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Jesus and The Disinherited

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I tracked down Jesus and the Disinherited after reading Richard Lischer's fine study of Martin Luther King Jr, Preacher King. Howard Thurman, I had learned, was an influence on Martin Luther King Jr. A scholarly Christian reflecting on the African-American experience, he preached non-violence long before it was fashionable. As the back cover states, this is "an influential book whose message helped shape the civil rights movement and changed our nation's history for ever."
Thurman compares the situation of African-Americans to that of the Jews in the time of Jesus. He analyzes the psychological effects of oppression on individuals. He describes the strategies oppressed people adopt for survival based on fear, deception and hate. Fear teaches our body to avoid confrontation with a member of the dominant community, we use double talk so as not to attract negative attention, and our only possible response becomes hatred which keeps us from moral disintegration.
Jesus' call to love enemies was revolutionary. Genuine love must be a mutual recognition of the dominant and oppressed communities as human beings. Genuine love at an individual level (I hate all Asians, but this person I know to be a human being) may lead to an exceptionalism which does not remove the deep hatred of the others collectively.
Thurman concludes, "What, then, is the word of the religion of Jesus to those who stand with their backs against the wall? ... They must recognize fear, deception, hatred, each for what it is. Once having done this, they must learn how to destroy these or to render themselves immune to their domination." (p. 108)
The power of this book derives from Thurman's own experience of oppression and his analysis of Jesus' own experience of minority. It is not betrayal to love our enemies; it is a victory when the dominant and oppressed communities respect each other as equals.

This book was my first introduction to Howard Thurman but it won't be my last. This gentle yet passionate look at Jesus offers insight into God's and our own relationship with the poor as well as some profound pathways to understanding racism. The cover note on the back reads..."an important and influential book whose message helped shape the civil rights movement and changed our nation's history forever." All I know is that this book has changed my own personal history and I will read it again and again.

Its is purported that Martin Luther King carried this book with him at all times, and upon reading these pages one can see immdiately that this book isn't just a tome of Christianity, but rather a blueprint for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. But in a larger sense this book is a guide for transcending the heartache and humiliation of modern life and renewing one's vision of a spirited public and personal life.

This book is a classic which deserves to be named that. It is one great look at the heart of a decent and kind man, who personally, I believe, saw the heart and mind of God, and wrote accordingly. In this book, we will not find the harsh and intolerant God of the conservative establishment, but the real and kind God of the New Testament. Here we find a Jesus who wants to talk to us, hug us and be our best friend. Yet, this Jesus also wants to defend the poor and at-risk. This is a radical look at a radical man and, to me, savior, Jesus Christ.

Want to know the experience of an African American in America in the thirties and forties, the man who "discovered" Ghandi, went to India, and brought back his message, the man who then taught his students at Boston University School of Theology this message.

One of his students was Martin Luther King.

This short book should be bought, read, and shared.

This book has helped me to better understand the life and ministry of Jesus Christ!!! I would recommend this book to any one that is serious about their relationship with Jesus.

Howard Thurman's commentary on race and religion stands the test of time and addresses the major difference between modern society and true Christianity. It helps many of us who have lived through racism, desegregation and the new racism to obtain 'the same mind that was also in Christ Jesus'.

Howard Thurman, book regarding Jesus and the Disinherited, gave a spirtual informative opinion about the downtrodden condition of any race of people regardless of color. The true existence of Christ should be viewed only as a subject matter instead of an object.

There are certain sections of this book which inform the reader that it was written during an earlier era. However, it would be a mistake to conclude that Dr. Thurman's message is outdated. The reminder that hate sometimes masquerades as "patriotism" is just as necessary today as it ever was. And the fact that Christianity is one of the most segregated institutions on earth is almost as true today as it was sixty years ago when this book was first published.

The challenges for the followers of Christ remain; and the teachings of Jesus, synthesized herein by Dr. Thurman, still offer the best solutions for overcoming the sins that still infect our lives.

The consumate work by this author, if you can read only one book by Howard Thurman, this is the one.