Courage to Hope: From Black Suffering to Human Redemption [Paperback]

Quinton Hosford Dixie (Adapter)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0807009539 | ISBN-13: 978-0807009536 | Edition: 1

A collaborative theology built on African-American religious experience and American spiritual life





Judith Weisenfeld, Albert J. Raboteau, Charles Long, James H. Cone, and many other prized and esteemed voices collaborate to build a new theology based on the African-American religious experience and America's religious landscape. Moving from studies of specific cases in African-American history and theology to discussions of how African-American experiences can and should inform all studies of American life, they uncover the spiritual human soul that unites us and transcends the accidents of the racial, economic, and social identities that keep us apart. The editors call this project a "testament of hope," and it is a powerful tribute to the late James M. Washington, whose intellectual projects, including Conversations with God: Two Centuries of Prayer by African-Americans, were an inspirational search for universality.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This medley of well-crafted essays honors the late James Melvin Washington, a Union Theological Seminary professor and a pioneer in the field of African-American religious history. Washington's various friends, students and colleagues form an august corps of weighty thinkers: co-editor West writes that he misses his best friend of 20 years, with whom he had lunch daily at the Riverside Church. Princeton scholar Albert Raboteau thoughtfully analyzes suffering in the slave experience, while rising star Judith Weisenfeld lucidly chronicles the social construction of race in "Difference as Evil." Washington's colleague at Union, the liberation theologian James Cone, draws on Cone's previous work on Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X to comment upon African-Americans' ongoing "struggle to reconcile their faith in the justice and love of God with the persistence of black suffering in the land of their birth." The contributions are methodologically diverse, ranging from heavily documented historical articles to sermons, open letters and personal opinion pieces. Several essays directly engage Washington's own legacy and work, discussing his groundbreaking history of black Baptists in America (Frustrated Fellowship) as well as his lifelong commitments to racial justice and moral integrity. In all, the anthology pays tribute to a trailblazing scholar while illuminating the social issues that sparked his career. (Nov.)

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This book of essays, collected in honor of the late black church historian James Melvin Washington, is held together by the theme of black suffering and prospects for the future. ContributorsAreligious studies scholars and Washington's former colleagues at Union Theological SeminaryAoffer insight and the hope that the poor can be empowered "to fight the monster." "Why did God permit millions of blacks to be stolen from Africa...and enslaved in a strange land?," theologian James Cone writes. "No black person has been able to escape the existential agony of that question." Two essaysAJudith Weisenfeld's decidedly secular piece "Difference as Evil" and Walter Flurer's analysis of the role spirituality can play in overcoming African American nihilismAstand out. Edited by renowned Harvard theologian West and up-and-coming religious scholar Dixie, this book is "theology [that's] worth the paper that it is printed on." Recommended for large public, seminary, and academic libraries, especially those with special collections in black studies and theology.ASteve Young, Montclair State Univ., NJ
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; 1 edition (November 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807009539
• ISBN-13: 978-0807009536
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb readings in black history and theology., March 3, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Courage to Hope: From Black Suffering to Human Redemption (Paperback)

Some of the best scholars of theology and sociology blend forces to provide a new focus on Afro-American religious experience, presenting specific cases in black history and theology to reveal underlying roots of black suffering. It's difficult to easily categorize Courage to Hope: it offers appeal not just to students of religion, but to those examining black history.

3.0 out of 5 stars A Scholarly Collection of Black History, Religion, and Oppression Essays, January 19, 2012

By 

J. Easmon - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Courage to Hope: From Black Suffering to Human Redemption (Paperback)

After reading the first few pages, one thing becomes quite apparent: the writing is NOT for the layperson.

It is a collection of scholarly essays that delve into African-American history, oppression, and religion. This was a required reading for a seminary class of mine. Most of the students, including me, confessed that THEY struggled comprehending or staying focused on the dry material. This is tragic since the African-American story is full of rich history that includes those components.

Purchase the book if you want to add this scholarly collection to your personal library. But for the layperson, you should consider other books on topics that pertain to such a rich history and culture.

5.0 out of 5 stars New Hope for Liberation Theology, October 26, 2011

By 

Richard R. Charron JD "Richard R. Charron" (Hartford CT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Courage to Hope: From Black Suffering to Human Redemption (Paperback)

Updated work of the 1960s Liberation era. The editor presents authors with varying emphases on the subject matter. Highly recommended.