White understanding of black churches
342634
Excellent reading for anon-black who wants to understand how all our societal groups have ignored or worked to continue white privilege.
2131744
Many people in the church today do not know much about their denomination's history and even less about the history of other Christian denominations.  Why is it important to know these things?  What is the difference?  Hamilton begins to answer these questions in this study while providing the historical knowledge and background needed to understand the branches on Christianity's family tree.  Starting at the very beginning with Orthodoxy and leading up to Methodism, Hamilton shows where eight different Christian denominations originated and what distinguishes them from each other.  The emphasis is on what we can learn from other denominations rather than what is wrong about other denominations.  In each session, we see a little bit of our own history and understand more about the overall history of Christianity.  Hamilton brings it together beautifully at the end as the image of a tree emerges from the map of denominations that has grown throughout the study.  By learning more about all of Christianity, we can find new ways to glorify God and love our neighbors.

The study covers Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Anglicanism, Baptists, Pentecostalism, and Methodism.  With the introductory and concluding chapters, there are ten sessions.  Each session has a video portion that features Hamilton's sermons on these denominations and interviews with local church leaders.
4044366
I suppose all Americans white and black understand the unmitigated cruelty of slavery, but I was unaware of the danger that even free Blacks faced in the North.  This work opened my eyes to that situation. The editors did their job very well.
4143491
This book is written to show others what obstacles people of color face in being Ministers in mostly white Unitarian churches.
My church had a discussion about it in which the rules  were placed before us before the discussion. The rules were that we could not talk about how WE (book was written mostly for whites, I think) felt about their stories and statements.  I could have skipped the discussion.  I know what obstacles they faced (if I didnt, now I do.) One has to wonder how they thought they would fit in when they applied for their jobs.  I would like to hear their take on that. If they wanted their congregations to be different, did they try to change anything? Did they ask their congregations to change? Was this book written for only ministers of color?
2284226
This book is a mixture of sociology, Christianity, and politics. Samuel Rodriguez and Dr. Robert Crosby are the authors of this book. They combine these genres in this book as it address issues confronting the current events involving the Christian Church. Rodriguez and Crosby begin allow Robert Morris to start out with a Forward. Both authors begin with their own Introduction. They then spread out their content in three parts and 12 chapters. Each chapter ends with questions for reflection and perspective. Rodriguez and Crosby end with a Conclusion and an Appendix dealing with racial concerns from communities of color. They end with Acknowledgments, Notes, and Resources. Rodriguez is the President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. It is the largest Hispanic Christian organization. Crosby is a pastor, conference speaker, and co-founder of Teaming Life. He has pastored multiethnic churches in New York, Boston, and Tampa.

This is an informative and eye-opening book. I never knew before about the specifics of the influence of those of Hispanic origin, in regards to the church. I have always deplored the lack of diversity in the congregations I have belong to. And the current congregation I'm in is no different. And when he cited stats about how many Hispanics really voted for Trump in the 2016 election, I was rather surprised. I always knew that Cuban-Americans support the Republican party. And I was surprised that Hispanic Evangelicals, like Caucasian Evangelicals, vote conservative based solely on abortion. Many would call the authors "holy rollers" because of their strong support for Charismatic experience, specifically speaking in tongues. The book makes me feel how much I have missed by the kind of heavily liturgical congregations I have always known. I'm disappointed that the authors say nothing about poor Caucasians, and that they face many of the hardships faced by poor African-Americans and poor Hispanics. And it seems like they lump all Caucasians as entitled, racist, and subconsciously feeling superior to non-Caucasians. But I agreed with many of their conclusions. And I know that many of us, me included, can use much more "passion" in our devotional and worship experience.

I recommend this book for all pastors and spiritual leaders. I especially recommend it for Caucasian and African-American pastors and spiritual leaders. And I recommend it for more seasoned believers. I would like to see many of those I attend worship with, read it. While it contains many good suggestions, they aren't easy or comfortable to put into practice. This is like "Christian sociology."

