Archive for October, 2008
Reading for Reconciliation
Reading, the act of gathering information from the printed word, is not so simple. In fact, reading can be a dangerous thing. It can change the course of history. It can start a movement. A revolution, however small.
There is not better way to discover the complex crazy world around us and the minds of people [...]
“Skin Again”
Adapted from urbanministry.org
Celebrating all that makes us unique and different, [bell hooks's] Skin Again offers new ways to talk about race and identity. Race matters, but only so much-what’s most important is who we are on the inside. Looking beyond skin, going straight to the heart, we find in each other the treasures stored [...]
“Free to Be Bound”
************* From urbanministry.org *******************
Its a fact: We live in a divided world. Christians have become so immune to the division that we dont notice it infecting the church. But were compelled to live with a worldview that brings unity instead of division. Rediscover the power of faith as one believer crosses the color lines. Jonathan [...]
“Why are all the Black Kids …”
************* From urbanministry.org ***************
Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see black youth seated together in the cafeteria. Of course, it’s not just the black kids sitting together-the white, Latino, Asian Pacific, and, in some regions, American Indian youth are clustered in their own groups, too. The same phenomenon can be observed [...]
“The New Conspirators”
************* From Urbanministry.org ******************
Tom Sine is the emerging church’s answer to Thomas Friedman, realistic yet hopeful for the future of the world and God’s people.
The New Conspirators unhesitatingly portrays how globalization threatens the integrity of ancient cultures, the economic well-being of the most vulnerable, the ecological balance of the world, and the values of Biblical [...]
“My First White Friend”
************** From urbanministry.org *********************
Newspaper columnist, writer and NPR commentator Patricia Raybon admits that she hated whites for years. She even tried unsuccessfully to whip up a similar rage in her parents. But anger got her nowhere. Eventually, in the philosophies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, she found an alternative: forgiveness. The first [...]
“Passing By Samaria”
****** REVIEWED ON URBANMINISTRY.ORG *******
When the discovery of a schoolmate’s lynched body puts her own life in jeopardy, Alena is sent by her parents from her beloved Mississippi home. With thousands of other African-Americans, Alena begins making her way north to the Promised Land of turn-of-the-century Chicago. On the way she meets two men who [...]
“Under God”
****** From Urbanministry.org ********
In the same uncompromising style of Jesus Freaks, bestselling authors Michael Tait and TobyMac of dc Talk now urge readers to take their stand for America’s future–by examining our past. Using unforgettable accounts of both famous and little-known Americans, Under God examines the stories of men and women who forged our nation. [...]
“Choose Me”
Xenia Ruiz explores topics of racial profiling, gun violence, and celibacy in her debut novel. It is a sensual romance between Eva, a Latina single mom, and Adam, and African American author/poet.
The two meet and unexpectantly fall in love. Their greatest challenge is resisting the temptations that follow. Ms. Ruiz’s writing is courageous and it [...]
“Divided by Faith”
****** Editorial Review from http://www.bookschristian.com *********
Through a nationwide telephone survey of 2,000 people and an additional 200 face-to-face interviews, Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith probed the grassroots of white evangelical America.
They found that despite recent efforts by the movement’s leaders to address the problem of racial discrimination, evangelicals themselves seem to be preserving [...]
“Loving Cee Cee Johnson”
************* REVIEW BY DAYSONG REFLECTIONS *************************
In Loving Cee Cee Johnson, Carla Celine Johnson’s assignment forces her to return to her hometown of Pettigrew, North Carolina against her wishes. A successful TV reporter, Cee Cee has lied to the public about her background because of pain and shame. There is no way she wants to go [...]
“Let Justice Roll Down”
In the words of Shane Claiborne, founder member of The Simple Way and author of Jesus for President, John Perkins has fathered ‘a ragtag and dysfunctional spiritual family as diverse as the kingdom of God.’ Let Justice Roll Down is the story of the ragtag and dysfunctional beginnings of the man who would father a [...]
