No Flesh Shall Glory: How the Bible Destroys the Foundations of Racism

by C. Herbert Oliver

C. Herbert Oliver, a Black civil rights leader from Birmingham, Alabama, spent thirteen years rethinking the racial ideologies of his day before writing No Flesh Shall Glory in the late 1950s. In clear, biblical, and unflinching language, he dismantles the dogmas of race superiority, the doctrine of racial solidarity, and the whitewashing of history and Scripture. His book is a gracious challenge to break free from oppressive ways of thinking and to see humanity as God sees us.

This new edition of Rev. Oliver's 1959 work includes his paper on the church, social change, identity, and protest, originally delivered as two lectures at Westminster Theological Seminary in 1964.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Joe Palekas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oliver was a black pastor, ordained in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and a graduate of Wheaton College and Westminster Theological Seminary. He also contributed significantly and practically to the civil rights movement, both in Alabama and New York. Each of these elements is important because this book is his Reformed, confessionally grounded assault on the anti-Christian reality of racism. By providing both exegetical and theological critique from the perspective of a theologically conservative, Calvinist Christian pastor, Oliver helps people within this tradition recognize the biblical and theological basis for rejecting racism in all its forms (including in the form of Christian nationalism today). The appendix at the end of this book “The Church and Social Change” is also excellent and provides a correction to a misapplied doctrine of the spirituality of the church. Can’t recommend this book highly enough.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful, Biblical and rational arguments against racism framed against the backdrop of the injustices of the 1950’s & 1960’s. The author is an African-American Reformed Presbyterian, a graduate of Wheaton College and Westminster Theological Seminary. It is a challenge to the race issues we still struggle with in America and in the evangelical church and I think it is an important read for all thoughtful believers.

[Alan Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book on Christianity and Racism that I have read in a long time. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what the bible says about Christianity and race. Also, consider the time period, and the author's credentials as these are key to understanding his perspective.

[Will Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We cannot preserve the church. That is God's responsibility. Our task is to do what God requires of us - to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God." 131.

[Taylor Franchuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal resource for both dismantling the dehumanizing and errant theology which has upheld racist ideas and institutions for a long time while at the same time building a short but powerful resource for the church's witness in a racialized world. Thoroughly rooted in the truth scripture and the theology of the reformation.

[Richard Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before God, no one shall glory in their flesh, no "race" will stand above any other.
First published in 1959, and written by a black OPC minister; this book brings the theological method of John Calvin to bear on the segregation he experienced.

The thesis is simple: All racial discrimination and segregation is absurd. Because:
1. We're all made in the image of God and share the same intrinsic value
2. We've all fallen into sin and face God's judgement
3. Salvation is offered by Jesus to all in the same way
4. Shared membership in the human race is a basis for unity greater than any ethnic division
5. For christians, unity in Christ should take precedence over any ethnic or cultural divisions
6. Building our ethics on the Bible rather than cultural ideas leaves no place for any segregation or discrimination

Applications
- superiority, no one, white, black or any other shade should feel any sense of superiority based on their physical characteristics - before God "no flesh shall glory".
- friendship, "inter-racial" friendships should be considered no different to any other friendships, people should freely be friends with whoever they want.
- churches, as the body of Christ should oppose segregation - the idea of racially segregated churches is absurd and unbiblical
- legal discrimination, any kind of legal discrimination against people on the basis of "race" should be opposed
- marriage, as there is really only one race, the human race, cross-ethnic marriages are nothing different to any other marriages, christians should marry other christians but adding restrictions based on ethnicity is absurd and sinful.

Concluding thoughts
This book is obviously quite dated - some of the points and examples apply specifically to the American south of 60 years ago. Chapters 3 and 4 focus on countering the (bad) argument for racial discrimination that some have historically made from Genesis 9; an argument I don't think anyone makes today.

BUT despite the dated points the book as a whole remains pertinent today.

This is a short biblical dismemberment of racism AND a biblical picture of opposing racism; it is very different to (and far more biblical than) the form of anti-racism being promoted in popular books today.

[Eddie Mercado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a Black pastor, serving for a time in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, this was an intriguing and helpful read. Published in the 60’s this man was not only a Pastor, but also a Civil Rights Activist. He spends the first portion of the book trying to refute what I presume were commonly held beliefs, such as the curse of Gen 9 finding its fruition in the enslavement of black people, as well as positively stating a case for the equal dignity and worth of all people as made in God’s image. This book is by no means an academic work. You won’t find any footnotes, and just a few citations, but this was a book meant primarily for laypeople in the church. There a few shortcomings in the book, such as some of his argumentation concerning interracial marriage (you could easily mistake some of his sentences for the arguments revisionists make with marriage today), but overall he provides an able defense of the dignity of all peoples, and how that should be applied in the sphere of the family, the church, and the state. There might be some Transformationalist alarms going off in the Appendix to the book, but don’t let that detract you from the call of the church as organism to stand up against injustice, and the institutional church to also preach the God of Righteousness as the answer to the problems of our day.

[Mark A Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treating someone as inferior based on his skin color is stupid and sinful. This book, first published in 1959, deals biblically and honestly with the evils of racial segregation and the way God designed humanity to interact, engage, and prosper. A zealous, impassioned plea for Christian unity and harmony across the one human race.

[Cyril · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book destroys segregation and all of its accompanying ideologies from the inside out. I love that it is written by a reformed Presbyterian civil rights leader, which makes this book a rare gem. Oliver insightfully and clearly teaches us about race and dismantles several legs on the stool of his day’s racism. There are some parts that are verbose and repetitive, but I recommend.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some solid thoughts about racism and Scripture. Given the historical situation in which Oliver was writing some of the comments make sense, but also make it challenging for contemporary application.

[Alida · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author lays out a very clear and succinct argument why we as fellow humans and especially Christians should never glory over anyone of different skin colour or nationality.