I have received a complimentary Advance Review Copy of this book. I received it from BLOGGINGFORBOOKS. It is an uncorrected proof of what will be in final product. I received it in exchange for y honest review of this book. I wasn't required to give a positive review of this book. You are advised to check this review against the final copy of the book.
4823038
Clearly written and well presented history of Black Catholics in the U.S. Provides a background for understanding racial problems in the Catholic Church. Picture of how Rome/Papacy has needed to push American Bishops to address and confront racial problems.
419165
This is a profoundly moving book - all white Americans need to read it - I found myself imagining I was in his congregation.  I hope I learned something.
2081569
As a black person, it never occurred to me to examine some of overall support of civil rights and progress by whites because I could not get past the current troubles. Jonz opened my mind to the bigger picture. It's a pretty good bet that whites who read will be surprised to read about Jonz's view of the good things they have done, and be inspired to do more.
2665775
I was delighted to see this particular title listed among your Owald Chambers books for sale. I have devoted 15 years to researching and writing about the Biblical roots and influences in early A.A.'s Christian Fellowship. And no one can fully grasp the story of early A.A., its cures, and its principles and practices without understanding the importance that the pioneers attached to the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5 to 7). Sadly, a number of AAs have settled for the belief that Emmet Fox's Sermon on the Mount was the cornerstone of A.A.'s sermon emphasis. No so! The fact is that both A.A. co-founders Dr. Bob and Bill W. stated that the sermon itself contained the underlying philosophy of A.A. And my title The James Club: The Original A.A. Program's Absolute Essentials ([...]) contains a verse by verse study of the three parts of the Bible AAs considered essential--the sermon, the book of James, and 1 Corinthians 13. Hence it is with the Bible itself that A.A. students of spirituality should start. Next, however, they need to know how broad was the supplementary reading. And that is where Oswald Chambers comes in. Dr. Bob and his wife stressed the importance of the sermon, and they read it in their groups and in the early meetings. But Dr. Bob also accumulated, read, studied, and circulated the background sermon books. And I found these among his library (that came into the hands of his son and daughter). I encountered Oswald Chambers's Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, E. Stanley Jones's The Christ of the Mount, Emmet Fox's The Sermon on the Mount, several books by Robert E. Speer that covered parts of the subject, a number of books by Rev. Sam Shoemaker to the same end, several titles by Harry Emerson Fosdick such as The Manhood of the Master, and a number of books by Glenn Clark. And all of these presented a broad field of interpretive writings on Jesus's sermon that enhanced the early pioneers' understanding. And if one takes Chambers's title and sets it alongside Jones's title, he will see that these two writers were, in effect, contending that the gift of the holy spirit without the sermon on the mount in practice was as inadequate as the sermon on the mount in practice without the power of the holy spirit.

I have written two titles, Dr. Bob and His Library, and The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth. Both include Chambers and his studies as favorites. And people who want to get the full depth of the early A.A. Christian believing will profit immensely by looking at this Chambers book.

As an aside, when I contacted Mrs. W. Irving Harris, widow of Rev. Sam Shoemaker's assistant minister, she provided me with a complete set of the Oswald Chambers books indicating these were part of Sam's favorite books. The set has now been donated to the Griffith Library in East Dorset, Vermont; and one can gain a good understanding of the importance of Chambers to the thinking of the New York A.A. ideas taught by Rev. Sam Shoemaker to Bill Wilson and to the Akron fellowship's focus as led by Dr. Bob.

God Bless, Richard G. Burns, J.D.

