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Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity
Merit Award, 2007 Christianity Today Christianity and Culture Book What is the state of racial reconciliation in evangelical churches today? Are we truly united? In Reconciliation Blues journalist Edward Gilbreath gives an insightful, honest picture of both the history and the present state of racial reconciliation in evangelical churches. He looks at a wide range of figures, such as Howard O. Jones, Tom Skinner, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson and John Perkins. Charting progress as well as setbacks, his words offer encouragement for black evangelicals feeling alone, clarity for white evangelicals who want to understand more deeply, and fresh vision for all who want to move forward toward Christ's prayer "that all of them may be one."
207 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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August 7, 2018
Exceeded my expectations. The book was published in 2006—pre-Obama and pre-Ferguson—so some parts felt a bit dated (e.g., manifold references to Promise Keepers and a whole chapter on Jesse Jackson). But several parts were gold. Like many of these books it’s heavier on diagnosis than prescription, but I was instructed and challenged nonetheless. Overall, it’s a helpful first-person account of what it’s like to be an African American in white evangelicalism. Recommended.
December 8, 2016
Good primer for individuals who are seeking to understand the frustration many evangelicals of color experience in a primarily white religion. In full honesty I'll admit that I was disappointed with how surface level the book ended up being--particularly with questions like "Do we really need race reconciliation?" and "What does true reconciliation look like?" scattered throughout. Then again I also don't believe the book was written for me as a person of color. More so for others who are genuinely looking to become more aware of the state of race-relations in the church.
July 6, 2008
I’ve given up on racial reconciliation quite a few times. The first time was shortly after I discovered it due to my inability to sleep peacefully as I grappled with my newfound understanding of ethnocentrism. The second was when my Asian American husband and I left the segregated and monocultural Midwest for the more integrated and diverse landscape of the East Coast (where racism no longer exists, or so we thought…). The third was when the African American pastor of our mostly white urban church resigned, citing racial reasons as one of dynamics that shadowed his pastorate. The fourth and most recent was when we returned to rural Indiana to a landscape of, shall we say, far more (white) milk than (brown) honey. However, it gets a bit tricky to walk out completely on racial reconciliation when you’re married to someone of another race.
Although I am white, I daily face racial issues through my children and husband. While I easily blend into the crowd, they never do, and I am regularly privileged to experience life through their eyes. In his book Reconciliation Blues: a Black Evangelical’s View of Christianity (Intervarsity Press, 2006), Edward Gilbreath offers a similar gift. With painful honesty, he shares his experience of being an African American evangelical Christian in a white dominated church culture. Confronting the majority notion that racism in the church is not a pressing issue, Gilbreath observes that “something is still broken.” He offers examples not only from his own life, but also from other African American Christians who struggle to interact with and trust white evangelicals. While he concedes that the church has come a long way from the days of slavery, segregation and lynching, he still questions if we have come far enough, citing the lack of diversity in many Christian organization, and the white majority’s unwillingness to genuninely submit to leaders from other cultures.
Gilbreath begins by describing his experience being the only black person in many evangelical Christian institutions and organizations. He speaks candidly of how he is often expected to speak for his entire race, and to ‘give in’ to the white majority’s unacknowledged ignorance of other cultures. “Many days the weight of it all leaves me exasperated,” he writes. “Sometimes in the silent thumping of my heart, I am haunted by the thought that I will always carry the mantle alone – terrified by the realization that, on a daily basis, if I do not speak up to voice a nonwhite perspective, it will go unheard.”
In addition to sharing about his personal experience, he offers portraits of other publically known black Christians such as Tom Skinner, Martin Luther King, Jr., and (gasp!) Jesse Jackson. Offering a fair treatment of each figure, he shows how their influence has both affected and been received by a white evangelical audience. He even explores how hot-button issues like political associations and cultural over-generalizations effect race relations within the church.
While a powerful read for those already in the throes of the reconciliation movement, I would also highly recommend Reconciliation Blues for those who have not yet entered. While the issue of racism – especially in the church - is never an easy one, Gilbreath addresses the issue much with gentleness and grace. His vulnerability is a sigh of relief for other nonwhite believers who share his experience of isolation, and a challenge to those of us who too often forget how much we have to learn.
