Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism
What if racial reconciliation doesn’t look like what you expected? The high-profile killings of young black men and women by white police officers, and the protests and violence that ensued, have convinced many white Christians to reexamine their intuitions when it comes to race and justice.
In this provocative book, theologian and blogger Drew G. I. Hart places police brutality, mass incarceration, anti-black stereotypes, poverty, and everyday acts of racism within the larger framework of white supremacy. He argues that white Christians have repeatedly gotten it wrong about race because dominant culture and white privilege have so thoroughly shaped their assumptions. He also challenges black Christians about neglecting the most vulnerable in their own communities. Leading readers toward Jesus, Hart offers concrete practices for churches that seek solidarity with the oppressed and are committed to racial justice.
What if all Christians listened to the stories of those on the racialized margins? How might the church be changed by the trouble they’ve seen?
“This book is a gift from the heart of one of the sharpest young theologians in the United States. Hold it carefully, and allow it to transform you—and our blood-stained streets.”—Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution
Free downloadable study guide available here.
In this emotionally wrenching yet accessible book, Hart—theologian and minister—provides an overview of the systemic racism that nonwhite people, particularly African-Americans, face in the U.S. today, as well as the responses of Bible-based Christian theology. Hart uses a mixture of personal anecdotes, research, and explications of Jesus’s New Testament teachings to show that the church has not provided racial justice. Hart’s voice is friendly and warm, despite the heaviness of the subject matter, and once the problem has been thoroughly outlined and dissected, he presents practical suggestions and a call to action for Christians. The book provides a notable amount of information given its relatively short page count. Though much of the material will be familiar to anyone who has read more extensively about racial justice or Jesus’s approach to equality, the book has a savvy and balanced blend of the topics that should serve as a useful introduction for Christians of all races who haven’t yet understood the full scope of the problem and been inspired to enact change.
Product Details
- Title : Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism
- Author: Hart, Drew
- Publisher: Herald Press
- Publication Date: 2016
- ISBN: 9781513800509
<p style="font-size:1.4em;text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.heraldpress.com/titles/TroubleIveSeen/FreeChapter/">Click here</a> to download a free chapter!