The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice, From the Civil Rights Movement to Today [Hardcover]

Charles Marsh (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0465044158 | ISBN-13: 978-0465044153 | Publication Date: December 28, 2004

Speaking to his supporters at the end of the Montgomery bus boycott in 1956, Martin Luther King, Jr.- then a young minister only two years out of divinity school - declared that their common goal was not simply the end of segregation as an institution. Rather, “the end is reconciliation, the end is redemption, the end is the creation of the beloved community.” King’s words reflect the strong religious impetus behind the civil rights movement in the South in its early days. Consciously emphasizing the Judeo-Christian roots of their convictions, civil rights leaders at the time saw their ultimate purpose as building a “beloved community” on earth. In their quest for social justice, the radical idea of Christian love, specifically through the practice of nonviolence, would transform the social and political realities of twentieth-century America. By the end of the 1960s, that exuberant vision of the beloved community had come apart, lost to disillusionment and secular radicalism. But as noted theologian Charles Marsh shows, the same spiritual vision that animated the civil rights movement remains a vital-and growing-source of moral energy today. In moving prose, Marsh traces the history of this vision over the past four decades, from the racial reconciliation movement in American cities to the intentional communities that church groups have founded. His portraits of faith-based social justice initiatives-including Eugene Rivers’ Azusa Christian Community in Boston and Koinonia Farm in Georgia-offer a stark contrast to the usual media portrayal of Christian activism. Despite the odds against it, the pursuit of the beloved community continues to foster racial unity and civic responsibility in a divided American culture. With The Beloved Community, Marsh lays out a exuberant new vision for Christian progressivism, and simultaneously reclaims the centrality of faith in the quest for social justice.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In this ambitious, wide-ranging book, Marsh, a religion professor at the University of Virginia, argues that the Civil Rights movement was, at its core, a Christian attempt to forge a "beloved community" of believers who identify with the poor and dispossessed and seek justice on their behalf. As his alternative telling unfolds, he introduces readers to a Martin Luther King Jr. they may not recognize (one who looked forward to a life of privilege and comfort until he was forced into leadership of the Montgomery Bus Boycott), as well as lesser-known figures such as Koinonia farm founder Clarence Jordan and Voices of Calvary founder John Perkins. Both of these men, like many others featured in the book, came to activism by way of Christian faith and belie the popular notion of "the civil rights movement as a secular movement that used religion to its advantage." Marsh laces his narrative with powerful critiques of secularism—among both activists and academics—and of white evangelical Christians for shallow, ineffectual concern for the poor and for people of color. He ends on a positive note, however, citing example after example of contemporary Christians eschewing lives of middle-class comfort in favor of attempts to build the beloved community in the most troubled corners of America.
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From Booklist

Marsh brings fresh perspective to the civil rights movement and the role of religion in social reform. Lamenting efforts by historians to secularize the civil rights movement, Marsh asserts that Christian principles of healing, reconciliation, and redemption were at the heart of the movement. Martin Luther King Jr and others sought not just social justice and national redemption but the "creation of the beloved community" to include citizens of all races living in peace and overcoming a long history of hatred and oppression. Marsh explores the theology behind the more radical approach of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the intentional interracial communities that continued efforts at reconciling religion and social reform. Recounting the struggles for racial justice and the spiritual tumult engendered in that search, Marsh offers personal portraits of courage rooted in faith as well as the ongoing debates about personal relationships with Christ and liberation theology and continued tensions between fundamentalists and social progressives. This fascinating, compelling book will appeal to readers with broad interests in religion and social justice. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (December 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465044158
• ISBN-13: 978-0465044153
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #718,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles Marsh is professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia and director of the Project on Lived Theology. He was born in Alabama and spent most of his childhood years in Mississippi. Marsh is the author of six books, including the forthcoming "Welcoming Justice: God's Movement Toward Beloved Community", which he co-authored with John M. Perkins, the civil rights activist and pastor. His book "God's Long Summer: Stories of Faith and Civil Rights", won the 1998 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. He is currently writing a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian executed by the Gestapo in 1945. Marsh was a recipient of a 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, Potent, Compelling, Informative, and Vital, March 14, 2005

