think, because, honestly, at times it is hard to determine exactly what he is proposing) regards how to leverage that privilege. To what purpose? To what end? By what means?
To keep this review of manageable length, I am going to organize my criticisms around what I see as two gaps in his argument, two glaring omissions, and, finally, what I believe is the cause of much of the problem with the book.
Two Gaps
Gap #1 – What laws may I disobey and how? Imagine two scenarios. Scenario 1, Law A requires that I do X (which would violate a law of God which would entail a sin of commission on my part) or that I refrain from doing Y (which would forbid me to do something God requires that I do, and so entail a sin of omission). As a Christian, I must obey God rather than man, so I would be entirely justified in disobeying Law A, at least to the extend it would require sin on my part. Gilliard presents illustrations from Scripture of this type of “civil disobedience” as he calls it: the Hebrew midwives, Moses (though he doesn’t specify exactly how he disobeyed – everything he lists as example of protest is actually a direct act of God rather than an act of Moses or the Israelites).
Scenario 2, Law B is unjust to some group, but does not require me to do X or refrain from doing Y. It’s an unjust law but does not require that I commit sin. May I break it anyway? Can I break it? If a law were passed requiring all undocumented peoples to be rounded up and incarcerated for the remainder of their natural lives, that would be unjust, but there is no way for me to break this law – unless I am a law enforcement officer charged with enforcing it. How would I commit civil disobedience in this instance? What Galliard seems to hint at, and what he seems to be defending as a strategy, is to break some other Law C as a protest – civil disruption, property damage, etc. He offers no instance of Scripture where this happens. Since most of the injustice he (rightly) protests fall in this second scenario, he needs to come up with some Scriptural backing for this type of civil disobedience. He does not.
While Galliard proves Christians should be willing to risk all to disobey laws that cause them to disobey the law of God, there is a huge gap between doing that and disobeying some other, unrelated law in order to protest a law that is unjust. He doesn’t seem to be aware of this gap. He just leaps across it and declares that Scripture mandates this type of disobedience. I am unconvinced.
Gap #2 – Changing society vs. building the church. Galliard posits that we are called to confront and address societal evils. “We are commissioned to exercise our citizenship as a tool to create a more equitable society” (p.89).
He provides as an example Paul and Silas in Acts 16. After they were arrested and flogged, the authorities discovered they were citizens and ordered them released. Paul insisted the authorities come and escort them out. Galliard believes this is an example of addressing a systemic problem (p.88). This passage helps us reimagine how we can use our citizenship to “pursue collective liberation rather than individual freedoms.” P.90. “Paul and Silas recognized and seized the opportunity to wield their power politically, engaging in advocacy to create judicial accountability, reform, and transparency. (p.90). This is an incredibly idiosyncratic and anachronistic reading of the passage. But Paul didn’t address any systemic issue. He called for no judicial reform. He didn’t seek liberation for all prisoners, just himself and Silas. None of the narrative fits the point he attempts to make.
He also makes much of Acts 6 where the church confronts the issue of Greek widows being left out of the distribution. The church leadership owned up to the problem of unjust distribution, saw it as systemic, and took steps to address it. All well and good, but as Galliard says, this was “discrimination in their midst” (p. xix) not in society. He introduces no biblical narrative wherein Christians addressed systemic problems in the society at large. They did address injustice within the church, but never in society.
There is a wide gap between working to ameliorate sinful conditions within the church (as a contrast society) and within society as a whole. Again, Gilliard does not seem to be aware of this gap and does nothing to convince the reader that it can be bridged. As the church, our goal is not to make society better so that it looks like the Kingdom of God, but to call people from that society into the real Kingdom of God, where true freedom is found. Why create an ersatz kingdom when the vibrant living kingdom of God is here and available?
Two Omissions
First, sadly (maddeningly?), Galliard never addresses the elephant in the room. What more oppressive, sinful and systemic injustice could there be than slavery? Yet the Bible launches no protest against it. Jesus healed slaves, but never suggested to anyone that they free them. Paul had every opportunity in his letters (especially to Philemon) to at least hint that perhaps Christians should not own other human beings. He did not. No acts of civil disobedience were undertaken or suggested. Christian slaves are urged to obey their masters. Christian masters are urged to treat their slaves well with no mention of freeing them. If ending societal injustice and oppression were the goal, why say such things? According to Galliard, “Corporate sin is more than active participation in sin; it includes apathy and complicity, or failing to act, in the face of evil amid oppressive contexts.” Jesus and Paul failed to act in the face of one of the most systemically evil forms of oppression imaginable. This would seem to make them cowardly collaborators with the oppressors. Or, perhaps, addressing systemic, societal wrongs was not the mission.
Second – and then there was Rome. Galliard quotes Esau McCaulley to insist that we do not have to obey unjust governments (p. 164). Examining Romans 12, he tells us that Paul was saying we should obey the state when the state is doing what it should do – being a terror to those who do evil. If any government is not doing what it is intended to do, he suggests rather provocatively, God will use humans to remove those authorities. Therefore, we are not absolutely forbidden to resist the powers that be. This line of interpretation is brought forward every time Christians want to rebel against the government. It always runs into the same insurmountable issue: Paul was writing about Rome and the Roman emperor. An evil man (likely Claudius or Nero) heading, perhaps, the most evil and systemically unjust, oppressive regime in history, viciously persecuting Christians. Yet, Paul tells his readers, who live in Rome, to obey because God appointed these authorities. If Christians cannot disobey that government, what would allow us to rebel now?
Source
I believe the anachronistic use of modern political terminology leads Galliard into many of the problems, specifically to the eisegesis of certain scripture passages. This (mis)use of terminology ends up being misleading. Some examples:
- “Civil disobedience.” Galliard tells us that Vashti engaged in civil disobedience against toxic masculinity and rape culture (two more terms used anachronistically). A wife did not want to be publicly paraded before his friends. This was not a protest against the state or its laws. This is hardly civil disobedience for the sake of her oppressed sisters. This term is used throughout the book in contexts where it is completely inappropriate.
- “Judicial accountability and reform.” As examined above, this is a fanciful interpretation of what happened with Paul.
- “Ghetto.” Nazareth and Galilee are described as ghettoes. If this word has any meaning at all, it simply does not fit here.
- “Disenfranchised.” This modern term does not fit at all in the contexts in which he uses it. Very few people had any rights or privileges that could be taken from them, and none had the vote. So virtually everyone in the ancient world was never enfranchised to begin with. This term makes little sense outside of the modern democratic state.
Reading this terminology into the biblical narratives allows him to back fill the stories with modern political meanings they do not have.
Conclusion
In the final chapter, after much discussion of the need to act in some unspecified way to end systemic, societal injustice, we finally get a list of steps we can take in faith to make it happen. Unfortunately, these steps are also vague and non-specific, except for the last one. For each step, I found myself asking exactly what he means and exactly how I would do it: break unjust laws, endure incarceration for resisting, confront the powers that be to demand God’s people be freed, speak truth to power, demand institutional accountability, and lastly, give half of your possession to the poor. At last, a concrete action step – to which I would say “Amen”! The others are too vague and ambiguous and could be used to justify many dangerous and unholy actions. Readers are simply left to themselves to apply as they see fit to justify whatever acts they may deem necessary. A recipe for disaster.
In the end, what Gilliard proved from scripture is that Christians should not obey laws that require that they disobey God’s law, and they should work to sanctify the church by ridding it of sinful behaviors and injustices. Unfortunately, what Galliard advocates for seems to go far beyond this. Perhaps he can produce some scriptural basis for his prescriptions, but I am not sanguine about his prospects.
First, I admit (as Gilliard so compellingly proves) I am privileged. Although I am the son of coal miner, from a long line of coal miners, and although I am from a broken home, compared to most people I have lived a life of ease and comfort – comparatively. I attended a private high school. My college education was paid for. I had many opportunities that other will never have. Simply by living in the West, I enjoy a level of material comfort, health, and abundance even kings two hundred years ago could not have imagined.
Second, any benefit, blessing, health, wealth, talent, or privilege I have, I have because they were gifted to me by God. As such, they are not mine to enjoy. I am but a steward of them for the benefit of his kingdom. Privilege is obligation.
Third, there are gross, systemic injustice in our world and in our country. As an attorney, I saw firsthand the injustice of our criminal justice system, though I would say the inequity is due to poverty more than race. If you don’t have money, you can’t buy justice. If you’re rich, you avoid it. This is sinful.
