When I was a kid, I was taught in school that racism was an issue of the past. I was taught that white people used to own black slaves. I was taught that America went to war over slavery and that after the war the slaves were freed. I was taught that roughly 100 years later white people were still not treating black people well, so a woman named Rosa Parks and a man named Martin Luther King Jr. helped end that. I was taught that skin color didn’t matter, that everyone was equal and everyone had equal opportunity. I was taught that racism had ended.
And then I grew up.
In recent years, the issue of racism has seemed to get more and more attention. It seems like a white police officer shoots an innocent, young, black male every other day and the media fires up a conversation about racism.
As a Christian, I believe that the Gospel gives dignity to every human being. I believe that the Gospel is for every tribe, nation and tongue. I believe that the Gospel is powerful enough to fix our broken relationships with God and with one another. And, for those reasons, racism and the divisiveness that it causes is not okay with me.
We all have different perspectives on racism in America and I picked up this book because I wanted to try to understand perspectives that are different than my own. And this book did not disappoint.
A couple of take-aways:
HISTORY
It is amazing to me how history impacts society. I have never been a history lover, but the more that I discover about the past, the more I understand the present. The history of racism has caused a lot of ripple effects in our society. This book did a great job of unpacking the history of racial issues in America. The history alone is worth the price of the book.
THE FORM OF RACIALIZATION
As a white evangelical male, it is difficult for me to see racism in society. One thing that was helpful was how they showed different forms of racism. Prior to reading this book, I understood racism to be hatred and intentional discrimination. That view was formed mostly by my understanding of the Civil Rights movement and the violence that I’ve seen in videos. I assumed that as long as I didn’t do that, then I was ok. What I realized after reading this book was that racism exists in a lot of different forms.
INDIVIDUALISM VS. COMMUNITY
What the authors found in their research was that racism for a white evangelical is viewed on an individual basis (“I don’t have a problem with blacks and if other individuals didn’t either then racism wouldn’t exist”). But, most blacks view racism as a systemic problem. The issue of individualism is very challenging in white evangelicalism. There is often an over emphasis on our personal relationship with God and very little emphasis (or none at all) on my “white culture.” As a white evangelical, I find no affinity or connection to other people who happen to be white. My perception is that other cultures feel more of an affinity for one other because of their shared history, their shared experiences, their shared language, etc. These opposite approaches to the race issue often make it difficult to have helpful dialogue.
THE CALL TO ACT
Early in the book, the authors said,
"If anyone should be doing something about the racialized society and if anyone has the answers to the race problem, they said it is Christians.”
The authors pointed out the emphasis that Christians put on evangelism and discipleship to the detriment of handling social injustices as well. The book ended by saying:
"Our analysis has not led us to specific solutions for ending racialization, and we will not attempt such a grandiose leap into policy. But this work does suggest some general paths that white evangelicals might want to explore in their quest for racial reconciliation.”
And then,
"With a few exceptions, evangelicals lack serious thinking on this issue. Rather than integrate their faith with knowledge of race relations, inequality, and American society, they generally allow their cultural constructions to shape one-dimensional assessments and solutions to multidimensional problems. This will not do. The first new step evangelicals might consider, therefore, is engaging in more serious reflection on race-relations issues, in dialogue with educated others: What are the problems? In what directions are the United States and its people heading? What influences will class, growing racial-ethnic diversity, changing occupational and political structures, and complex systems of stratification play in altering the landscape of American race relations? How is the problem understood from different racial and ethnic group perspectives? How do individual-level versus group-level phenomena operate differently and simultaneously in the problems of race relations? What solutions have already been tried? What else helpful is currently known about these questions and solutions?”
I thought that this was extremely helpful in getting to the root of the issue of dealing with race in the Church. We must engage this issue through the Gospel-lens. Period.
I did not receive a free copy from a publisher, I joyfully paid for my copy. Therefore, my review is 100% honest and unbiased. Check out more of my reviews at aaronnichols.net
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Reviews with images
Sold a book with manufacturing errors
My book is missing the index, first chapter, etc. It wasnt ripped out. It clearly was never glued in the book. Things happen. But it should not have been sold. It is disgraceful to sell me a book that isn't complete.(I would ask for a replacement but I missed my return window.)
Top reviews from other countries
Carolyn
Insightful study of evangelical faith and race
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2020
Matt_#4456
A Challenging read (thought provoking)
Reviewed in Australia on February 24, 2018