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Color: God's Intention for Diversity
When we talk about color in the church, we are talking about so much more than race and ethnicity—yet at the same time we cannot leave race and ethnicity out of the conversation altogether. As a white woman and a black man, Carla Sunberg and Dany Gomis have coauthored a harmoniously blended collection of reflections comparing a bride adorned in luxurious colors for her groom to the bride of Christ. Explore what it would look like for the bride of Christ to discover and use a full array of hues, both biblically and culturally. More than a book about skin tone, Color challenges the church to rise above a monochromatic perspective to see the fresh beauty of interweaving threads to complete the church bride’s adornment for her bridegroom. With a friendly, collaborative style and questions for reflection at the end of each chapter, Sunberg and Gomis encourage us to celebrate the vibrancy and intensity of the Christian life the way God designed us to live it—as filled with Color.
117 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2021
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March 28, 2023Some thoughts to help me remember what this book contains:
A good book of vignettes. The overarching illustration of the book is a meshing of two biblical images: The coat of many colors from Genesis and the bride's wedding garments from Revelation. The authors ask us to imagine the beauty of the Bride of Christ in a coat of many colors. This is a powerful illustration that I'm sure will stick with me.
1. Dany's story - Dany's struggle trying to "put on" a Western Jesus that didn't fit his context.
2. Carla's story - Growing up not fitting in.
3. Jesus wasn't white. Careful we don't make cultural things universal things, esp. in regards to Faith. Missionwork 101.
4. Hospitality (maybe as the bridge to embracing others?) As an introvert, this one was a tough sell for me. I'd like to replace hospitality with humility here, but this is a personal feeling (from my own context?). Being willing to be a 'guest' was a great point that was very well taken.
5. An identity in Christ as the most fundamental identity for a Christian is essential. This is not mentioned, but it seems to be the key to differentiation (ala systems theory). Satan tempted Christ by attacking his identity. Another great point.
6. Holiness - All Christians have the same goal: Holiness. Here too, we should be careful how we describe holiness. Some cultures describe it differently (purity, love, peace, power, etc.)
7. Spiritual warfare. Great chapter on Power. I wish there was a closer tie to the word "holiness" though. I didn't see the correlation to holiness, but this is an essential chapter.
8 & 9. Spiritual Formation
10. Embracing different cultures.
Two nitpicks:
One of the last images of the book was a picture of two very different people in a different culture's ceremonial garb. It was a nice picture, but I didn't feel comfortable with it as an ending illustration. Embracing different cultures seems different than dressing up as different cultures. This image seems to go against what Dany said in his opening story of being uncomfortable in a different culture's clothes. Just because the cultures are flipped doesn't seem to make it right (IMO). To end with this story seemed to me to undercut one of the main points of the book.
Finally, there is an unsettling quote from author Cheikh Hamidou Kane to finish the book. “We have not had the same past, but - unquestionably - we shall have the same future. The era of individual destinies is over. Thus the end of the world has really arrived for each of us, for none can live any longer taking thought only for self-preservation.” I felt it was unsettling, because it was ambiguous if they mean we have the same destiny NOW, or ULTIMATELY. If they mean ULTIMATELY, then of course all in Christ will be one day all be sitting at the wedding feast. But... some are outside. We don't have the same destiny. This is nothing about color or culture. Just pointing out that we don't all have the same destiny after all. On the other hand, if they mean HERE and NOW, then this is over-realizing our eschatology, and it could and maybe even inevitably will lead to immeasurable suffering as we force all individuals into some (whose?) collective. If we imagine this present darkness being the thing that gets to describe our destiny, it sends shivers down my spine. Especially when even the optimists say "individual destinies are over", "the end of the world has arrived for self-preservation", and "we have the same future". Imagine some of the different world leaders across history saying this and you will understand why I can't celebrate it. What harmony exists between Messiah and Belial?
A good book, don't mind my personal qualms.