“Grace Matters”
When I read Chris Rice’s book, “Grace Matters: A True Story of Race, Friendship, and Faith in the Heart of the South”, I think this is more than a memoir. This is a confession, an autobiography, a ministry journey all rolled into one.
It is, at once, sobering and encouraging. Sobering in the reality that the [...]
“The Coming Race Wars?”
This book, which Tony Compolo calls a ‘wake up call to the church’ raises many questions about racial reconciliation among evangelicals. As the subtitle states, it is a cry for reconciliation.
Written in the early 1990s, the book is informative but some may find it dense and hard to read at times. William Pannell, a professor [...]
“Reconciliation Blues”
Oh my goodness, why has it taken me so long to get around to reading Ed Gilbreath’s Reconciliation Blues? The subtitle alone (A Black Evangelical’s Inside View of White Christianity) should have had me tearing into it the day it arrived months ago.
Whatever the case, I’m glad I finally cracked the cover. Ed writes [...]
“And Don’t Call Me A Racist”
**************THIS IS A REPOST**************
Here’s a little yellow and white book with a shocking title. Selected and arranged by Ella Mazel, it’s been around since 1998 so you might have seen it. Despite the shocking title, it’s not a finger wagging tsking white-folks-bashing book. And it’s not big but it packs some major punch.
From Ms. Mazel’s [...]
“Heroes in Black History”
Dave and Neta Jackson have produced a modern day classic here. School age youth of all colors can benefit from this resource.
Use it in a Sunday school class (for youth or adults) to as a character study. The highlights traits like boldness, love, and reconciliation using the lives of well-known positive figures in black history [...]
“Gracism”
David Anderson’s little black book turns the war on racism on it’s head. Instead of focusing on talking about not being a racist, he advocates letting grace be our guide to including people of different races, abilities, cultures, and so forth.
Becoming a gracist is a matter of extending honor and dignity to others, particularly those [...]
“Reconciliation”
This book by Curtiss Paul DeYoung, as the subtitle suggests, is a challenging but hopeful look at the need for biblical reconciliation among American Christians. Each chapter ends with probing questions.
At times the book reads like a textbook so it will work especially well for groups that have been working together for some time and [...]
“More More More, Said the Baby”
This children’s book is a collection of three love stories told in gouache paintings. In it, we see the love of a father, a mother, and a grandmother for the children in their care. It’s playful and heartwarming. The repetition can easily be turned into a song for your littlest ones. Pretty soon they’ll be [...]
“Breaking Down Walls”
Initially released on the heels of the LA Riots (1993), this ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award winner strives to be a model for racial reconciliation in difficult racial times. It lives up to that subtitle and then some.
The book is a priceless resource and double biography rolled into one. Using the sometimes-explosive experiences of [...]
“Nina Bonita”
This little children’s book is told in a poetic folk tale style that is sure to delight children and adults that like lyrical prose.
Nina Bonita is a little girl, admired by a talking white rabbit for being ’so black and so pretty.’ Throughout the book, the rabbit tries his best to become black and pretty [...]
“He’s My Brother”
“He’s My Brother” is the story of a black activist (Dr. John Perkins) and a former Klansman (Thomas Tarrants, III). Their stories are told side by side, from the 1970s to the early 1990s, when they met in Washington, DC.
Tarrants tells of his capture, imprisonment, and conversion from the dogmas of Hitler and the Ku [...]
“Shake It …”
“Shake it to the One That You Love the Best” is the full title of this short book of play songs and lullabies from the African American musical tradition.
It’s a toe-tapping, hand-slapping, hip-shaking tribute to most any black little girl’s growing-up days.
Complete with song origins, lyrics (with sheet music) and original art, this book can [...]
“Beyond Charity”
The subtitle of this John M. Perkins classic is ‘The Call to Christian Community Development.’ It is indeed a call, a charge for Christians to something different, something beyond hand outs and programs in the ‘rough’ neighborhoods of America.
In this 1993 book, Dr. Perkins presents his 3 R’s of Christian Community Development. The first R [...]
