On Understanding Black Theology 1
The Books That Have Shaped Me - In Honour of Black History
I am a white male theologian of culture. A few weeks ago, in honour of Black history month, I decided to pull the books off my shelves that have most impacted me in understanding Black theology, Black experience, Black critique of culture. I took a picture of them and put it on facebook here. If someone asked me where do I start understanding Black theology/Black experience), these are the books that shaped me. Again, I’m white. I’m a theologian that wants to understand the history and development of Black theology and experience. Of the many books, these have shaped me. And so to anyone not familiar with the history of the black theology/black experience (I’m talking more than a cursory study of the history of slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow etc) this list might be of help? Just a few of these are by white authors, who bring their own unique interest and perspective to this history. The majority of the books are by Black persons. Some are landmark writings of Black authors that record but also have shaped the Black experience/self understanding. There’s a lot more books than this obviously. More than I can list.
There’s two pictures of books in my original facebook post (you can see it here). . One picture deals with books focused on the history, of the theology, culture and experience of Black persons. The other deals more directly with Black experience itself, often as a Black person living in a White Euro world. Here’s my recommendations on the first. I’ll do the second group before Black History month is over, and FYI THERE ARE SOME BLACK WOMEN IN THAT STACK OF BOOKS!
ON THE HISTORY OF BLACK THEOLOGY/EXPERIENCE
Henry Louis Gates jr. Stoney the Road. (2019) A stunning grappling with the social history of black subjugation by white supremacy between the post Civil War end of slavery and the emergence of the Jim Crow South color line. Read this and learn deeply how sin of exploitation can inhabit a culture, and how black leaders resisted and led a people.
Robert L. Allen, Reluctant Reformers (1974). This text deals with the abolitionist movements, progressive movements and the various white led abolitionist reform movements against slavery, that despite great achievements often still capitulated to racism. For me, this was a stark lesson as to how God uses flawed and sin-ridden people, flawed and sin-ridden movements to still do good things in history. Don Dayton, recommended this book to me, in a meeting we had on discussing my book Reckoning With Power: How the Church Fails When It’s on The Wrong Side of Power. Don told me he roomed with Robert for a couple weeks during some protest movements in the 60’s they were involved in.
Vincent Harding, Hope and History. (2010) The great Vincent Harding, a pastor, historian, scholar, deeply involved with the Civil Rights movement, wrote MLKjr’s Anti war - Viet Nam War speech, was a peace activist working within the Mennonite church, has so many unique insights into the Black experience of the Civil Rights movement, through this wonderful short vignette. We learn the social dynamics of the civil rights movement and how God works amidst horrific violent resistance to His work. Very readable.
Charles Marsh The Beloved Community (2006) At the end of the Montgomery bus boycott 1956, MLKjr said the common goal of the movement God was raising up was not merely the end to institutionalized segregation, "the end is reconciliation, the end is redemption, the end is the creation of the beloved community." This book helped me see in real life historical detail how the Christian faith shapes the work of social justice. It also placed the work of John Perkins in historical context. Well worth the read.
Andrew Draper A Theology of Race and Place (2016) Andrew’s dissertation, nicely edited. Still academic. But it gave an insightful review and analysis of the work of J Kameron Carter and Willie Jennings as it fits within the trajectory of Black theology, but then as you’re reading it, you learn how figures like Raboteau and Cone fit within this narrative. Then you also learn how this fits with other non-Black thinkers like Milbank, McIntyre (playing off Jennings critique of McIntyre). Towards the end there’s a riff/critique of Hauerwas (which missed on a few things in my opinion). All this to say, this book really helped me make sense of the streams of Black theology and the way they inter-relate to one another. It deepened my understanding of Carter and Jennings.
James Cone, Martin and Malcolm and America (1991) No book has helped me more understand the theology of church and culture of Martin Luther King, than this one. A lengthy historiography of the relation between the two figures, MLKjr and Malcolm X, Cone dives deep into each one’s understanding of the idea of America, White America, and the Black relationship to it. I wrote a piece about it here many years ago. I’ve read it three times. It’s important.