Although I am white, I daily face racial issues through my children and husband. While I easily blend into the crowd, they never do, and I am regularly privileged to experience life through their eyes. In his book Reconciliation Blues: a Black Evangelical’s View of Christianity (Intervarsity Press, 2006), Edward Gilbreath offers a similar gift. With painful honesty, he shares his experience of being an African American evangelical Christian in a white dominated church culture. Confronting the majority notion that racism in the church is not a pressing issue, Gilbreath observes that “something is still broken.” He offers examples not only from his own life, but also from other African American Christians who struggle to interact with and trust white evangelicals. While he concedes that the church has come a long way from the days of slavery, segregation and lynching, he still questions if we have come far enough, citing the lack of diversity in many Christian organization, and the white majority’s unwillingness to genuninely submit to leaders from other cultures.
Gilbreath begins by describing his experience being the only black person in many evangelical Christian institutions and organizations. He speaks candidly of how he is often expected to speak for his entire race, and to ‘give in’ to the white majority’s unacknowledged ignorance of other cultures. “Many days the weight of it all leaves me exasperated,” he writes. “Sometimes in the silent thumping of my heart, I am haunted by the thought that I will always carry the mantle alone – terrified by the realization that, on a daily basis, if I do not speak up to voice a nonwhite perspective, it will go unheard.”
In addition to sharing about his personal experience, he offers portraits of other publically known black Christians such as Tom Skinner, Martin Luther King, Jr., and (gasp!) Jesse Jackson. Offering a fair treatment of each figure, he shows how their influence has both affected and been received by a white evangelical audience. He even explores how hot-button issues like political associations and cultural over-generalizations effect race relations within the church.
While a powerful read for those already in the throes of the reconciliation movement, I would also highly recommend Reconciliation Blues for those who have not yet entered. While the issue of racism – especially in the church - is never an easy one, Gilbreath addresses the issue much with gentleness and grace. His vulnerability is a sigh of relief for other nonwhite believers who share his experience of isolation, and a challenge to those of us who too often forget how much we have to learn.
August 11, 2020
Though this book is 15 years old, it is still very relevant in addressing the Church's complicity in racial reconciliation. Evangelical Christianity has become synonymous with Conservative politics, and Gilbreath very graciously calls out the hypocrisy in uniting politics and Christianity, because Christ has called us to a completely "other" way of life. He challenges Evangelical readers to consider whether they're following Christ in the Bible or cultural and political saviors veiled as "what Jesus would do."
December 16, 2021
Summary: A discussion of the difficulties of being a Black Christian in predominately White Christian institutional spaces.
I met Edward Gilbreath at a Jude3 conference in August 2019, back in the pre-pandemic get together in-person era of conferences. However, I have known of him for a long time. He was a writer for Christianity Today, their first, and for many years only, Black staff person. And I previously read Gilbreath's book on Letter from a Birmingham Jail. I also have known his father-in-law and sister-in-law for years (15-20) through work, and I think we both attended the same church for a while, although I am not sure if we were attending at the same time. That somewhat shared experience and roughly similar ages (he is about 3-4 years older than I am) mean that as I was reading Reconciliation Blues, his story of the differences of experience between Black and White Christians was even more tangible for me.
Gilbreath attended Judson College. I attended Wheaton, not far away. Judson is denominationally affiliated with the American Baptists, and I considered going because I grew up American Baptist, many people I know went there. But by the point Gilbreath entered Judson, he was already conversant in White Evangelical because of his teen youth group experience in a White Evangelical church. The era of the experience does matter. Dante Stewart is roughly 20 years younger than Gilbreath, and their college experiences are different. Stewart was at a large state school, and his White Evangelical experience was through para-church college sports ministry. Gilbreath was at a small, predominately White college on the Evangelical edge of a Mainline denomination. But there was also a lot of experiential overlap. The experiences were similar, but I think some of the expectations were different because the era was different.
The Promise Keeper's style friendship-based racial reconciliation movement may not have peaked until about when Reconciliation Blues came out in 2006, but that culture was common a couple of decades before its publication. The critiques of the individualism of that era's racial reconciliation movement in books like Divided by Faith and the more recent I Bring the Voice of My People and Myth of Colorblind Christians, but the kernel of the critique is still the same. Gilbreath mainly reflects on his experience of college and his early work at Christianity Today and in Christian publishing from roughly 1991 until 2006, a 15 year period that had a lot of feel-good approaches to handling race.