On these matters, I agree with Gilliard and appreciate the insights he brings to the table. Where I part company with him (I think, because, honestly, at times it is hard to determine exactly what he is proposing) regards how to leverage that privilege. To what purpose? To what end? By what means?
To keep this review of manageable length, I am going to organize my criticisms around what I see as two gaps in his argument, two glaring omissions, and, finally, what I believe is the cause of much of the problem with the book.
Two Gaps
Gap #1 – What laws may I disobey and how? Imagine two scenarios. Scenario 1, Law A requires that I do X (which would violate a law of God which would entail a sin of commission on my part) or that I refrain from doing Y (which would forbid me to do something God requires that I do, and so entail a sin of omission). As a Christian, I must obey God rather than man, so I would be entirely justified in disobeying Law A, at least to the extend it would require sin on my part. Gilliard presents illustrations from Scripture of this type of “civil disobedience” as he calls it: the Hebrew midwives, Moses (though he doesn’t specify exactly how he disobeyed – everything he lists as example of protest is actually a direct act of God rather than an act of Moses or the Israelites).
Scenario 2, Law B is unjust to some group, but does not require me to do X or refrain from doing Y. It’s an unjust law but does not require that I commit sin. May I break it anyway? Can I break it? If a law were passed requiring all undocumented peoples to be rounded up and incarcerated for the remainder of their natural lives, that would be unjust, but there is no way for me to break this law – unless I am a law enforcement officer charged with enforcing it. How would I commit civil disobedience in this instance? What Galliard seems to hint at, and what he seems to be defending as a strategy, is to break some other Law C as a protest – civil disruption, property damage, etc. He offers no instance of Scripture where this happens. Since most of the injustice he (rightly) protests fall in this second scenario, he needs to come up with some Scriptural backing for this type of civil disobedience. He does not.
While Galliard proves Christians should be willing to risk all to disobey laws that cause them to disobey the law of God, there is a huge gap between doing that and disobeying some other, unrelated law in order to protest a law that is unjust. He doesn’t seem to be aware of this gap. He just leaps across it and declares that Scripture mandates this type of disobedience. I am unconvinced.
Gap #2 – Changing society vs. building the church. Galliard posits that we are called to confront and address societal evils. “We are commissioned to exercise our citizenship as a tool to create a more equitable society” (p.89).
He provides as an example Paul and Silas in Acts 16. After they were arrested and flogged, the authorities discovered they were citizens and ordered them released. Paul insisted the authorities come and escort them out. Galliard believes this is an example of addressing a systemic problem (p.88). This passage helps us reimagine how we can use our citizenship to “pursue collective liberation rather than individual freedoms.” P.90. “Paul and Silas recognized and seized the opportunity to wield their power politically, engaging in advocacy to create judicial accountability, reform, and transparency. (p.90). This is an incredibly idiosyncratic and anachronistic reading of the passage. But Paul didn’t address any systemic issue. He called for no judicial reform. He didn’t seek liberation for all prisoners, just himself and Silas. None of the narrative fits the point he attempts to make.
He also makes much of Acts 6 where the church confronts the issue of Greek widows being left out of the distribution. The church leadership owned up to the problem of unjust distribution, saw it as systemic, and took steps to address it. All well and good, but as Galliard says, this was “discrimination in their midst” (p. xix) not in society. He introduces no biblical narrative wherein Christians addressed systemic problems in the society at large. They did address injustice within the church, but never in society.
There is a wide gap between working to ameliorate sinful conditions within the church (as a contrast society) and within society as a whole. Again, Gilliard does not seem to be aware of this gap and does nothing to convince the reader that it can be bridged. As the church, our goal is not to make society better so that it looks like the Kingdom of God, but to call people from that society into the real Kingdom of God, where true freedom is found. Why create an ersatz kingdom when the vibrant living kingdom of God is here and available?
Two Omissions
First, sadly (maddeningly?), Galliard never addresses the elephant in the room. What more oppressive, sinful and systemic injustice could there be than slavery? Yet the Bible launches no protest against it. Jesus healed slaves, but never suggested to anyone that they free them. Paul had every opportunity in his letters (especially to Philemon) to at least hint that perhaps Christians should not own other human beings. He did not. No acts of civil disobedience were undertaken or suggested. Christian slaves are urged to obey their masters. Christian masters are urged to treat their slaves well with no mention of freeing them. If ending societal injustice and oppression were the goal, why say such things? According to Galliard, “Corporate sin is more than active participation in sin; it includes apathy and complicity, or failing to act, in the face of evil amid oppressive contexts.” Jesus and Paul failed to act in the face of one of the most systemically evil forms of oppression imaginable. This would seem to make them cowardly collaborators with the oppressors. Or, perhaps, addressing systemic, societal wrongs was not the mission.
Second – and then there was Rome. Galliard quotes Esau McCaulley to insist that we do not have to obey unjust governments (p. 164). Examining Romans 12, he tells us that Paul was saying we should obey the state when the state is doing what it should do – being a terror to those who do evil. If any government is not doing what it is intended to do, he suggests rather provocatively, God will use humans to remove those authorities. Therefore, we are not absolutely forbidden to resist the powers that be. This line of interpretation is brought forward every time Christians want to rebel against the government. It always runs into the same insurmountable issue: Paul was writing about Rome and the Roman emperor. An evil man (likely Claudius or Nero) heading, perhaps, the most evil and systemically unjust, oppressive regime in history, viciously persecuting Christians. Yet, Paul tells his readers, who live in Rome, to obey because God appointed these authorities. If Christians cannot disobey that government, what would allow us to rebel now?
Source
I believe the anachronistic use of modern political terminology leads Galliard into many of the problems, specifically to the eisegesis of certain scripture passages. This (mis)use of terminology ends up being misleading. Some examples:
- “Civil disobedience.” Galliard tells us that Vashti engaged in civil disobedience against toxic masculinity and rape culture (two more terms used anachronistically). A wife did not want to be publicly paraded before his friends. This was not a protest against the state or its laws. This is hardly civil disobedience for the sake of her oppressed sisters. This term is used throughout the book in contexts where it is completely inappropriate.
- “Judicial accountability and reform.” As examined above, this is a fanciful interpretation of what happened with Paul.
- “Ghetto.” Nazareth and Galilee are described as ghettoes. If this word has any meaning at all, it simply does not fit here.
- “Disenfranchised.” This modern term does not fit at all in the contexts in which he uses it. Very few people had any rights or privileges that could be taken from them, and none had the vote. So virtually everyone in the ancient world was never enfranchised to begin with. This term makes little sense outside of the modern democratic state.
Reading this terminology into the biblical narratives allows him to back fill the stories with modern political meanings they do not have.
Conclusion
In the final chapter, after much discussion of the need to act in some unspecified way to end systemic, societal injustice, we finally get a list of steps we can take in faith to make it happen. Unfortunately, these steps are also vague and non-specific, except for the last one. For each step, I found myself asking exactly what he means and exactly how I would do it: break unjust laws, endure incarceration for resisting, confront the powers that be to demand God’s people be freed, speak truth to power, demand institutional accountability, and lastly, give half of your possession to the poor. At last, a concrete action step – to which I would say “Amen”! The others are too vague and ambiguous and could be used to justify many dangerous and unholy actions. Readers are simply left to themselves to apply as they see fit to justify whatever acts they may deem necessary. A recipe for disaster.
In the end, what Gilliard proved from scripture is that Christians should not obey laws that require that they disobey God’s law, and they should work to sanctify the church by ridding it of sinful behaviors and injustices. Unfortunately, what Galliard advocates for seems to go far beyond this. Perhaps he can produce some scriptural basis for his prescriptions, but I am not sanguine about his prospects.
September 3, 2021
After Dominique's first book Rethinking Incarceration rocked my world and propelled me to action. I now correspond regularly with a man on death row in my state. I am actively working towards ending the death penalty in my state.
I was all set to read his next necessary challenge for those who strive to follow Christ. Subversive Witness was more powerful than I expected because not only is it chock-full of wise words from leaders and influencers, research and history, but this book, this prophetic call for church-goers is grounded in something we all share: the words of Scripture. The Word of God comes alive as Dominique opens the Bible and provides meaning, context, and a refreshing (and also nonwhite) perspective on how many people in the Bible chose to leverage their privilege for the sake of kingdom work.