Incidentally, it would appear that Amazon has erroneously listed my colleague Terry Dunford as the writer of this review, but it is I who makes the review and recommendations.
4675237
In an era where no one seems to know their spiritual ancestors, this is a much needed work.  It complements sourcebooks like Lumpkin's _Baptist Confessions of Faith_ by excerpting theological works by major Baptist (and related baptists) theologians over the centuries.  While I am disappointed at the neglect of 2 17th C. Baptists of major importance, Richard Overton and Gerrard Winstanley, overall I think this was one of the most inclusive collections.  I am known to disagree with the interpretation of E. Y. Mullins held by one of the editors, Curtis W. Freeman, and, for that reason, wish that a different selection had been made of Mullins' work.  Likewise, in addition to the Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail," which is reprinted in many places, I would like to have seen some other selections from King.  Since there is a tendency for white Christians to "tame" King, excerpting the portion of _Where Do We Go From Here?_ which analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of "Black Power," might have awakened many to the radical nature of King's thought.  A selection from his posthumously published _The Trumpet of Conscience_ might also have been useful in that regard.  Still, caveats aside, this is an excellent collection and, with the exception of Mullins, the editors' introductory remarks are usually excellent in helping beginners to interpret baptist theologians with whom they are not familiar.  This "reader" should become a textbook for courses with titles like "Baptist Theologians in Historical Perspective," and should find its way to church libraries and pastor's shelves as an essential reference.  One of the editors, James McClendon, himself a very creative baptist theologian, unfortunately died in 2000.  Hopefully Freeman or Velloso da Silva (now Velloso Ewell) will take up the challenge of the next step:  Convincing a publisher to reprint some of the major works of these baptist thinkers in full.  That way, readers of this volume who get excited by one or more of these "roots" can explore it further without spending months in the "rare book" sections of major theological libraries.
1057960
Though a little dated (over a decade old), "Free at Last" by Carl Ellis, Jr. provides an interesting and needed perspective on African American Christianity. A major premise contrasts militant secular approaches to black self help with Christian religious approaches to spiritual help. One of the most helpful connections made is between Frederick Douglass' view of Christianity and the needed modern view of Christianity. As a "patron saint" of African American history, Douglass shrewdly distinquished between the Christianity of the Bible/Christ and the hypocritical Christianity of the white slave owners. Ellis makes the astute observation that black secularist have been unable to make this same distinction and that failure led to the secularization of a large segment of reactionary black leaders. Not all may agree with Ellis' comparison, but all should ponder his penetrating insights.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph. D., is the author of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Beyond-the-Suffering-Embracing-the-Legacy-of-African-American-Soul-Care-and-Spiritual-Direction/dp/0801068061/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction</a>.
3242116
In his book "Satan Thinks in Black and White - Racism in the Congregations of America" Ronald B. Jimmerson, Sr. maintains that the first step toward stamping out racism in America is to understand the root causes that have resulted in the indoctrination of discrimination and prejudice prevalent in America today. Jimmerson challenges the Christian church to take the lead in building trust and unity truth, confession and forgiveness by actively addressing these issues.

Jimmerson's writing is confrontational and disturbing, thought provoking and convicting. The format of the book is compact with a balance of narrative, illustrations, and topical headings. The copious use of Biblical references adds to the value of the book as a resource tool for future individual or group study.

The reader is encouraged to take a stand against racist ideas and to move along the continuum of the Christian Walk from being a natural, carnal, or social Christian to a Spiritual Christian acting in accordance with the Biblical principles intended by God.

"Satan Thinks in Black and White - Racism in the Congregations of America" takes a serious look at the inroads of Satan's influence on the American church, culture, and history.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review purposes. The opinions expressed are my own.
2113644
When I saw on Twitter that @ScottWilliams was writing a book called&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Church-Diversity-Sunday-The-Most-Segregated-Day-of-the-Week/dp/0892217030/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Church Diversity: Sunday The Most Segregated Day of the Week</a>, I thought, "Cool! It'll probably be a good read; but it won't really relate to me -- I'm not a racist." I mean, the last two churches I have been a part of are diverse, after all. The church I'm in now is small (running about 50 on a Sunday morning) and there is an old black woman and her granddaughter, an Hispanic couple, and an Asian woman (married to a white guy) -- we're doing good with our minority-to-white person ratio! And then I read the book, and discovered that church diversity is more than maintaining a ratio of ethnicity in your local church body. So, what's my dark, little secret?

It didn't really hit me until I was well into the book, and was reading a letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the letter, he speaks to the racist heritage of the Assemblies of God... Bum, bum, bum! That was it. I have been raised Assemblies, and am ordained Assemblies! OH, SNAP! I represent a racist heritage! Great...

The truth is, if you were raised in the United States of America, chances are you have a connection to some sort of racism or segregation. And an even sadder truth (is "sadder" even a word?) is that as Christians in America, we are still seeing it happen week in and week out.

- When you go to church, do you see a church staff that represents the different races, classes, and ethnicities that are present in your community?
- Are there evident attempts by your family, church, or social group that clearly states "Everyone Welcome"?

