Understanding, lament and celebration: Black History Month
At Just Love, we wanted to mark Black History Month by sharing some resources that invite, challenge, and equip us as Christians to engage in the complex truths surrounding the issue of racial justice, long after October ends.
As well as including recommendations from staff, this post includes resources kindly shared with us by Natalia-Nana Lester-Bush. You can find out more about Natalia-Nana’s extensive work in Diversity and Inclusion on their Instagram: @womanup7. We will credit the recommendations throughout the post accordingly.
There are a huge variety of different perspectives and thoughts in the material we’ve collected. We might not and you might not agree with everything included in these resources, and that’s okay – engaging with these different perspectives is an important part of both beginning and sustaining this conversation.
If you’re interested in purchasing any of the books included in this post, we’d encourage you to support a local independent retailer – you can find a store near you here.
The Christian Imagination, Willie James Jennings
‘Why has Christianity, a religion premised upon neighborly love, failed in its attempts to heal social divisions? In this ambitious and wide-ranging work, Willie James Jennings delves deep into the late medieval soil in which the modern Christian imagination grew, to reveal how Christianity’s highly refined process of socialization has inadvertently created and maintained segregated societies. A probing study of the cultural fragmentation—social, spatial, and racial—that took root in the Western mind, this book shows how Christianity has consistently forged Christian nations rather than encouraging genuine communion between disparate groups and individuals… Touching on issues of slavery, geography, Native American history, Jewish-Christian relations, literacy, and translation, he brilliantly exposes how the loss of land and the supersessionist ideas behind the Christian missionary movement are both deeply implicated in the invention of race. Using his bold, creative, and courageous critique to imagine a truly cosmopolitan citizenship that transcends geopolitical, nationalist, ethnic, and racial boundaries, Jennings charts, with great vision, new ways of imagining ourselves, our communities, and the landscapes we inhabit.’
Black and British, David Olusoga
‘Black and British is vivid confirmation that black history can no longer be kept separate and marginalised. It is woven into the cultural and economic histories of the nation and it belongs to us all. Drawing on new genealogical research, original records, and expert testimony, Black and British reaches back to Roman Britain, the medieval imagination, Elizabethan ‘blackamoors’ and the global slave-trading empire. It shows that the great industrial boom of the nineteenth century was built on American slavery, and that black Britons fought at Trafalgar and in the trenches of both World Wars. Black British history is woven into the cultural and economic histories of the nation. It is not a singular history, but one that belongs to us all. Unflinching, confronting taboos, and revealing hitherto unknown scandals, Olusoga describes how the lives of black and white Britons have been entwined for centuries.’
No Future Without Forgiveness, Desmond Tutu
‘The establishment of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a pioneering international event. Never had any country sought to move forward from despotism to democracy both by exposing the atrocities committed in the past and achieving reconciliation with its former oppressors. At the center of this unprecedented attempt at healing a nation has been Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whom President Nelson Mandela named as Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. With the final report of the Commission just published, Archbishop Tutu offers his reflections on the profound wisdom he has gained by helping usher South Africa through this painful experience. In No Future Without Forgiveness, Tutu argues that true reconciliation cannot be achieved by denying the past. But nor is it easy to reconcile when a nation “looks the beast in the eye.” Rather than repeat platitudes about forgiveness, he presents a bold spirituality that recognizes the horrors people can inflict upon one another, and yet retains a sense of idealism about reconciliation. With a clarity of pitch born out of decades of experience, Tutu shows readers how to move forward with honesty and compassion to build a newer and more humane world.’
We Need to Talk About Race, Ben Lindsay
‘From the UK Church’s complicity in the transatlantic slave trade to the whitewashing of Christianity throughout history, the Church has a lot to answer for when it comes to rac‘Understanding, lament and celebration: reading recommendations for Black History Month’e relations. Christianity has been dubbed the white man’s religion, yet the Bible speaks of an impartial God and shows us a diverse body of believers. It’s time for the Church to start talking about race. Ben Lindsay offers eye-opening insights into the black religious experience, challenging the status quo in white majority churches. Filled with examples from real-life stories, including his own, and insightful questions, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of race relations in the Church in the UK and shows us how we can work together to create a truly inclusive church community.’