This book has made me want to slow down, reread each Biblical story, grab my commentary and Biblical dictionary and listen to the Word that God is speaking to me through this book and His word. The reflection questions have been a particularly helpful place and space for me to organize my thoughts, reflect and respond wholeheartedly. I look forward to beginning a book discussion group to continue to share these excellent questions with friends and neighbors who are eager for meaningful conversation.
Dominique opens a vision for life in each's own skin, in each's own social location, a vision for a life that honors God and loves others tangibly. There is a way that takes all its resources and leverages them for a life of thriving for the individual and for the community. Another world, besides the conflated American Dream/Christian Nationalist/Propsertiy Gospel is possible, is necessary, and is happening! The biographies he tells of paint the picture of being a subversive witness.
I think all Americans who claim to follow Christ (or claim Christianity) should engage with Dominique's interpretation of scripture and what that means for their lives. I am sure they will, like me, be surprisingly freed. Freed.
"A few of the anti-gospel tables we will have to overturn - not an exhaustive list - as subversive witnesses include rugged individualism, white supremacy, and patriarchy. A freer life, an abundant life in Christ is awaiting us when we cast down these idols and embrace the collective liberation the gospel affords."
I was all set to read his next necessary challenge for those who strive to follow Christ. Subversive Witness was more powerful than I expected because not only is it chock-full of wise words from leaders and influencers, research and history, but this book, this prophetic call for church-goers is grounded in something we all share: the words of Scripture. The Word of God comes alive as Dominique opens the Bible and provides meaning, context, and a refreshing (and also nonwhite) perspective on how many people in the Bible chose to leverage their privilege for the sake of kingdom work.
This book has made me want to slow down, reread each Biblical story, grab my commentary and Biblical dictionary and listen to the Word that God is speaking to me through this book and His word. The reflection questions have been a particularly helpful place and space for me to organize my thoughts, reflect and respond wholeheartedly. I look forward to beginning a book discussion group to continue to share these excellent questions with friends and neighbors who are eager for meaningful conversation.
Dominique opens a vision for life in each's own skin, in each's own social location, a vision for a life that honors God and loves others tangibly. There is a way that takes all its resources and leverages them for a life of thriving for the individual and for the community. Another world, besides the conflated American Dream/Christian Nationalist/Propsertiy Gospel is possible, is necessary, and is happening! The biographies he tells of paint the picture of being a subversive witness.
I think all Americans who claim to follow Christ (or claim Christianity) should engage with Dominique's interpretation of scripture and what that means for their lives. I am sure they will, like me, be surprisingly freed. Freed.
"A few of the anti-gospel tables we will have to overturn - not an exhaustive list - as subversive witnesses include rugged individualism, white supremacy, and patriarchy. A freer life, an abundant life in Christ is awaiting us when we cast down these idols and embrace the collective liberation the gospel affords."
October 1, 2021
Subversive Witness is one of the best books of 2021 that I’ve read. To be transparent, it took me a lot longer than normal to get through it, but that was because I was blown away, chapter after chapter, really having to let what I was reading sink it because it was so powerful.
In my opinion, privilege is destroying churches across America. It’s a word that so many do not want to admit, face or even acknowledge and sadly it’s turning our Black and Brown sisters away from the church because they no longer feel like it’s a safe place for them to be. Dominique uses the stories of Moses, Esther, Zacchaeus and more to connect what is happening in the church/word today, to what was happening in Bible times and how together we can learn to be better.
Over and over again, as I read the words of the book, I had the reoccurring thought that if a person identifies as a Christian and attends a church that is not willing to talk about social justice from the platform, they are missing the mark. It is the responsibility of the church to be in the uncomfortable place of talking about the injustices that are taking place right before our eyes. It goes beyond praying about situations, it’s sacrificing our personal comfort, resources and experiences to love our neighbors and be like Christ.
So much I could say about this book. It was phenomenal. It stretched me in many ways and reminded me what being a Christian and following Christ is really about. A must read.
In my opinion, privilege is destroying churches across America. It’s a word that so many do not want to admit, face or even acknowledge and sadly it’s turning our Black and Brown sisters away from the church because they no longer feel like it’s a safe place for them to be. Dominique uses the stories of Moses, Esther, Zacchaeus and more to connect what is happening in the church/word today, to what was happening in Bible times and how together we can learn to be better.
Over and over again, as I read the words of the book, I had the reoccurring thought that if a person identifies as a Christian and attends a church that is not willing to talk about social justice from the platform, they are missing the mark. It is the responsibility of the church to be in the uncomfortable place of talking about the injustices that are taking place right before our eyes. It goes beyond praying about situations, it’s sacrificing our personal comfort, resources and experiences to love our neighbors and be like Christ.
So much I could say about this book. It was phenomenal. It stretched me in many ways and reminded me what being a Christian and following Christ is really about. A must read.
July 28, 2021
Once again, Dominique brings deep theological insight to the forefront of one’s mind as they wrestle with the privilege they have and what God calls them to do with it. I loved the particular characters he chose from scripture to highlight his points. Looking forward to discussing it with more individuals!
January 4, 2022
My initial reflection: A great weapon of injustice is a short memory. If we can forget how we got here it becomes much easier to resist repenting of the wrongs that were done that we now benefit from. But a long memory will call us to leverage our privilege to bring about justice.
Subversive Witness is an accessible read for anyone interested in the injustices of our world and how scripture relates to them. Gilliard works through a variety of characters, familiar to those of us raised in church, and shows how they possessed privilege but ultimately leveraged that for change in their world.
The book is sharp, economical with its language, and not afraid to make its point. So this makes for uncomfortable reading at many points.
The book is fresh and recent - it comments on events and cites books from 2020. It’s willing to share opinion on where Christians pick and choose how they read scripture. It’s willing to take on issues of privilege and why white people find that difficult (but need to face up to it).
In particular I like how he frames the leveraging privilege to bring about justice as an issue of repentance that requires spiritual maturity. This seems prophetically accurate for the North American Evangelical church right now. Behaviour during the pandemic has revealed woeful immaturity and selfishness amongst many Christians and this books serves as a call for us all to grow up a bit. That’s a painful thing to be asked, but one I think we should pause and listen to.
As he notes, memory is an important requirement to proper repentance - so we must listen to the stories, the situations we have forgotten, and then confess the benefits our lives have as a result of injustice.
It’s only going to get more uncomfortable if we don’t.
Subversive Witness is an accessible read for anyone interested in the injustices of our world and how scripture relates to them. Gilliard works through a variety of characters, familiar to those of us raised in church, and shows how they possessed privilege but ultimately leveraged that for change in their world.
The book is sharp, economical with its language, and not afraid to make its point. So this makes for uncomfortable reading at many points.
The book is fresh and recent - it comments on events and cites books from 2020. It’s willing to share opinion on where Christians pick and choose how they read scripture. It’s willing to take on issues of privilege and why white people find that difficult (but need to face up to it).
In particular I like how he frames the leveraging privilege to bring about justice as an issue of repentance that requires spiritual maturity. This seems prophetically accurate for the North American Evangelical church right now. Behaviour during the pandemic has revealed woeful immaturity and selfishness amongst many Christians and this books serves as a call for us all to grow up a bit. That’s a painful thing to be asked, but one I think we should pause and listen to.
As he notes, memory is an important requirement to proper repentance - so we must listen to the stories, the situations we have forgotten, and then confess the benefits our lives have as a result of injustice.
It’s only going to get more uncomfortable if we don’t.
August 9, 2021
I want every American Christian I know to read this. First, it defines and explains what privilege looks like. Next, it’s an unflinching call to recognize that failing to use our privilege for the benefit of the under-privileged is a sin. How should we respond to sin? Not simply apologize, but make repentance an action.
Gilliard writes, “unbridled privilege…tempts Christians into believing justice is something some members are ‘called to’ or ‘passionate about.’ In fact, all believers are called to be colaborers with Christ…”
Chapters 2 and 3 profile two female characters in the scriptures who stewarded their privilege well. Gilliard explained elsewhere that he opened with these examples as a way to put women at the forefront, and that is honorable. However, I thought these two examples involved the most “reaching” in terms of fleshing out details from the Bible text. I must emphasize that I think he comes to reasonable and convicting conclusions, but I think his case becomes stronger as the book progresses.