Reconciliation Blues was one of the personal experience memoirs showing that those approaches did not always work. Memoirs like Austin Channing Brown's I'm Still Here and Shoutin' in the Fire came later, but this story of the frustration of Black Christians trying to survive in White Christian spaces is such an old story. It goes at least back to Frederick Douglass' critiques of White Christianity and his leaving William Lloyd Garrison's supervision. WEB DuBois' double consciousness was one of the early sociological explanations of the problem. Memoirs are always about a point in time. Reconciliation Blues is about the 15-year era before Obama's rise and the false idea of post-racial America. It is a reminder of how common and harmful the colorblind theology of the post-Civil Rights era was. And it is a reminder that hearing voices from other generations can help contextualize our current period, especially for people coming to current conversations around race for the first time.
So many issues are the same, politics, individual vs. systemic responses to race and poverty and other social problems, the insular nature of White Evangelicalism, the attacks against directly dealing with race as a type of liberalism or Marxist/Communist thought. It is both encouraging and discouraging to see that there are things that have changed, but that so little fundamentally has changed. It has only been about 15 years since Reconciliation Blues was written, but that 15 years feels much longer in many ways.
November 19, 2018
Got this from the library, and it was an unexpectedly good find. Thoughtful. Insightful. I am the opposite of evangelical by surface standards -- an Episcopalian coming from the viewpoint that asking questions - not having answers and not believing certain biblical passages as fact - is a core part of faith. I really enjoyed this book. It is easy to see the differences among believers, and really, among any set of people who are different. In a time that evangelicals themselves are seen as having a very particular - and in 2018, not well-regarded viewpoint, at least politically, in my circles - this book is a thoughtful reminder that all groups have complexity, have thoughtful, caring people, have currents that challenge the status quo of power and influence in religious circles. Edward Gilbreath came across as a complex and caring human, and showed that side of many leaders and believers in the evangelical community. It won't necessarily become part of my owned library, but I did appreciate and enjoy it.
April 16, 2018
There was a lot for me to learn from this book, particularly the way one black evangelical Christian (and perhaps many others) thinks and feels in response to much of the happenings in white evangelical culture. The book was in many places painful to read and process, but it was still instructive. While I don’t agree with everything Gilbreath writes (particularly what felt like a lack of doctrinal precision), I was still helped by reading the book and would encourage other Christians to read it as a way to listen to a brother who (perhaps) looks and thinks differently than we do.
June 5, 2020
A solid intro into the discussion of social justice, racism, and the American evangelical church. This would be a great read for any Christian who has struggled with confronting the realities of systemic racism and prejudice within the body of Christ. By no means a comprehensive conversation on these heavy topics, but it’s a pretty good way to start the talk.
January 17, 2021
This book is 15 years old, so a little dated, but still very apropos. How little has changed in 15 years, sad to say. I found the chapter on politics especially dead on. He could have written it this week. Oh that the church had listened to his message 15 years ago!
I'd love to see Mr Gilbreath update the book and add in a chapter about BLM as well.
I'd love to see Mr Gilbreath update the book and add in a chapter about BLM as well.
July 26, 2017
I was disappointed that the ask was so small. The author asked basically asked white Christians not to tell racist jokes or have racist Vacation Bible School themes (I'm looking at you, Rickshaw Rally). I think we can and must do better.
February 25, 2018
I can’t say enough great things about this book. It explores the topic thoroughly yet personally. Its theoretical & practical, profound & simple. Find a few friends, grab a few copies today, & use the discussion questions at the back!
October 25, 2018
Loved it. Great read and powerful to hear the perspective of a black evangelical on the white evangelical church. The chapter on politics was top notch. Read this book. But be open and teachable.
June 7, 2018
Good read. The book was published in 2006 so some points are kinda dated. It would be interesting to see an updated point of view.
August 19, 2023
Very interesting reading post 2016… still a great entry point for those curious about some of the history of racial reconciliation efforts in the Church.