By 

S. Wispelwey (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice, From the Civil Rights Movement to Today (Hardcover)

'The Beloved Community' should be required reading for anyone even peripherally interested in issues of social justice, the civil rights movement, and "moral values" - especially for how all three intersect in carefully processed and thorough arguments as they do here. I've had no problem recommending it to college professors (for their classes), friends, and colleagues - and so far a nice handful of them have picked it up and agreed with my opinion of the book. In light of the 2004 Election, the blather made about "moral values" (and what constitutes a 'moral value') and the splash made by Jim Wallis's 'God's Politics' - I'd say I'm more glad Marsh's book came my way in terms of relevancy, weight, and approach.

While it may seem at first glance that this is no more than a "history book" written to prove a point, to stop there and say it doesn't have a "vision for America" would come up short. Marsh's deeply rooted and researched (all backed up by copious notes/bibliography) historical approach serves as a unique and ultimately more vibrant catalyst for the future by the time I worked my way up to present day.

I'd love to keep writing about it - but suffice it to say - 'The Beloved Community' makes the last 50 years compelling and relevant in America in the stories about the Civil Rights Movement and all its diverse characters (the chapters on MLK, L'Abri, and John Perkins especially grabbed me). Furthermore, Marsh spares neither the right or the left in their inability to truly confront social injustice in a Godly way, but his critiques are done with fact, dexterous argument, and the healthy reminder that for many people, their citizenship comes not from the right or the left in the end, but from above - and it is in that direction that we must ultimately answer on these vital issues of justice, faith, poverty, racism, etc.

As a recent college graduate working for a non-profit on global issues, I found it extremely encouraging, challenging, and welcome. I highly recommend 'The Beloved Community' for pastors, professors, students, and any "secular"/"religious" book group/discusions that you might be a part of. It's a solid, legitimate discussion piece and definitely worth having on the bookshelf. And then you can tell everyone to read a book that they haven't heard about yet! 'The Beloved Community' demands to be grappled with here and now. Hopefully you'll enjoy (and wrestle with) it like I did.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging and Inspiring, March 15, 2005

By 

M. STUART (dallas, tx) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice, From the Civil Rights Movement to Today (Hardcover)

If there were a way to give all Americans a required readinglist, this book would be at the top. Not to diminish the enjoyment of reading Marsh's eloquent writing and gripping storytelling, but the Beloved Community communicates several extremely important socio-historical lessons. In addition, the nebulous term "faith," which has been thrown around in political rhetoric and sappy talk shows, takes on a powerful definition in the real, concrete historical events and characters of the civil rights movement. Much of the unique value in this book is Marsh's ability to connect the civil rights movement of the 1950s & `60s with today's torch-carriers of the vision for beloved community. Those who work for civil rights today (whether on a broad political level or at the simple grassroots level of volunteering at the local shelter) will be challenged by the determined, sturdy spirit of the early civil rights leaders who had such assurance of God's will for social healing that they endured external persecution and internal conflict without abandoning the vision. At the same time, today's leaders will be encouraged by Marsh's account of other contemporary activists seeking redemptive reform in society through the church (if not in the church, as well).

Since we cannot have a universal required reading list, then this book will already be an easy choice for anyone working, volunteering, or advocating for social justice and healing. It will be a convicting book for American Christians who will see that faith really does move mountains and then wonder if we are living so boldly. This book would be a great tool for discussion groups or Bible studies as it provides a balance of thick historical narration and intelligible commentary, leaving room for others to apply meaning and relevancy themselves. Finally, the Beloved Community will also appeal to anyone who appreciates history, sociology, or theology.