This book is PACKED with wisdom and insight. It can change your heart if you let it. It helped me see a game plan for this struggling family we call the church. Gilliard sets out to sketch what the church can do (and why) to reclaim its calling, and in this he succeeds. It is hope-giving.
If we and our churches are unable to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly, then we should close church doors, sell the land, and give the proceeds to the poor (referenced in the forward).
Gilliard writes, “unbridled privilege…tempts Christians into believing justice is something some members are ‘called to’ or ‘passionate about.’ In fact, all believers are called to be colaborers with Christ…”
Chapters 2 and 3 profile two female characters in the scriptures who stewarded their privilege well. Gilliard explained elsewhere that he opened with these examples as a way to put women at the forefront, and that is honorable. However, I thought these two examples involved the most “reaching” in terms of fleshing out details from the Bible text. I must emphasize that I think he comes to reasonable and convicting conclusions, but I think his case becomes stronger as the book progresses.
This book is PACKED with wisdom and insight. It can change your heart if you let it. It helped me see a game plan for this struggling family we call the church. Gilliard sets out to sketch what the church can do (and why) to reclaim its calling, and in this he succeeds. It is hope-giving.
If we and our churches are unable to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly, then we should close church doors, sell the land, and give the proceeds to the poor (referenced in the forward).
April 23, 2023
“Acknowledging privilege should not be contentious.
Privilege exists because of our unwillingness to deal soberly with structural sin and the legacy of inequity it has bred. Fundamentally, privilege is the by-product of our ancestors' sins and the rotten fruit of the church's indifference to systemic oppression and complicity with evil. Privilege is rarely neutral or benign; it almost always comes at the expense of our neighbors.”
White privilege is a dirty word in today’s society-but it is true and facing it and using it is Biblical. Ready to discuss this in my next book club. Churches committed to racial justice should be required to read this.
Privilege exists because of our unwillingness to deal soberly with structural sin and the legacy of inequity it has bred. Fundamentally, privilege is the by-product of our ancestors' sins and the rotten fruit of the church's indifference to systemic oppression and complicity with evil. Privilege is rarely neutral or benign; it almost always comes at the expense of our neighbors.”
White privilege is a dirty word in today’s society-but it is true and facing it and using it is Biblical. Ready to discuss this in my next book club. Churches committed to racial justice should be required to read this.
December 13, 2021
Summary: Privilege, of all sorts, is to be used to expand Jesus' kingdom and for the good of others.
Privilege has become a controversial word. Not so much for the rough meaning but because of the political implications and the tribalism that has arisen. In many ways, the main message of the book is what has commonly been understood as the Spiderman principle, 'Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.' (Which is a variation of Jesus' statement in Luke 12:48, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (NIV) Popular culture may attribute this concept to Spiderman instead of Jesus, but it is a deeply Christian concept.
Privilege also has, in many settings, come only to be thought of in racial terms. While Gilliard is not excluding racial privilege here, he is not reducing all privilege to racial. The book's focus is seeking out biblical stories of the right use of privilege and drawing principles for modern use. Along the way, there is social teaching, but primarily this is a book of bible study and implications to that study. I can't help but be reminded of Andy Crouch's book on power, Playing God. When it is common to deny that we have privilege (or power) or the limit the concept of privilege (or power) to particular narrow types, Gilliard reminds us that we all are privileged in some ways and that all of us should strive to use what God has given us for the sake of others.
There are six primary biblical touchpoints, Pharaoh's Daughter (who the bible doesn't even name), Ester, Moses, Paul and Silas, Jesus, and Zacchaeus. The book opens with a discussion of what privilege is and why it is important to understand within the context of scripture and within the life of a Christian. And the book ends with two chapters on repentance, one about the biblical call to repentance and one about producing fruit in keeping with repentance. In many ways, being a Christian is about dealing with our need for repentance and our submission to Christ as king. Christians who are unwilling to repent or do the work to restore relationships around that repentance are not doing the real work we are called to.
Subversive Witness would make a great small group discussion. It is centered on biblical stories, which can lower the temperature of discussion around the concept of privilege. In addition, it is fairly short (188 pages of main content), so that it could be discussed in eight to ten sessions without a problem. There are several good podcasts interviews like this one with Marty Duren or Latasha Morrison or this one on the Shake the Dust podcast if you want to get a sense of the book. I also have about 20 highlighted passages which also will give you a sense of the book.
Subversive Witness: Scripture's Call to Leverage Privilege by Dominique DuBois Gilliard Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook
February 12, 2022
If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. Like he did in Rethinking Incarceration, Gillard made me see scriptures I have read my entire life in a whole new light. He makes a brilliant case for how Christians are called by God to use their privilege to advance the kingdom, not their own gain, but so that all people and all creation can flourish. He winsomely addresses common arguments raised by white (American) Christians against race and reconciliation ministries and why real, Biblical repentance — something churches rarely address— is essential. It should be required reading for white, Christian leaders throughout America. Readable, thought provoking, brilliant.
September 6, 2021
Aaaaaand.....he does it again! Dominique Gilliard, author of "Rethinking Incarceration" brings us another prophetic stroke of the pen to equip the Church in its discipleship particularly through the lens of the call of Christians to justice.
In "Subversive Witness", Gilliard reintroduces readers to many of the bible characters familiar from Sunday school stories but this time with a lens that allows us to go deeper into the context and subtext of each story by using Biblical commentary, historical research, social studies data.
The purpose of this work is clear from the outset as it is to "call privileged people to leverage our access, influence, and resources to subvert the status quo and advance the kingdom." The concept of this book is powerful because it moves from the denial or the guilt of privilege and instead transforms it into synergy for the sake of justice. Gilliard says, "When we choose to leverage privilege for the furtherance of the kingdom and the good of our neighbors, we become instruments of peace that God uniquely uses to induce freedom and justice for our fractured world."
As I read the book there were three ways that I felt:
Unsettled: It was very prophetically unsettling to read of the multiple ways that MOST of us Western Christians are not only privileged but also blinded to this reality and living insular and self-serving lives rather than selflessly giving ourselves for God's kingdom. I was surprised to see layers of the stories that I hadn't noticed before because of my "spiritual" readings of the text vs letting the text speak to me in a holistic way. I was lovingly convicted as I read of some of the areas where I have been granted privilege and have not thought to offer them up to God for his will to be done through me.
Healing: Because Gilliard delves deeper into the background of each Bible story, he calls out the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual traumas and anxieties suffered by the people in these stories to show us how they were embodied humans and not just stoic characters in literary a plot. As I read the stories through this filter, I was able to not only see how they were called to social action and justice, but I was additionally experience a level of healing as I interacted with these characters in our Scriptures. Gilliard essentially incarnates these people so that they come to life and we realize how they had to endure so much pain, trauma, injustice and opposition even in the midst of their transformation and calling. This aspect of the book brought a level of personal healing to me in my reading.
Inspiration: By giving examples of people in the Scriptures who leveraged their own privilege for justice, Gilliard leads the readers to introspection and reflection on how this can shape our own faith walk with God and with others. He writes, "The gospel declares our individual freedom, flourishing, and prosperity are tied to communal thriving. Within the realm of the kingdom, we collectively experience liberation and shalom, and we do so by seeking the peace and prosperity of our neighbors and taking on a Christlike mindset." These phrases and others like them help the reader to move from reflection to action. He even includes a robust like of bullet pointed items to show Christians where we can tangibly leverage our privilege for Justice right now in our everyday lives. I felt empowered and inspired that I could continue in the same vain as these people mentioned in scripture to seek the purposes of God in our world.
Subversive Witness is powerful, prophetic commentary on Scipture, a historical critique of systemic and personal injustices in our countries and communities, and a future-minded hopeful call to awareness of the areas in our life where we have privileges in order to actively use them for the sake of the justice and peace of Jesus.
I highly recommend this book for disciples and seekers of faith who are looking for empowering ways to use what has been giving to us now, for the causes of justice, compassion and peace.
In "Subversive Witness", Gilliard reintroduces readers to many of the bible characters familiar from Sunday school stories but this time with a lens that allows us to go deeper into the context and subtext of each story by using Biblical commentary, historical research, social studies data.
The purpose of this work is clear from the outset as it is to "call privileged people to leverage our access, influence, and resources to subvert the status quo and advance the kingdom." The concept of this book is powerful because it moves from the denial or the guilt of privilege and instead transforms it into synergy for the sake of justice. Gilliard says, "When we choose to leverage privilege for the furtherance of the kingdom and the good of our neighbors, we become instruments of peace that God uniquely uses to induce freedom and justice for our fractured world."