March 29, 2008
Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical’s Inside View of White Christianity
By Edward Gilbreath
I really enjoyed reading this book. In many ways I am trying to gain a clearer picture of what it means to be an evangelical Christian. I feel that Gilbreath addresses several issues found in evangelicalism that I have been thinking about recently. Growing up in an evangelical church, one aspect that I cannot ignore is the emphasis on individualism. Though I have gained a lot from knowing that Jesus wants a “personal relationship” with us, I have learned that many evangelicals push this point at the expense of being socially aware (or concerned) of what is going on in our world. I now like to talk about an “intimate relationship” with Jesus. I believe in a personal God who desires to walk in intimacy with His creation. An intimate relationship is not an individualistic relationship, but rather it includes both times of solitude as well as times of community. Jesus said that we need to love both God and our neighbor. Racism is thus one of the social concerns that many (white) evangelicals just simply do not care to address. In a world where many think that “white is right,” or at least “normal,” many evangelicals just simply do not want to “stir the pot” of controversy. But wrong is wrong, and the (evangelical) Church must wake up and can no longer afford to not “stir the pot.” This book is a must read for the white evangelical. Here are some insights from the book.
Chapter one: The author paints a picture of his history of often being the only African American in a sea of white folk and some of the challenges he faced doing so.
Chapter two: A look at evangelicalism…
The word itself comes from “evangelion” which is Greek for declaration of good news (p37). This term grew out of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Today the word, “evangelical,” has become interchangeable with terms like Christian right and right wing conservatives. “These names say a lot about morality, politics and maybe even religion, but very little about Jesus’ good news” (p.37).
I like the fact that evangelicals discuss an “encounter with God,” and the fact that they hold the Bible as central to living a life of faith. The problem is that the expression of their faith is often little more than “preaching” at people and getting people to “say a sinner’s prayer.” Following Jesus and proclaiming the good news goes much further than this. In a society of racism and countless injustices, the evangelical church should be at the forefront of speaking and living good news into these situations.
Chapter three: A good discussion on racism and the dangers on being silent.
“You might say, ‘I am not racist. I have not done anything to anyone personally.’ But the problem with racism is that we have to be careful that we d not enjoy the benefits of it. When we silently enjoy the benefits of racism; when we do not protest injustice to those who are poor, powerless and oppressed; when we decide it’s not our problem and go on enjoying the fruits fo a racist system, then we too are racist” (p.49).
Chapter four: A look at Tom Skinner
Chapter five: Discusses the impact of being the “first black in various sectors of society.
Chapter six: Discusses “when blacks quit evangelical institutions.”
“When so many otherwise successful African-American Christians still express frustration and disappointment over the state of race relations in the church, as my research indicates, something is not right. We need to listen and learn” (p.89).
“To me, the proof of racial reconciliation is when the culture of an organization allows for different styles of leadership and self-expression s that people from all cultural backgrounds can be considered competent without hiding their cultural distinctives from others” (p.91)
Chapter seven: A look at MLK Jr.
“The church once changed society. It was a thermostat of society. But today I feel that too much of the church is merely a thermometer, which measures rather tan molds popular opinion” (p.108).
Chapter eight: A Look at Jesse Jackson
Chapter nine: A very important look at politics!
“In many ways, political bigotry is America’s new racism.” (p.133)
>> many evangelicals believe that “non-republican opinion” somehow indicates they they are lesser Christian. (p.135).
>> Being a Christian does not mean that you have to be conservative or republican, or American>> they are not equated.
Chapter ten: A look at racism beyond the black and white issue A look at immigration.
“In America today, we are all faced with the choice beween creating life together on the basis of hate for other cultures, languages, and ethnic groups, or working hard to become a free union of many.” (p.148)
Chapter eleven and twelve: A look at singing and preaching and creating a multi-cultural church>> you must be intentional.
A very good book.
By Edward Gilbreath
I really enjoyed reading this book. In many ways I am trying to gain a clearer picture of what it means to be an evangelical Christian. I feel that Gilbreath addresses several issues found in evangelicalism that I have been thinking about recently. Growing up in an evangelical church, one aspect that I cannot ignore is the emphasis on individualism. Though I have gained a lot from knowing that Jesus wants a “personal relationship” with us, I have learned that many evangelicals push this point at the expense of being socially aware (or concerned) of what is going on in our world. I now like to talk about an “intimate relationship” with Jesus. I believe in a personal God who desires to walk in intimacy with His creation. An intimate relationship is not an individualistic relationship, but rather it includes both times of solitude as well as times of community. Jesus said that we need to love both God and our neighbor. Racism is thus one of the social concerns that many (white) evangelicals just simply do not care to address. In a world where many think that “white is right,” or at least “normal,” many evangelicals just simply do not want to “stir the pot” of controversy. But wrong is wrong, and the (evangelical) Church must wake up and can no longer afford to not “stir the pot.” This book is a must read for the white evangelical. Here are some insights from the book.