You can watch a fascinating discussion on similar topics with Ben Lindsay, Guvna B, Rosemarie Mallett and Chine McDonald here.
Women, Race and Class, Angela Y. Davis
‘Ranging from the age of slavery to contemporary injustices, this groundbreaking history of race, gender and class inequality by the radical political activist Angela Davis offers an alternative view of female struggles for liberation. Tracing the intertwined histories of the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements, Davis examines the racism and class prejudice inherent in so much of white feminism, and in doing so brings to light new pioneering heroines, from field slaves to mill workers, who fought back and refused to accept the lives into which they were born.’
Mission Catalyst
‘To more truly hear Jesus, we need to listen to those who look and live like Him. We must find a way to think about the history of Western Christianity that promotes an inclusive memory and fosters belonging. Our sisters and brothers in the majority world church will help shed more light on our understanding of the good news of the kingdom if we are willing to divest ourselves of power. Our Christian imaginations and engagement have to stem from humble recognition that we do not have all the answers. Postcolonialism calls for the stories of the forgotten and unforgotten, excluded and included, orthodox and unorthodox, Black, and white, to listen to each other. Because God is faithful, we can boldly come before Him to ask for help.’
You can access an online version of this issue here.
Reading While Black, Esau McCaulley
‘Reading While Black is a personal and scholarly testament to the power and hope of Black biblical interpretation. At a time in which some within the African American community are questioning the place of the Christian faith in the struggle for justice, New Testament scholar McCaulley argues that reading Scripture from the perspective of Black church tradition is invaluable for connecting with a rich faith history and addressing the urgent issues of our times. He advocates for a model of interpretation that involves an ongoing conversation between the collective Black experience and the Bible, in which the particular questions coming out of Black communities are given pride of place and the Bible is given space to respond by affirming, challenging, and, at times, reshaping Black concerns. McCaulley demonstrates this model with studies on how Scripture speaks to topics often overlooked by white interpreters, such as ethnicity, political protest, policing, and slavery. Ultimately McCaulley calls the church to a dynamic theological engagement with Scripture, in which Christians of diverse backgrounds dialogue with their own social location as well as the cultures of others. Reading While Black moves the conversation forward.’
The Great Azusa Street Revival The Life and Sermons of William Seymour, William Seymour – edited by Roberts Liardon
‘Serving as the “catalyst” of the Pentecostal movement in the twentieth century, William J. Seymour turned a tiny former horse stable in Los Angeles into an international center of revival… “There is no Jew or Gentile, bond or free, in the Azusa Mission,” Seymour said. “No instrument that God can use is rejected on account of colour or dress or lack of education. This is why God has built up the work.” Compiled by Roberts Liardon, author of the bestselling God’s Generals series, The Great Azusa Street Revival features historic accounts, eyewitness testimonies to the power of God, and photos capturing the multicultural, worldwide appeal of Seymour and his ministry. Included are many of Seymour’s stirring sermons and writings, which are still relevant to believers today. Although the revival was short-lived, it produced and exploded the Pentecostal movement around the world. Today, many denominations attribute their founding to the participants of the Azusa Street church, and countless others are linked to this revival.’
What White People Can Do Next, Emma Dabiri
‘Stop the denial. Abandon guilt. Interrogate capitalism. When it comes to racial justice, how do we transform demonstrations of support into real and meaningful change? With intellectual rigour and razor-sharp wit, Emma Dabiri cuts through the haze of online discourse to offer clear advice.’
Further resources: Black Consciousness and Christian Faith Blog, Eleasah Phoenix Louis
We’d love to hear from you – if you have any resource recommendations for learning about racial justice, let us know on our Instagram, or contact us via email. We want this conversation to continue in our movement long after Black History Month finishes, and would love to share your recommendations with our community.