As I read the book there were three ways that I felt:
Unsettled: It was very prophetically unsettling to read of the multiple ways that MOST of us Western Christians are not only privileged but also blinded to this reality and living insular and self-serving lives rather than selflessly giving ourselves for God's kingdom. I was surprised to see layers of the stories that I hadn't noticed before because of my "spiritual" readings of the text vs letting the text speak to me in a holistic way. I was lovingly convicted as I read of some of the areas where I have been granted privilege and have not thought to offer them up to God for his will to be done through me.
Healing: Because Gilliard delves deeper into the background of each Bible story, he calls out the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual traumas and anxieties suffered by the people in these stories to show us how they were embodied humans and not just stoic characters in literary a plot. As I read the stories through this filter, I was able to not only see how they were called to social action and justice, but I was additionally experience a level of healing as I interacted with these characters in our Scriptures. Gilliard essentially incarnates these people so that they come to life and we realize how they had to endure so much pain, trauma, injustice and opposition even in the midst of their transformation and calling. This aspect of the book brought a level of personal healing to me in my reading.
Inspiration: By giving examples of people in the Scriptures who leveraged their own privilege for justice, Gilliard leads the readers to introspection and reflection on how this can shape our own faith walk with God and with others. He writes, "The gospel declares our individual freedom, flourishing, and prosperity are tied to communal thriving. Within the realm of the kingdom, we collectively experience liberation and shalom, and we do so by seeking the peace and prosperity of our neighbors and taking on a Christlike mindset." These phrases and others like them help the reader to move from reflection to action. He even includes a robust like of bullet pointed items to show Christians where we can tangibly leverage our privilege for Justice right now in our everyday lives. I felt empowered and inspired that I could continue in the same vain as these people mentioned in scripture to seek the purposes of God in our world.
Subversive Witness is powerful, prophetic commentary on Scipture, a historical critique of systemic and personal injustices in our countries and communities, and a future-minded hopeful call to awareness of the areas in our life where we have privileges in order to actively use them for the sake of the justice and peace of Jesus.
I highly recommend this book for disciples and seekers of faith who are looking for empowering ways to use what has been giving to us now, for the causes of justice, compassion and peace.
August 27, 2021
Having read Dominique DuBois Gilliard's book Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice That Restores I was expecting a very insightful and challenging book when I was going to read Subversive Witness. I was not disappointed. He fleshes out in the stories of Biblical characters how they were subversive witnesses in their time and place.
Throughout this book Dominique details for us how these Biblical characters used their privilege to honor God and their neighbors fro their positions of privilege. I believe the following quote best sums up what is addressed in Dominique's book:
"Having privilege is not a sin, though privilege emerges from sin. What is sinful is exploiting privilege for our own advantage and turning a blind eye to the suffering of our neighbors in order to sustain it. Scripture repeatedly acknowledges privilege and provides insight into how privilege insidiously functions today. Learning to unmask privilege can be painful work, but the cure for the pain is in the pain. By candidly addressing privilege, we create a unique opportunity for the body of Christ to turn away from sin and reorient ourselves toward God and neighbor through the spiritual disciplines of remembrance, confession, lament, and repentance." p. 84
Dominique Gilliard looks at Pharaoh’s Daughter, Esther, Moses, Paul and Silas, Jesus, and Zacchaeus and how they turned their privilege upside-down and addressed the suffering of their neighbors rather than exploiting it to their own advantage. This is the Kingdom of God displayed in flesh and proximity "on earth as it is in heaven."
This is a book that pastor's, elder's, deacons, and lay persons should read to understand how the Church can be an incarnate and subversive witness in today's world as we were intended to be. A Christ's ecclesia we need to understand the proper use of "privilege and its power". To leverage our privilege to address "systemic sin", "stand in solidarity", "birth liberation", bring about "systemic change", "proclaim the good news", and to "foster social transformation."
I am thankful for Dominique's faithful presence in the way he lives out his faith and his gift of writing and without reserve highly recommend this book.
Throughout this book Dominique details for us how these Biblical characters used their privilege to honor God and their neighbors fro their positions of privilege. I believe the following quote best sums up what is addressed in Dominique's book:
"Having privilege is not a sin, though privilege emerges from sin. What is sinful is exploiting privilege for our own advantage and turning a blind eye to the suffering of our neighbors in order to sustain it. Scripture repeatedly acknowledges privilege and provides insight into how privilege insidiously functions today. Learning to unmask privilege can be painful work, but the cure for the pain is in the pain. By candidly addressing privilege, we create a unique opportunity for the body of Christ to turn away from sin and reorient ourselves toward God and neighbor through the spiritual disciplines of remembrance, confession, lament, and repentance." p. 84
Dominique Gilliard looks at Pharaoh’s Daughter, Esther, Moses, Paul and Silas, Jesus, and Zacchaeus and how they turned their privilege upside-down and addressed the suffering of their neighbors rather than exploiting it to their own advantage. This is the Kingdom of God displayed in flesh and proximity "on earth as it is in heaven."
This is a book that pastor's, elder's, deacons, and lay persons should read to understand how the Church can be an incarnate and subversive witness in today's world as we were intended to be. A Christ's ecclesia we need to understand the proper use of "privilege and its power". To leverage our privilege to address "systemic sin", "stand in solidarity", "birth liberation", bring about "systemic change", "proclaim the good news", and to "foster social transformation."
I am thankful for Dominique's faithful presence in the way he lives out his faith and his gift of writing and without reserve highly recommend this book.
October 10, 2021
I've been a fan of Dominique Gilliard for several years--since a friend sent me his helpful essay on lament (https://faithandleadership.com/domini....) That essay helped me heal through personal loss and also gave me a framework for approaching racial reconciliation. I was excited to get my hands on this new release and ordered it as soon as it was available. Although I've read many books about racial reconciliation, this one adds something very unique as it focuses on privilege. "White privilege" is a term that angers and frustrates many people, and Dominique avoids focusing on white privilege and instead calls everyone to examine their privilege, whether it be economic, education, class, gender, etc. This book calls us all to identify our privilege and use it for good. I was blown away by the biblical examples throughout the book. It was like I was reading those stories through fresh eyes, seeing how Pharoah's daughter used her privilege for good, how Moses, Esther, Paul and Silas refused to keep their privilege for themselves and instead used it to advocate for others. This is a powerful book, and I highly recommend it.
August 28, 2021
In words and in action Mr. Gilliard has shown himself to be a true scholar whose faithfulness and witness made me eager to read this book, his latest offering. Once doing so, I have found that his words have invigorated my hope in the ways that we, the Church, can create positive change.
In no way does scripture shy away from justice, and in the biblical stories that are told in this book with accuracy and succinct perspective, it makes it clear how it is incumbent upon us all to examine the role that we play in seeing Kingdom come here on earth.
There’s work for us all to be done, and for too long too many members of the body of Christ have shied away from the responsibility that comes with leveraging privilege for the greater good.
I truly believe that no only reading, but truly engaging with this literary work, will lead to a reawakening that is long overdue.
In no way does scripture shy away from justice, and in the biblical stories that are told in this book with accuracy and succinct perspective, it makes it clear how it is incumbent upon us all to examine the role that we play in seeing Kingdom come here on earth.
There’s work for us all to be done, and for too long too many members of the body of Christ have shied away from the responsibility that comes with leveraging privilege for the greater good.
I truly believe that no only reading, but truly engaging with this literary work, will lead to a reawakening that is long overdue.
November 17, 2021
I appreciated how each chapter was centered on a different Scriptural narrative and different types of power that we can hold. That alone was so compelling.