Chapter one: The author paints a picture of his history of often being the only African American in a sea of white folk and some of the challenges he faced doing so.
Chapter two: A look at evangelicalism…
The word itself comes from “evangelion” which is Greek for declaration of good news (p37). This term grew out of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Today the word, “evangelical,” has become interchangeable with terms like Christian right and right wing conservatives. “These names say a lot about morality, politics and maybe even religion, but very little about Jesus’ good news” (p.37).
I like the fact that evangelicals discuss an “encounter with God,” and the fact that they hold the Bible as central to living a life of faith. The problem is that the expression of their faith is often little more than “preaching” at people and getting people to “say a sinner’s prayer.” Following Jesus and proclaiming the good news goes much further than this. In a society of racism and countless injustices, the evangelical church should be at the forefront of speaking and living good news into these situations.
Chapter three: A good discussion on racism and the dangers on being silent.
“You might say, ‘I am not racist. I have not done anything to anyone personally.’ But the problem with racism is that we have to be careful that we d not enjoy the benefits of it. When we silently enjoy the benefits of racism; when we do not protest injustice to those who are poor, powerless and oppressed; when we decide it’s not our problem and go on enjoying the fruits fo a racist system, then we too are racist” (p.49).
Chapter four: A look at Tom Skinner
Chapter five: Discusses the impact of being the “first black in various sectors of society.
Chapter six: Discusses “when blacks quit evangelical institutions.”
“When so many otherwise successful African-American Christians still express frustration and disappointment over the state of race relations in the church, as my research indicates, something is not right. We need to listen and learn” (p.89).
“To me, the proof of racial reconciliation is when the culture of an organization allows for different styles of leadership and self-expression s that people from all cultural backgrounds can be considered competent without hiding their cultural distinctives from others” (p.91)
Chapter seven: A look at MLK Jr.
“The church once changed society. It was a thermostat of society. But today I feel that too much of the church is merely a thermometer, which measures rather tan molds popular opinion” (p.108).
Chapter eight: A Look at Jesse Jackson
Chapter nine: A very important look at politics!
“In many ways, political bigotry is America’s new racism.” (p.133)
>> many evangelicals believe that “non-republican opinion” somehow indicates they they are lesser Christian. (p.135).
>> Being a Christian does not mean that you have to be conservative or republican, or American>> they are not equated.
Chapter ten: A look at racism beyond the black and white issue A look at immigration.
“In America today, we are all faced with the choice beween creating life together on the basis of hate for other cultures, languages, and ethnic groups, or working hard to become a free union of many.” (p.148)
Chapter eleven and twelve: A look at singing and preaching and creating a multi-cultural church>> you must be intentional.
A very good book.
March 15, 2022
A helpful presentation of a black brother's experience living in mainly white evangelical circles. While some of the presumed shared-knowledge (ie Promise-Keepers) dates the book, much of the experiences and frustrations and weariness feel very current. The book is at it's best giving a picture of the difficulty of being 'the' person in the room who is supposed to represent the people like you that black brothers and sisters are often pressed into.
I think the book suffers from a lack of clarity about who his audience is. Black Christians in white circles? White Christians trying to understand black brethren? Black Christians frustrated with white cultural norms?
Moreover, I think his ability to provide meaningful and useful critique and prescription for what comes next is hobbled by an embrace and celebration of Billy Graham-type crusades and high numbers of decisions in a single event as a sign of evangelistic success. Such a method seems to me to be very much built on many modern American-cultural assumptions, that just paves the way for the kind of assumptions that have made black brothers and sisters obscured. This, combined with an avoidance of doctrinal specificity or an evaluation of such practices or cultural assumptions through the lens of Scripture means there is not much clarity on how Christianity might contain any resources to address the problem, even as Gilbreath expresses determination to keep slogging away.
I think the book suffers from a lack of clarity about who his audience is. Black Christians in white circles? White Christians trying to understand black brethren? Black Christians frustrated with white cultural norms?