If the answer is "No", then this book is a must read (even if it is "Yes", still read it). It will rock your world, and cause you to view diversity in the church not just as a cool idea, but as a must. After all, Jesus, in the Great Commission, says to "Go and make disciples of all nations..." (Matt 28:19), not just the ones that look like us.
2843468
So often in the church, individuals take a black and white approach to viewing the world; something is either completely right or completely wrong. As a Christian gay male myself, I have struggled to discern God's will in my life. I have experienced both same-sex relationship affirming churches and same-sex renouncing churches. Neither of these types of churches helped me to discern His will. On the one hand, many same-sex relationship affirming churches appear to be progressing with the times and have a liberal view that does not seem well thought out. In the past, I worried that same-sex relationship affirming churches' did not spend the necessary time in prayer and discernment to try and understand God's will. On the other hand, same-sex relationship renouncing churches also didn't seem to take the time to discern His will either. If God is love, how could these churches show so much hatred to their gay and lesbian brethren?

Pastor Ken Wilson does not hold either extreme view. In this letter, Ken pours his heart out to his congregation and allows them to understand the discernment process he undertook when considering the issue of homosexuals in the church. Pastor Ken offers a "Third Way", a way that is focused on Jesus' calling for all Christians to love one another.
3576324
Ijeoma Oluo has some excellent advice for white folks in "So You Want to Talk About Race." This book may be most helpful to people who think "I'm not racist" or who read about Black Lives Matter and #takeaknee and can't understand why they're necessary. Oluo addresses topics that you may hesitate to raise with black friends, encourages you to revisit your understanding of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X and explains concepts including emotional labor and white privilege. Consider this anti-racism 101.

For white folks ready for the 200-level anti-racism course -- people who are ready to accept that White Supremacy is real and that they've benefited from it -- Oluo offers additional challenges. I especially appreciated her call toward the end of the book to move beyond talk and into action. Find a place, whether it's your kids' school or the local political scene, and use your privilege to help dismantle systems that have done so much damage to people of color.

If you're not ready for this book or don't view discussions of race as a necessary part of your life as a white person, I'd encourage you to read "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates and "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson, both of which led me to empathy and anger and prompted me to speak out in ways I hadn't previously.
4173560
It was most interesting to read the perception of race and racism by a non-American Black.  Adichie tells us that in Nigeria, she never thought about being "a Black", as everyone was the same color.  Coming to America, she was for the first time aware of her skin color.  As a student at Princeton, she was faced with living in an area where beauticians did not know how to handle negro hair.  She made me, a Caucasian, aware of the work it takes for Michelle Obama to keep her relatively straight.

In the book, she is an internet blogger.  She uses the blog as an interesting gimmick to make her cultural commentaries.  I found the book enlightening, not only in it's view of racism in America, but a learning experience about life in Nigeria.  A clearer picture of Nigeria and Nigerians is particularly appropriate at this time as the networks are rife with news about the kidnapping of two hundred school girls.
3972716
Recent trends in the United States seem to point to a constantly lowering importance of religion in public life.  Yet religion persists as an important factor in elections and in policy making.  Grappling with the question of the interactions of faith and politics does not compare in importance to larger, eternal mission of the church, but political life is unquestionably an element of the temporal mission of the church.

In Five Views on the Church and Politics, Amy Black brings together five scholars who describe and discuss their own traditions' views.  Each of these contributes a chapter, to which the other four offer brief responses: Thomas Heilke (Anabaptist), Robert Benne (Lutheran), Bruce Fields (the Black church), James K.A. Smith (Reformed), and J. Brian Benestad (Roman Catholic).

As you might expect from this type of book, each chapter feels just a bit brief.  Each contributor covers the high points of his tradition, while providing extensive sources for those who want to dig in.  The responses highlight the differences among the traditions.  I was left with an impression of varied traditions that have distinctive ways of saying the same things.  Of course, there are differences among these five traditions, but there are many more similarities.

Five Views is a very useful volume for readers looking for a brief synopsis of these five traditions.  Black couches each in categories drawn from Neibuhr's Christ and Culture.  She points out that "these traditions overlap in many significant ways, have borrowed from each other's teachings over time, and continue to learn from one another and change from within."  Five Views did little to dispel my notion that while theological and scriptural traditions certainly inform denominational views on politics, the reverse is also frequently true.  Sometimes those who shape a denomination's position use theology and scripture to defend a political perspective.

At the very least, Five Views will be a useful book for seminary classes on Christian ethics.  But one hopes that lay people and clergy will use Five Views as a starting point for reflecting on their own traditions and the theology behind their own political views.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!