February 10, 2022
I appreciated Gilliard’s approach to leveraging privilege, not just slathering on guilt. Still plenty of provocative thinking for white folk. Very American context, so us Canadians have some translating to do for our indigenous context. My four practical take always (definitely appreciated the reflection questions at the end of each chapter and the thorough chapter endnotes): 1) Has my privilege kept me from proximity from the least of these? 2) Do I practice a kingdom ethic of belonging? 3) Am I contributing to communal flourishing? 4) Excellent consideration of institutional reparations viz a viz the story of Zaccheus.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2025
i’m gonna be honest all the christian books about why we should care about social justice are blending together for me and not really offering too much new insight. i did appreciate the links to biblical characters and it made me more interested in rereading some of these bible stories, but i don’t think i was the intended audience as someone who already wholeheartedly believes in social justice lol
August 4, 2021
In his new book, Subversive Witness, Dominique Guilliard tackles the sometimes touchy subject of privilege by diving into Biblical examples of people who had privilege and what they did with it. By examining the stories of Pharoah’s daughter, Esther, Zacchaeus, Paul and Silas, and others including Jesus himself, I’ve been challenged to think about my own privileges and how they have been granted to me not to exploit for my own or my family’s benefit, but to leverage for the flourishing of others, particularly those who do not have the same privileges. Besides the Biblical context and history that I always find so helpful when learning about Bible stories and passages, I also enjoyed how Dominique pulled from other theologians, pastors, authors, and thinkers to flesh out implications in today’s world. And for anyone who questions the existence of “white privilege,” the data-rich and historical-fact-full first chapter breaks down the reality in a thorough yet succinct way. As with other calls to stewardship and action, the challenge is in the personal application, to listen and discern exactly how I am being called to participate, but I found the present-day real-people stories sprinkled throughout to be encouraging and inspirational. The following quote from the book that helps me to take the idea of privilege out of culture wars and CRT debates and into the Biblical mandate that comes with following Jesus: “What we have been entrusted with us not just for us. We are blessed to be a blessing, to reinvest in our communities, and to contribute to communal flourishing.”
August 29, 2021
In the work of justice and repair, the most asked question I’ve encountered is “what can/do I do?” Most of us don’t realize how limited this question is. In Subversive Witness, Gilliard expands our imaginations beyond this question and convicts us to ask “who must we become?” and “how do we live?” It is these questions that lead us to a life of bearing fruit in keeping with repentance which is a core theme of this masterfully crafted text. Subversive Witness clearly articulates the personal, communal, and systemic consequences of sin as it manifests through privilege and abuse of power in the biblical story and in our lives today. AND Subversive Witness examines the holistic implications of repentance that moves beyond the individual. With the acuity of a biblical scholar, and compassion, care, and conviction of a pastor and community advocate, Gilliard calls us, individually and collectively, to embody the work of repentance, repair, and belonging that can change lives and transform systems. He also approaches scripture in a way that will shift your perspective tremendously on stories that you may have been previously familiar with, including the stories of Pharoah's daughter, Queen Vashti, Esther, Paul and my favorite chapter, Zaccheus! If you've felt the last decade has left you reeling and facing a theological, political and moral reckoning, this book is essential for how we move forward together!
September 14, 2021
Dominique Gilliard skillfully crafted another must read for all Christians. His work in Subversive Witness challenges individuals and communities who follow Jesus to acknowledge their privilege and use it to create a more equitable world inside and outside of the Church. Using Scripture as his foundation, Gilliard demonstrates how God leveraged his people’s positions of power to enact his mercy and justice. If you consider yourself a member of the Church, I highly recommend reading this book so you might learn how to leverage whatever privilege you have to offer for the sake of God’s people. It is important to the future of the Church, especially in the United States, to take stock of Gilliard’s wisdom and prophetic voice. The credibility of our witness depends on our listening to leaders like him and standing with folks on the margins in their pain, whatever that might be.
March 19, 2022
Good, important content but I found it redundant (as I did with Rethinking Incarceration). I also struggled with his claims that Queen Vashti was standing up against the sexual abuse and exploitation when she refused the king’s request. I did a bit of exploration as I had never heard that claim before and I couldn’t find any sources to back that up. I’m still struggling with why he felt he needed to do that. The story was powerful enough on its own… and writing that into it stole the spotlight from the known and more reasonable assumptions of Vashti’s story and made it into a lesson it most likely was not. This caused me to wonder what else he was doing this to and lessened my faith/trust in him as a teacher of the Bible. Which is a real bummer because I think he and his ministry are fantastic.
July 7, 2023
I REALLY wanted to LOVE this book. For what it’s worth, I agree with many of his core propositions, but I felt he did some exegetical work that was lacking, and felt disconnected from the actual biblical narratives he was referencing.
I almost feel this book would have been better served as being a general call-to-action, with more pragmatic suggestions. There was a LOT that I liked about it, especially in the final several chapters, but it felt disjointed.
Im very thankful I read it, and it offered helpful sources, thoughts, and language. It simply wasn’t all I had hoped it would be, which may be my own fault.
I almost feel this book would have been better served as being a general call-to-action, with more pragmatic suggestions. There was a LOT that I liked about it, especially in the final several chapters, but it felt disjointed.
Im very thankful I read it, and it offered helpful sources, thoughts, and language. It simply wasn’t all I had hoped it would be, which may be my own fault.
December 13, 2021
I picked up this book for two reasons. One, the title intrigued me, and two, I had been reading about the author, Dominique DuBois Gilliard for a while. I had little idea what this book would be about, but was immediately pulled in by the breathtaking re-visioning of discipleship as incorporating justice both personal and social.
The book’s subtitle hints at what’s to come: we are all granted some level of privilege in life that others do have; those who have the most privilege are called to use that privilege to elevate those who are oppressed and pushed aside and denied their full humanity.
And this message is firmly grounded in the Scriptures, in what Christians call the Old and New Testaments. Using biblical texts, Gilliard shows that the necessary part of discipleship—to be the witness that Jesus calls us to be—is to use our privileges to subvert the systems that are broken and that exist to break people. Weaving together biblical stories and quotes from scholars, Gilliard presents the truth that there is no “lone ranger” Christianity and no Christian buffet of suggested ways of obedience. We are not called to live a Christian life that is for ourselves; instead, we are called, Gilliard says, to remember our place and our past, to be aware of God’s mercy, and to be available to subvert the intended meaning of the systems around that are designed to further empower the already powerful and enrich the already wealthy.
I found this to be a treat to read because it is so thoroughly bathed in Scripture and church history. This is a call to discipleship that enfleshes the words of Jesus and the apostles to love one another not only in word but also in action. Gilliard provides many examples of those who have encountered God and have then been transformed to fight for justice, both in the scriptural texts and in history, and then presents ways for us to also work out our salvation in public with our works for good and for healing—to establish justice.
One thing I think that would have made this a better read for me would be to read this in community. Gilliard provides helpful follow-up questions at the end of each chapter, but I think having these questions answered in community would make this an even more powerful experience.
If you have family or friends who question whether the “social gospel” is congruent with the “faith gospel,” get them this book. Gilliard shows that the “social gospel” IS the “faith gospel”: you cannot say that because you believe that you have faith; you must show it by your works. To be a follower of Jesus is to do his work of establishing the kin-dom of the Beloved Community and overthrowing injustice. It’s all there. All we need to do is to hear it and then say the fateful words: “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
The book’s subtitle hints at what’s to come: we are all granted some level of privilege in life that others do have; those who have the most privilege are called to use that privilege to elevate those who are oppressed and pushed aside and denied their full humanity.
And this message is firmly grounded in the Scriptures, in what Christians call the Old and New Testaments. Using biblical texts, Gilliard shows that the necessary part of discipleship—to be the witness that Jesus calls us to be—is to use our privileges to subvert the systems that are broken and that exist to break people. Weaving together biblical stories and quotes from scholars, Gilliard presents the truth that there is no “lone ranger” Christianity and no Christian buffet of suggested ways of obedience. We are not called to live a Christian life that is for ourselves; instead, we are called, Gilliard says, to remember our place and our past, to be aware of God’s mercy, and to be available to subvert the intended meaning of the systems around that are designed to further empower the already powerful and enrich the already wealthy.
I found this to be a treat to read because it is so thoroughly bathed in Scripture and church history. This is a call to discipleship that enfleshes the words of Jesus and the apostles to love one another not only in word but also in action. Gilliard provides many examples of those who have encountered God and have then been transformed to fight for justice, both in the scriptural texts and in history, and then presents ways for us to also work out our salvation in public with our works for good and for healing—to establish justice.
One thing I think that would have made this a better read for me would be to read this in community. Gilliard provides helpful follow-up questions at the end of each chapter, but I think having these questions answered in community would make this an even more powerful experience.