Moreover, I think his ability to provide meaningful and useful critique and prescription for what comes next is hobbled by an embrace and celebration of Billy Graham-type crusades and high numbers of decisions in a single event as a sign of evangelistic success. Such a method seems to me to be very much built on many modern American-cultural assumptions, that just paves the way for the kind of assumptions that have made black brothers and sisters obscured. This, combined with an avoidance of doctrinal specificity or an evaluation of such practices or cultural assumptions through the lens of Scripture means there is not much clarity on how Christianity might contain any resources to address the problem, even as Gilbreath expresses determination to keep slogging away.
January 11, 2010
An excellent read on the issue of racial reconciliation within the evangelical church. If I have any criticism of the book, it's that it's not long enough. Race is such a complex issue that the author easily could have taken any chapter and really expanded upon it, doing an in-depth study.
As an African-American currently serving in a white evangelical church, I can attest to Gilbreath's handle on the issues that we face. It's comforting (in a strange way) to know that what I've experienced is not unusual nor is it a figment of my imagination. Here's a sampling of what you can expect to read:
-"The white Christians I encounter often display a shocking provincialism--a real naivete about the world around them. Frankly, it's as if they are stunned to find out that their cultural, political, and religious frame of reference is not the only one." (p. 18) This blows me away. I can't imagine what it is to live as though my worldview is the only one.
-"People do not have to be racist--or have any malicious intent...they simply have to do what comes naturally." (p. 19)
-For African-Americans, it has meant "...living within a religious movement that takes for granted its cultural superiority. It has meant disregarding the occasional stray epithet or ignoring shortsighted comments..." (p. 28). I can honestly say I've asked the Lord how much must I endure when I've felt like all I've done is overlooked ignorance and rudeness. In fact, when you're trying to live your faith you "hate having to play the race cop, persistently notifying whites of their lapses in cultural sensitivity. I don't like making my white brothers and sisters feel guilty or ashamed. On the other hand, if I didn't saying anything..." (p. 29) And there's the rub.
-One experience that was shared that is not unique was that of the white community's reaction to an African-American who does not meet typical stereotypes. "They viewed me as exceptional." (p. 52)
-The author includes a challenge to the black Christian that if you're not jaded, you may want to take him on: "Black Christian, have you been keeping at an arm's distance those white acquaintances who have attempted to get to know you better? Have you written off some whites as racist because of a silly comment they didn't realize was offensive? Have you taken the time to educate them about your culture, answering all of the probing questions about your hair-care or your opinion of some black celebrity? (p. 81)
-"In many ways, political bigotry is American's new racism." (p. 133) In fact, the author shares his experience in a white evangelical church of sharing that he was considering not voting for Bush in 2004 and he was met with comments like "How could you, in good conscience, vote for a baby killer?" (p.132) "What's really troubling is how this nastiness has found its way into the church." (p. 134) "What scare me most is when Christians become so zealous about their conservative politics that they bring it into their understanding of what it means to be a faithful follower of Christ." (p. 139)
-"In my opinion, a church doesn't have much of a chance of [becoming multicultural:] until the senior pastor has a 'conversion experience' about this issue." (p. 172)
-"...the preaching and ideology of white evangelicalism is infected by a crippling case of individualism." (p. 173)
As an African-American currently serving in a white evangelical church, I can attest to Gilbreath's handle on the issues that we face. It's comforting (in a strange way) to know that what I've experienced is not unusual nor is it a figment of my imagination. Here's a sampling of what you can expect to read:
-"The white Christians I encounter often display a shocking provincialism--a real naivete about the world around them. Frankly, it's as if they are stunned to find out that their cultural, political, and religious frame of reference is not the only one." (p. 18) This blows me away. I can't imagine what it is to live as though my worldview is the only one.
-"People do not have to be racist--or have any malicious intent...they simply have to do what comes naturally." (p. 19)
-For African-Americans, it has meant "...living within a religious movement that takes for granted its cultural superiority. It has meant disregarding the occasional stray epithet or ignoring shortsighted comments..." (p. 28). I can honestly say I've asked the Lord how much must I endure when I've felt like all I've done is overlooked ignorance and rudeness. In fact, when you're trying to live your faith you "hate having to play the race cop, persistently notifying whites of their lapses in cultural sensitivity. I don't like making my white brothers and sisters feel guilty or ashamed. On the other hand, if I didn't saying anything..." (p. 29) And there's the rub.