A good book of vignettes. The overarching illustration of the book is a meshing of two biblical images: The coat of many colors from Genesis and the bride's wedding garments from Revelation. The authors ask us to imagine the beauty of the Bride of Christ in a coat of many colors. This is a powerful illustration that I'm sure will stick with me.
1. Dany's story - Dany's struggle trying to "put on" a Western Jesus that didn't fit his context.
2. Carla's story - Growing up not fitting in.
3. Jesus wasn't white. Careful we don't make cultural things universal things, esp. in regards to Faith. Missionwork 101.
4. Hospitality (maybe as the bridge to embracing others?) As an introvert, this one was a tough sell for me. I'd like to replace hospitality with humility here, but this is a personal feeling (from my own context?). Being willing to be a 'guest' was a great point that was very well taken.
5. An identity in Christ as the most fundamental identity for a Christian is essential. This is not mentioned, but it seems to be the key to differentiation (ala systems theory). Satan tempted Christ by attacking his identity. Another great point.
6. Holiness - All Christians have the same goal: Holiness. Here too, we should be careful how we describe holiness. Some cultures describe it differently (purity, love, peace, power, etc.)
7. Spiritual warfare. Great chapter on Power. I wish there was a closer tie to the word "holiness" though. I didn't see the correlation to holiness, but this is an essential chapter.
8 & 9. Spiritual Formation
10. Embracing different cultures.
Two nitpicks:
One of the last images of the book was a picture of two very different people in a different culture's ceremonial garb. It was a nice picture, but I didn't feel comfortable with it as an ending illustration. Embracing different cultures seems different than dressing up as different cultures. This image seems to go against what Dany said in his opening story of being uncomfortable in a different culture's clothes. Just because the cultures are flipped doesn't seem to make it right (IMO). To end with this story seemed to me to undercut one of the main points of the book.
Finally, there is an unsettling quote from author Cheikh Hamidou Kane to finish the book. “We have not had the same past, but - unquestionably - we shall have the same future. The era of individual destinies is over. Thus the end of the world has really arrived for each of us, for none can live any longer taking thought only for self-preservation.” I felt it was unsettling, because it was ambiguous if they mean we have the same destiny NOW, or ULTIMATELY. If they mean ULTIMATELY, then of course all in Christ will be one day all be sitting at the wedding feast. But... some are outside. We don't have the same destiny. This is nothing about color or culture. Just pointing out that we don't all have the same destiny after all. On the other hand, if they mean HERE and NOW, then this is over-realizing our eschatology, and it could and maybe even inevitably will lead to immeasurable suffering as we force all individuals into some (whose?) collective. If we imagine this present darkness being the thing that gets to describe our destiny, it sends shivers down my spine. Especially when even the optimists say "individual destinies are over", "the end of the world has arrived for self-preservation", and "we have the same future". Imagine some of the different world leaders across history saying this and you will understand why I can't celebrate it. What harmony exists between Messiah and Belial?
A good book, don't mind my personal qualms.
December 27, 2024
I feel a lot to say but not a lot to say at the same time. This book may be helpful for conservative Western Christians to understand people have value, but not sure how much at that. Significant underlying assumptions are made consistently by the authors, creating dissonance in the reader. I felt like I was missing something (definitions, research, etc.) as they discussed things.
This is a bad book per se. The flow of chapters is choppy, seeming to follow whatever the authors want the conversation to go regardless of form. The authors were right when they said this book is made up of conversations they have had, that's what it felt like. Unclear topics going at the readers expense.
For a book about human diversity, no mention of the LGBTQ+ community is mentioned at all.
This is a bad book per se. The flow of chapters is choppy, seeming to follow whatever the authors want the conversation to go regardless of form. The authors were right when they said this book is made up of conversations they have had, that's what it felt like. Unclear topics going at the readers expense.
For a book about human diversity, no mention of the LGBTQ+ community is mentioned at all.
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