If you have family or friends who question whether the “social gospel” is congruent with the “faith gospel,” get them this book. Gilliard shows that the “social gospel” IS the “faith gospel”: you cannot say that because you believe that you have faith; you must show it by your works. To be a follower of Jesus is to do his work of establishing the kin-dom of the Beloved Community and overthrowing injustice. It’s all there. All we need to do is to hear it and then say the fateful words: “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
May 3, 2023
99% of the books I read, I check out from the library, but this is one I needed to purchase for book club because my local library didn't have it. It was absolutely worth it and I'm so glad I have my own copy to refer to again and again. This book does an incredible job of using Biblical examples like Pharaoh's daughter, Queen Vashti, Esther, Moses, Paul & Silas, Jesus, and Zacchaeus to demonstrate various ways in which we can leverage the privilege available to us to live out the love of God in our lives and our communities.
"Jesus calls his followers to a countercultural, sacrificial, and cruciform life. Christianity is not about internal morality or rigorously keeping a list of commandments. It is about becoming more like Jesus. As we grow in Christlikeness, our lives will become more reflective of the love, mercy, and justice of Jesus."
***
"Love is...more than affinity or sentimentality. Christians are to define love as cruciform (reflective of the self-giving love displayed for us by Jesus on the cross), others oriented, and sacrificial in nature. Love calls us out of our comfort zones and into the pain our neighbors endure. Love means risking our lives for others, the way the midwives did for Moses and Esther & Moses did for their people. They could have chosen their individual safety and security, they could have just done what they were told and washed their hands of the suffering doing so would have caused, but the Spirit of the Lord compelled them to faithfulness through love."
***
"Pursuing right(eous) relationship with God and neighbor not only requires Christians to understand the relationship between privilege and power but entails actualizing, exercising, and mobilizing the power that privilege affords us to leverage it for needed social change."
***
"..functioning as an interconnected body, meaning that when one part of the body hurts, we all hurt. We show up, speak up, and stand up when we see injustice happening to others. We choose solidarity when we have the privilege of staying above the fray, keeping our hands clean, or dismissing oppression because it does not directly impact us."
***
"...how we love our neighbor not only bears witness to who and whose we are but to God's character and nature. Love thus becomes a defining marker of Christian identity, especially amid a polarized world where most people are unwilling to sacrificially love one another, especially across lines of difference."
***
"While we are called to compassion, mercy, and justice, privilege makes too many Christians content with neglecting the weightier matters of justice."
"Jesus calls his followers to a countercultural, sacrificial, and cruciform life. Christianity is not about internal morality or rigorously keeping a list of commandments. It is about becoming more like Jesus. As we grow in Christlikeness, our lives will become more reflective of the love, mercy, and justice of Jesus."
***
"Love is...more than affinity or sentimentality. Christians are to define love as cruciform (reflective of the self-giving love displayed for us by Jesus on the cross), others oriented, and sacrificial in nature. Love calls us out of our comfort zones and into the pain our neighbors endure. Love means risking our lives for others, the way the midwives did for Moses and Esther & Moses did for their people. They could have chosen their individual safety and security, they could have just done what they were told and washed their hands of the suffering doing so would have caused, but the Spirit of the Lord compelled them to faithfulness through love."
***
"Pursuing right(eous) relationship with God and neighbor not only requires Christians to understand the relationship between privilege and power but entails actualizing, exercising, and mobilizing the power that privilege affords us to leverage it for needed social change."
***
"..functioning as an interconnected body, meaning that when one part of the body hurts, we all hurt. We show up, speak up, and stand up when we see injustice happening to others. We choose solidarity when we have the privilege of staying above the fray, keeping our hands clean, or dismissing oppression because it does not directly impact us."
***
"...how we love our neighbor not only bears witness to who and whose we are but to God's character and nature. Love thus becomes a defining marker of Christian identity, especially amid a polarized world where most people are unwilling to sacrificially love one another, especially across lines of difference."
***
"While we are called to compassion, mercy, and justice, privilege makes too many Christians content with neglecting the weightier matters of justice."
March 13, 2024
This book is a gift for white readers and others who want to contribute to human flourishing but feel trapped, wondering if all they can do is make things worse. Gilliard offers thought-provoking models of biblical characters who leverage their privilege for the sake of others: the daughter of Pharaoh, Esther, Moses, Paul and Silas, Jesus, and Zacchaeus. He weaves their stories with powerful examples from modern times to show us what it could look like to make a difference.
He argues, "Scripture affirms that privilege is real and declares that while we have the option to exploit it for selfish gain or passively benefit from it, we are called to acknowledge and faithfully steward it" (xxi). Why, then, is the concept of privilege controversial today? Gilliard explains, "Addressing privilege is only controversial because some who benefit from it are adamant about denying its existence" (83).
The book is peppered with great insights:
-"When we are not honest about what divides us, reconciliation becomes a façade for sustaining the status quo" (5).
-"Privilege is also stackable, meaning a person can possess multiple privileges at once" (6).
-"Just as privilege is stackable, so is oppression" (10). That is, some members of society have multiple identity factors that work against their flourishing because of structural injustice.
-Gilliard explains that privilege is not sinful, but it emerges from the sins of our ancestors (13-14).
-He asks us to consider penetrating questions, such as "What keeps good people silent and complicit when they know their neighbor is being dehumanized, oppressed, exploited, and/or massacred?" (25)
-I was particularly encouraged by his claim that "freedom and liberation are possibilities for everyone, even those who descend from families who have devoted themselves to sinful ideologies of supremacy and have enacted systemic oppression and social injustice" (32).
-"Privilege hinders lament" (52) and "Our faith becomes anemic when lament becomes optional" (50).
-To cite one example, Paul and Silas refrained from claiming the privileges of their Roman citizenship in order to force "Roman magistrates to publicly acknowledge their corruption" (89). They endure police brutality that treated some as sub-human in order to shine the light on that injustice.
-Zacchaeus is an example of one who recognized his privilege and engaged in the concrete work of repentance by paying reparations to those he had wronged (128-29).
This is a bold book, with so many more gems than what I've shared here. I hope you'll take the time to read it and share it with others!
He argues, "Scripture affirms that privilege is real and declares that while we have the option to exploit it for selfish gain or passively benefit from it, we are called to acknowledge and faithfully steward it" (xxi). Why, then, is the concept of privilege controversial today? Gilliard explains, "Addressing privilege is only controversial because some who benefit from it are adamant about denying its existence" (83).
The book is peppered with great insights:
-"When we are not honest about what divides us, reconciliation becomes a façade for sustaining the status quo" (5).
-"Privilege is also stackable, meaning a person can possess multiple privileges at once" (6).
-"Just as privilege is stackable, so is oppression" (10). That is, some members of society have multiple identity factors that work against their flourishing because of structural injustice.
-Gilliard explains that privilege is not sinful, but it emerges from the sins of our ancestors (13-14).
-He asks us to consider penetrating questions, such as "What keeps good people silent and complicit when they know their neighbor is being dehumanized, oppressed, exploited, and/or massacred?" (25)
-I was particularly encouraged by his claim that "freedom and liberation are possibilities for everyone, even those who descend from families who have devoted themselves to sinful ideologies of supremacy and have enacted systemic oppression and social injustice" (32).
-"Privilege hinders lament" (52) and "Our faith becomes anemic when lament becomes optional" (50).
-To cite one example, Paul and Silas refrained from claiming the privileges of their Roman citizenship in order to force "Roman magistrates to publicly acknowledge their corruption" (89). They endure police brutality that treated some as sub-human in order to shine the light on that injustice.
-Zacchaeus is an example of one who recognized his privilege and engaged in the concrete work of repentance by paying reparations to those he had wronged (128-29).
This is a bold book, with so many more gems than what I've shared here. I hope you'll take the time to read it and share it with others!
August 25, 2021
Why, where, and how can privilege be poured out such that God’s loving and just reign can be seen and tasted in a world that so desperately needs it? How can Christians with privilege serve as a subversive witness to the not-yet of Christ’s reign, creating a more just and equitable world? These are not questions for armchair reflection. Nor are they about easing guilt or stoking it. Every day, readers of this book can choose to move beyond our comfort, complacency, or passivity to urgent deference to and empowerment of those on the brutal receiving-end of privilege. In the midst of dismantling the injustices and abuses of privilege, how can it be deployed through the good use of power to undo and redo the bad uses of power?
These questions and more are at the core of this book. While a challenging read, it was one that needed to happen.
Privilege, for example, is a social consequence of our unwillingness to name, turn from, and address sin.