-One experience that was shared that is not unique was that of the white community's reaction to an African-American who does not meet typical stereotypes. "They viewed me as exceptional." (p. 52)
-The author includes a challenge to the black Christian that if you're not jaded, you may want to take him on: "Black Christian, have you been keeping at an arm's distance those white acquaintances who have attempted to get to know you better? Have you written off some whites as racist because of a silly comment they didn't realize was offensive? Have you taken the time to educate them about your culture, answering all of the probing questions about your hair-care or your opinion of some black celebrity? (p. 81)
-"In many ways, political bigotry is American's new racism." (p. 133) In fact, the author shares his experience in a white evangelical church of sharing that he was considering not voting for Bush in 2004 and he was met with comments like "How could you, in good conscience, vote for a baby killer?" (p.132) "What's really troubling is how this nastiness has found its way into the church." (p. 134) "What scare me most is when Christians become so zealous about their conservative politics that they bring it into their understanding of what it means to be a faithful follower of Christ." (p. 139)
-"In my opinion, a church doesn't have much of a chance of [becoming multicultural:] until the senior pastor has a 'conversion experience' about this issue." (p. 172)
-"...the preaching and ideology of white evangelicalism is infected by a crippling case of individualism." (p. 173)
February 12, 2012
I finished this book, but I couldn't decide what to write for the review so it has taken me some time to click the "finished" button. This book was a look at a whole new aspect of Christianity I have barely explored: the issue of race. I didn't know what to do with some of the things I read, that is until I went on the Civil Rights bus tour sponsored by my University. We spent 4 days traveling through Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee learning about the civil rights movement and having discussions about racial reconciliation in the church. Two things struck me: first, how little this issue is addressed, and second, how defensive and "political" people immediately get about this issue. No, I'm not a liberal because I believe that racial diversity and helping the poor are important, nor am I Republican because I believe that welfare is the wrong way to help ethnic minorities stricken by poverty. Thanks to this book and the wise words of many friends both black and white, I have discovered that I don't have to consult politics to love people or support affirmative action to make a difference. Issues of race are complex, but shouldn't the church - supposedly the finger that helps point a moral compass in society - be at the forefront of trying to solve these issues and provide reconciliation? I believe so.
February 22, 2016
There are two things I really love in a book. One is that it gives me a new lens to observe the world - my own experience or someone else's - and the other that it creates a reading list that I'll probably never get to.
This book did that for me. Gilbreath is very honest, and does a great job of displaying a world where those of us who have lived in the white evangelical world have not often seen, sometimes willfully, sometimes ignorantly. It's pretty sobering for me to think how I've participated in this, and extremely helpful to hear from someone who has willingly been in a world that has marginalized him. It helps me think really observe the ways my current ministry set up is contributing to a racialized church.
That's the strength of this book, if you take it seriously: the fact that you can see how evangelicalism has is not fulfilling it's God given mission of being ambassadors for reconciliation if racial righteousness is not at the forefront of its ministry - as it has not been. The question this book raises is: can this change? And how will you be a part of it?
This book did that for me. Gilbreath is very honest, and does a great job of displaying a world where those of us who have lived in the white evangelical world have not often seen, sometimes willfully, sometimes ignorantly. It's pretty sobering for me to think how I've participated in this, and extremely helpful to hear from someone who has willingly been in a world that has marginalized him. It helps me think really observe the ways my current ministry set up is contributing to a racialized church.
That's the strength of this book, if you take it seriously: the fact that you can see how evangelicalism has is not fulfilling it's God given mission of being ambassadors for reconciliation if racial righteousness is not at the forefront of its ministry - as it has not been. The question this book raises is: can this change? And how will you be a part of it?
February 5, 2017
A very sensitive, pastoral, challenging introduction to the inherent racial tensions within the Evangelical culture in America. I so appreciate Gilbreath's voice here, his courage in stepping into murky territory, and his heart for all of us to have a bigger vision of racial reconciliation.
This book is more like a series of essays on various subjects, ideas, and important figures in our religious/cultural history (I particularly appreciated the chapters on Jesse Jackson and "other" minorities in Evangelicalism), than a systematic, singular argument for a specific type of re-conciliatory work. Overall, if you are well-versed in the subject, you probably won't find much new to discover here, but the subject remains extremely timely (even 10 years after the original publication) and because of Gilbreath's careful and sensitive prose, this is one of the best introductions you could offer to a white & Evangelical community, pastor, leader, individual who has not spent much time reflecting on the topic.
This book is more like a series of essays on various subjects, ideas, and important figures in our religious/cultural history (I particularly appreciated the chapters on Jesse Jackson and "other" minorities in Evangelicalism), than a systematic, singular argument for a specific type of re-conciliatory work. Overall, if you are well-versed in the subject, you probably won't find much new to discover here, but the subject remains extremely timely (even 10 years after the original publication) and because of Gilbreath's careful and sensitive prose, this is one of the best introductions you could offer to a white & Evangelical community, pastor, leader, individual who has not spent much time reflecting on the topic.
May 16, 2016
I think this one is a must read for Christians who want to grapple with the question "How do we confront racism?"
If someone is uninterested in that question, I am not sure that person could claim to be a follower of Jesus. How could we read Ephesians 2 or Mark 7:24-30 or John 10:16 or Acts 10-11 or Revelation 7:9-10 and not consider racism a great evil to be defeated and interracial friendship a Kingdom-of-God desire to be pursued?
Gilbreath is uniquely situated to tackle the issues of racism and how this issue plays out in American Evangelical Christianity. His work draws the reader into the conversation around race. He handles the topic directly and sensibly.
If someone is uninterested in that question, I am not sure that person could claim to be a follower of Jesus. How could we read Ephesians 2 or Mark 7:24-30 or John 10:16 or Acts 10-11 or Revelation 7:9-10 and not consider racism a great evil to be defeated and interracial friendship a Kingdom-of-God desire to be pursued?
Gilbreath is uniquely situated to tackle the issues of racism and how this issue plays out in American Evangelical Christianity. His work draws the reader into the conversation around race. He handles the topic directly and sensibly.
April 4, 2016
This is a heartfelt examination of a continuing problem in many, if not, most churches. 50 years after the civil rights movement Sunday morning still remains the most segregated hour. This problem goes both ways, in regards to race, and the fact that it is still an issue is keeping the modern American evangelical church from being salt and light in this country. The salt has lost its flavor and is in danger of being thrown out.
January 28, 2017
Gilbreath does an incredible job summarizing the failure of the church to properly reconcile and empathize with the black community, both historically and in modern times. As part of the black community, the evangelical community, and the journalism community, he's able to construct a thorough, compelling, and disappointing illustration of the many areas in which we have failed to show solidarity within the body of Christ.
January 8, 2013
I appreciated the book for a number of reasons. As a disciple feeling the call to racial reconciliation weighing heavily on my 20-year-old chest, Gilbreath's account has served both to affirm my past experiences in the church and to provide a meaningful picture of the journey to come. I am thankful for Mr. Gilbreath's candid yet gentle demeanor throughout the book.
November 8, 2013
Well worth the read. The style is accessable not overly academic, but it also has a lot of depth. It is mostly made up of personal stories, interviews and mini biograpies. Definitely recommend it for folks frustrated with the precieved lack of voices of color in the Evangelical movement and the institutional prejudice in the church and society at large.
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February 7, 2018Every white Christian, or everyone for that matter, needs to read this book. It opened my eyes to the continued existence of racism, revealing some reasons why it still exists and how. This book will make you feel uncomfortable, as sincere honesty should. I can't rate a message like this, thus no rating. Just read it.
December 16, 2012
I like Edward Gilbreath's accessibility and conviction. He said a lot of things I've said and gotten blown off. But someone took him seriously enough to publish this book and I felt validated as well - even though none of it's gotten any easier.
March 5, 2016
Ed Gilbreath is a needed voice when it comes to issues of racial reconciliation. I'm interested to see how the premise of the book would change, 10 years later, when issues of racial injustice are that much more prevalent a conversation.
July 25, 2015
A must read for anyone interested in racial reconciliation, especially for anyone who's ever said "it's not a skin problem, it's a sin problem." Well researched and personal, both convicting and hopeful.
June 3, 2008
I met the author at the Festival of Faith and Writing. Nice guy. The book raises a lot of questions and the answers he offers are mostly "I don't know"-- but at least that's honest!
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