Unchecked privilege distorts our vision and prevents us from seeing that we are inherently connected to one another. It leads us to think in us-versus-them ways that are antithetical to the kingdom.
Privilege is not just something certain individuals are endowed with; it also becomes institutionalized, perverting a society’s customs, education, laws, and practices.
While we often do not commit the sins that induce privilege, we are responsible for mending the wounds these transgressions continue to cause.
Choosing to speak out against evil will always cost us something, and staying silent as oppression abounds will fatally seal the fate of our neighbors. As I read what Dominique said in parallel to Moses I can’t help but feel that it was saying that rioting, looting and the like may need to happen and like Moses killing an Egyptian we may need to be ok with this as well to be a subversive witness.
Subversive Witness seeks to inspire readers to reimagine how we think about, see, and exercise power, particularly the power of the people, but most specifically the power of God’s people who are empowered by the Holy Spirit. This book explores the correlation between power and privilege, and homes in on how privilege should be understood and leveraged by followers of Jesus.
Subversive witnesses must confront the truth, no matter how difficult it is to do so. We must then speak the truth to our neighbors and family members, in our congregations and community, and to the powers that be.
These questions and more are at the core of this book. While a challenging read, it was one that needed to happen.
Privilege, for example, is a social consequence of our unwillingness to name, turn from, and address sin.
Unchecked privilege distorts our vision and prevents us from seeing that we are inherently connected to one another. It leads us to think in us-versus-them ways that are antithetical to the kingdom.
Privilege is not just something certain individuals are endowed with; it also becomes institutionalized, perverting a society’s customs, education, laws, and practices.
While we often do not commit the sins that induce privilege, we are responsible for mending the wounds these transgressions continue to cause.
Choosing to speak out against evil will always cost us something, and staying silent as oppression abounds will fatally seal the fate of our neighbors. As I read what Dominique said in parallel to Moses I can’t help but feel that it was saying that rioting, looting and the like may need to happen and like Moses killing an Egyptian we may need to be ok with this as well to be a subversive witness.
Subversive Witness seeks to inspire readers to reimagine how we think about, see, and exercise power, particularly the power of the people, but most specifically the power of God’s people who are empowered by the Holy Spirit. This book explores the correlation between power and privilege, and homes in on how privilege should be understood and leveraged by followers of Jesus.
Subversive witnesses must confront the truth, no matter how difficult it is to do so. We must then speak the truth to our neighbors and family members, in our congregations and community, and to the powers that be.
August 28, 2021
Whether it is in Gilliard's exceptional writings (books, articles, posts, etc...), his teachings/seminars, or video content he publishes, you will not want to miss out on this leader's intellect and ability to frame a path for discipleship that centers the Kingdom of God that Jesus taught/demonstrated. In this recent offering, Gilliard manages to illustrate, through the biblical text, how power and privilege is embodied and what one can/should do with it. In our increasingly polarized and divided present, Gilliard provides hope and the what that hope will cost. He writes:
"The divisions that continue to disjoint the body of Christ and destabilize our 'old house' are a consequence of unrepentant sin and hard-heartedness. We are too unwilling to confess the church's culpability in corporate sin and to acknowledge how our ancestors' sins continue to plague our land. Yet Christ calls us to do the hard work of curating a common memory that soberly articulates how systemic injustice and unrepentant sin have distorted Christian ethics and discipleship in ways that obstruct justice and infringe on the communion we were created to enjoy together. The gospel is costly, and too many Christians have forgotten this biblical truth. Salvadoan archbishop Oscar Romero-whose faithful witness cost him his life-wrote, 'The church must suffer for speaking the truth, for pointing out sin, for uprooting sin. No one wants to have a sore spot touched, and therefore a society with so many sores twitches when someone has the courage to touch it and say: 'You have to treat that. You have to get rid of that. Believe in Christ. Be converted.' Today we find ourselves in such a moment. We live in a time when we, too, must suffer for speaking the truth, pointing out the systemic sins plaguing our nation and committing ourselves to uprooting them."
Gilliard will continue to be a beacon to light the way for the church in the USA. I cannot highly recommend this book enough and it will be on all my syllabi for years to come.
Rev. Dr. Bret M Widman
Director of Contextual and Lifelong Learning
North Park Theological Seminary
"The divisions that continue to disjoint the body of Christ and destabilize our 'old house' are a consequence of unrepentant sin and hard-heartedness. We are too unwilling to confess the church's culpability in corporate sin and to acknowledge how our ancestors' sins continue to plague our land. Yet Christ calls us to do the hard work of curating a common memory that soberly articulates how systemic injustice and unrepentant sin have distorted Christian ethics and discipleship in ways that obstruct justice and infringe on the communion we were created to enjoy together. The gospel is costly, and too many Christians have forgotten this biblical truth. Salvadoan archbishop Oscar Romero-whose faithful witness cost him his life-wrote, 'The church must suffer for speaking the truth, for pointing out sin, for uprooting sin. No one wants to have a sore spot touched, and therefore a society with so many sores twitches when someone has the courage to touch it and say: 'You have to treat that. You have to get rid of that. Believe in Christ. Be converted.' Today we find ourselves in such a moment. We live in a time when we, too, must suffer for speaking the truth, pointing out the systemic sins plaguing our nation and committing ourselves to uprooting them."
Gilliard will continue to be a beacon to light the way for the church in the USA. I cannot highly recommend this book enough and it will be on all my syllabi for years to come.
Rev. Dr. Bret M Widman
Director of Contextual and Lifelong Learning
North Park Theological Seminary
August 1, 2024
Have you wondered about what the idea of "privilege" means for you? Maybe you've wondered whether privilege is a Christian, or biblical idea. Or maybe you've fully embraced the idea of privilege and you wonder how should change you. If you're a Christian and any of these questions apply to you then you should read this book.
Not all Americans have received the same privileges from American society. For those of us who are Christians and know that American society has granted us benefits that we know have been denied others, we should wrestle with what this means for us.
If you desire to learn more about any of these things, then I recommend this book.
I've been lucky enough to learn from Dominique this last year through the Evangelical Covenant's anti-racism discipleship cohort and by going on Sankofa (a Ghanian word for looking back in order to move forward)- a racial reconciliation discipleship immersion experience.
I've found in Dominique a wisdom and pastoral heart as he leads others to wrestle with difficult realities in America's past that have benefited some at the expense of others. We have much to learn from Dominique. Of the many things I've learned from him this year, some of the things that have stuck with me most is how his approach to certain passages is so fundamentally different from mine. This difference is rooted in culture and history and I've found that where our interpretations differ, at the very least he adds a new angle to my understanding of passages. Othertimes I find that my experience in life and culture have misled my understanding of certain passages that has mis-shaped me.
White evangelicals, we have much to learn from our brothers and sisters of color and Dominique is one of those leaders we can learn much from. If you don't have the opportunity to learn from him personally, then pick up one of his books, like Subversive Witness. If you do, you will learn and grow and God will shine some light on how you've been led to think and believe in ways that have mis-shaped you. This is some of the work Dominique is invested in and for that I am grateful.
Not all Americans have received the same privileges from American society. For those of us who are Christians and know that American society has granted us benefits that we know have been denied others, we should wrestle with what this means for us.
If you desire to learn more about any of these things, then I recommend this book.
I've been lucky enough to learn from Dominique this last year through the Evangelical Covenant's anti-racism discipleship cohort and by going on Sankofa (a Ghanian word for looking back in order to move forward)- a racial reconciliation discipleship immersion experience.
I've found in Dominique a wisdom and pastoral heart as he leads others to wrestle with difficult realities in America's past that have benefited some at the expense of others. We have much to learn from Dominique. Of the many things I've learned from him this year, some of the things that have stuck with me most is how his approach to certain passages is so fundamentally different from mine. This difference is rooted in culture and history and I've found that where our interpretations differ, at the very least he adds a new angle to my understanding of passages. Othertimes I find that my experience in life and culture have misled my understanding of certain passages that has mis-shaped me.
White evangelicals, we have much to learn from our brothers and sisters of color and Dominique is one of those leaders we can learn much from. If you don't have the opportunity to learn from him personally, then pick up one of his books, like Subversive Witness. If you do, you will learn and grow and God will shine some light on how you've been led to think and believe in ways that have mis-shaped you. This is some of the work Dominique is invested in and for that I am grateful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews