Customer Reviews

Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is hard for the reader not to appreciate Gilbreath's burden in this book, and to feel an urge to adopt the ministry of reconciliation in their own sphere of Christian influence. The fact that Gilbreath achieves this goal makes the book worthy of purchase and serious reflection. But I have one major regret about the book that forces me to give it a 4 star rating instead of 5 stars.

Gilbreath is at his most effective when citing real life examples of how racial sensitivities are too often neglected or minimized, and too little change and progress becomes the accepted standard operating procedure within evangelicalism. The hurt, disappointment, and disillusionment that Gilbreath regularly illustrates is real and authentic. As a Caucasian evangelical who thinks racial diversity is an absolutely essential ingredient in all of us becoming more faithful followers of Christ, I lament the kind of barriers and stiffness that provoke the frustration we read about in this book. Like Gilbreath, I can see intellectually the reasons why evangelical institutions too often resist broad-based change and openness on matters that touch on race. But like Gilbreath, I also found myself reflexively saying, 'Stop making excuses and live out the reconciliation mandate! If people get ticked off in the process and funds start to get scarce, that's unfortunate. But there are more important things to worry about, like the condition of the Church." What this book clearly shows is that it's very dangerous and often unrealistic to embrace the ministry of reconciliation thinking it will be easy. To the contrary, the work of reconciliation is heavy lifting, and as Gilbreath shows, many of the best workers who have been at this ministry for years often get weary from it. It's difficult work even on the good days. Gilbreath brings this reality home in ways that are instructive and sobering, while also being appropriately encouraging.

I was very happy to see Gilbreath devote a chapter to Tom Skinner. Skinner's work with the HEA was breathtaking not only in its immediate impact, but also in the generation of prominent reconciliation leaders that followed Skinner and were heavily influenced by him. By focusing on Skinner, Gilbreath, perhaps unknowingly, drives home the reality that many seminaries are Eurocentric in their focus. Very few seminary courses in evangelism and parachurch ministry ever make any mention of Tom Skinner, and this is a profound oversight. It is unnerving to contemplate how a titanic figure in African American evangelicalism in our own time is someone most white evangelicals have never heard of. If anyone needed an object lesson on how our blindspots impact the way we think about the power of faith to bring cohesion to the body of believers, one need look no further than this disconnect. Such disconnects are entirely too common, and even worse, most of us are completely unaware that such disconnects even exist, not to mention how prevalent they are. It's scary to think how much of the surface hasn't yet been scratched, much less explored in-depth.

But as much as I liked the book, I can't quite give it 5 stars for one main reason that might admittedly be a selfish reason. Most of Gilbreath's emphasis in discussing the difficulties of race in evangelicalism focus on the parachurch level, rather than the state of things on the ground in the churches themselves. Churches are not ignored in the book, as chapters 11 and 12 can attest. But at least to me, if someone is looking for some sage and concrete suggestions for how to cultivate reconciliation in the local church, Gilbreath comes up a bit short here. I am of the view that as a rule, churches have no idea how inhospitable they are being to folks who don't 'fit the profile' of their average congregant, even though their church doors are wide open. Many churches are not opposed to racial diversity in the pews, and many endorse the idea in principle. But too often, churches are not intentional about tangibly living out the principle, and often it's because they're not sure how. Gilbreath's book does not tackle this dilemma consistently, and certainly not comprehensively. More than once, Gilbreath tells us that multiracial evangelical churches are on the rise, and he cites this as an example of progress on the reconciliation front. But for some reason, Gilbreath spends relatively little time exploring exactly what these churches are doing to enact their vision of diversity and to create a hospitable environment where folks of varying ethnicities are getting fed spiritually. Chapter 11 offers us one example of one church's approach to worship, but the whole topic deserves a much more extensive treatment than the reader will find here. In the end, I felt like the book was a lot like an almost-great sermon that gives the reader a lot of good information and a great perspective, but doesn't advise the reader on how to apply this great knowledge to their local church situation. It could be argued that it's not Gilbreath's job to hold our hands so pedagogically. But if the ministry of reconciliation is as daunting yet vital a mission as this book rightly contends, it is a disservice not to focus extensively on the varying approaches successful churches have taken to guide evangelicalism to a better place on this issue.

This is an important book for white evangelicals to read. It provides an often unpleasant glimpse into the black evangelical experience, and it is mandatory for us to get in touch with this experience if we have any hope of forging lasting reconciliation and authentic spiritual kinsmanship between the races. But if a reader purchases this book hoping that it will help address the question of 'how can my white evangelical church be more hospitable to non-whites and seriously incorporate reconciliation into its distinctively evangelical mission', the book offers only a cursory treatment, in my view. Ominously, one wonders if this cursory treatment means that we're still way too short on ideas in dealing with this dynamic.

Every now and then someone asks, "Aren't we through with the issue of racial reconciliation yet?" Ed Gilbreath gives a comprehensive response to that question with the insight of a journalist who's been covering the topic throughout his career. This book is written in a very personal, and approachable tone, yet doesn't pull any punches in dealing out the truth. My black friends are responding that this book says exactly how they feel toward the white evangelical church. My white friends are starting to get why this is still an issue. This book is a must-read for people on both sides of the equation who care about making the Church truly reconciled.

Not interested in reading another book about racial reconciliation? Read this one anyway. Gibreath weaves his own story and the stories of other contemporary Christians into the solid framework of history, creating a powerful narrative that subtly shakes the Christian out of complacency on the issue of race.

Without a hint of cynicism, Gilbreath challenges the evangelical church, of which he is an active part, to look at history and learn; to look at the present and change; to look toward the future and grow. The tone is decidedly redemptive, and by the end, you'll be hoping and praying for change in your own heart and church.

I've read a number of books and articles on "race" issues, but none so simultaneously challenging and engaging as this. Gilbreath, whose desire is to be a bridge-building journalist, has got his wish come true in the bold decision to put this gentle tsunami into print.

RB contains less theology than one might expect. Even so, as part memoir, history lesson, journalism, and prophecy, this is a book I'll come back to for...

- the stories of famous (and sometimes infamous) black reconcilers
- the personal unfolding of Gilbreath's own story
- the compelling call to love, that comes not so much through preaching as through a steady wooing over its 186 pages
- the concise summary of a movement and the stubborn hope for its future
-the excellent writing (yes, as a writer, I was paying attention to technique)
- the many ideas for action, folded seamlessly into the text along the way
- a moving conclusion, that brought me to tears, even as it refused to offer pat directions to what Gilbreath understands as a movement in mourning

The book opens with a quote, "I am sick and tired of racial reconciliation." But readers will ultimately find it hard to echo the sentiment. For, to paraphrase another chapter-opening quote, "There are books that ask questions and books that answer."* Reconciliation Blues does both, in a way that will not let us go.


*original quote is from Zora Neale Hurston..."There are years that ask questions and years that answer."

This book has helped me tremendously to understand the state and problem of racism in the American Evangelical Church. It is indeed a sad story.Frankly, after I read several chapters and stories from the book about those who have been victimized and belittled because of their race, I asked: Is there hope for racial reconciliation and unity in the church today in America? The church has failed to embrace and celebrate biblical diversity in her midst.

Gilbreath has done a great service to the church, walking her through the pain and suffering of racial division and segregation in Christian institutions. The author presents a careful, well-written expose of the current state of the subject-matter. The most comfortable thing is Gilbreath still believes change is not the last thing to hope for; racial harmony can happen between different racial and ethnic groups when each learn to hear each other's experience, concern, hope and support the differences. Such a goal is not easy to attain, it will require hard and persisent effort on the part of both groups and individuals (e.g. whites, blacks, hispanics, asians, etc)

As a tenured white Christian, I grew up in a very bigoted community, went to a bigoted school, and grew up thinking "white flight" was just the way it was. I was convinced that going to a church in a multiethnic community had solved many of my ill-conceived notions of race. Like Mr. Gilbreath writes in the first line of his book, "I am sick and tired of racial reconciliation," so was I. Or so I thought. As the chapters of the book unfolded, I found myself getting angrier and angrier at the perceived "stones" that Mr. Gilbreath was throwing at the "church." And then my heart broke. I finally understood the ignorance I had toward a community that was oppressed; that I, unknowingly, oppressed. As Christ longed for us to love our neighbors, that process begins with getting to know our neighbors. I strongly believe that all believers need to have the veil of ignorance lifted by this book, so that the discussion, (and healing) can then begin.

Mr Gilbreath writes of his experiences in the mostly white headquarters of evangelical denominations. Some of the white executives and decision-makers were blind to racial problems and didn't seem very willing to make any real changes in their policies and priorities.
Mr Gilbreath is short on explanations for the presence of racism and offers very little advice on how to deal with it. He is very tempted to do as many in his shoes have done: move to all Black organizations.
I'm afraid this is like most modern exposes, whose only conclusion is "Ain't it awful!"

Everyone views the world along an angle of vision that affects both how he interprets the world and lives within it. That angle of vision itself is formed by, among other things, time and place and creed and culture, not to mention the postmodern troika of race, sex, and class. To understand why a person interprets the world the way he does, then, we must begin by understanding the person.

Edward Gilbreath is editor at large for Christianity Today and editor of Today's Christian. These are two mainstream evangelical publications, placing Gilbreath firmly in the evangelical camp. In America, evangelicals are predominantly white, but Gilbreath is black. That status as a black evangelical gives Gilbreath a unique angle of vision, which he writes about in Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity.

In a moving paragraph, Gilbreath describes "the loneliness of being 'the only black,' the frustration of being expected to represent your race but being stifled when you try, the hidden pain of being invited to the table but shut out from meaningful decisions about that table's future. These 'reconciliation blues' are about the despair of knowing that it's still business as usual, even in the friendly context of Christian fellowship and ministry."

Gilbreath's story is not unique. Although much of Reconciliation Blues is autobiographical, Gilbreath also writes about such pioneering black evangelicals as evangelist Tom Skinner, publisher Melvin Banks, and activist John Perkins, not to mention other lesser-known pastors and professionals. They trod (and continue to tread) a lonely road within evangelicalism's predominantly white subculture.

Historically, that subculture was not friendly to black demands for civil rights. White evangelicals sat out the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s. Or worse, they rooted against its heroes. Gilbreath tells the story of Dolphus Weary who, as a student at Los Angeles Baptist College (now The Master's College) heard white students laughing at the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Of course, that event is forty years in the past, and Gilbreath concedes that white evangelicals have made progress in their racial attitudes. But there are still blindspots. Gilbreath mentions the 2004 brouhaha over LifeWay Publisher's VBS curriculum, Rickshaw Rally, whose stereotyped artwork offended many evangelical Asians. Rather than admitting offense, LifeWay dug itself into a hole defending the curriculum.

For Gilbreath, as for many black evangelicalism, part of the problem with white evangelicals is institutional racism, defined by sociologist James Jones as "those established laws, customs, and practices which systematically reflect and produce racial inequities in American society."

Examples of this kind of racism include "the failures of public education (why are inner-city schools devoid of proper resources?), imbalances in our nation's criminal justice system (what's with the inordinate number of black males in prison?), and the inability of African Americans and other minorities to keep pace with their white counterparts (why do some banks charge higher rates on loans to African Americans and Latinos?)."

These examples of evangelical insensitivity and institutional racism raise political questions that make white evangelicals uncomfortable. Two of the more challenging chapters in the book are back-to-back chapters on politics: "Is Jesse Jackson an Evangelical?" and "God Is Not a Democrat or a Republican." Jackson is a lightning rod of controversy among conservative white evangelicals, both for his politics and for his personal indiscretions, but he is viewed with admiration by many in the black evangelical community for his social concern. Indeed, his heir apparent at Operation Push is a Bible-believing, black evangelical pastor named James Meeks. And while in the abstract many white evangelicals agree that God is not a partisan, they still have problems with the concrete practice of voting for Democrats that is so prevalent in the black evangelical community.

(Indeed, after reading Gilbreath, I began to wonder whether politics is a stalking horse for race in contemporary American culture. That is to say, I began to wonder how much of the tension between white and black evangelicals is due to political differences rather than racial ones.)

Gilbreath tells his story and provides challenging analysis, but throughout this book, his main concern is racial reconciliation among evangelicals. This was a prominent them among evangelicals in the 1990s. Promise Keepers made racial reconciliation one of its seven key promises. And white Pentecostal denominations (such as the Assemblies of God) disbanded the all-white Pentecostal Fellowship of North America and joined with black Pentecostals and others to form the multiracial Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches of North America in 1994 (the so-called "Memphis Miracle").

Unfortunately, racial reconciliation has fallen on hard times. The first sentence of Gilbreath's book is the sentiment of a black female friend of his: "I'm sick and tired of racial reconciliation." And the Epilogue of the book describes a November 2005 conference of dispirited racial reconciliation leaders, Gilbreath among them. Despite the history, heartache, and hard work, Gilbreath isn't giving up on the dream of reconciliation. "I think about Jesus' prayer for his followers, `that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you sent me' (John 17:21)."

As I said at the outset of this review, everyone has an angle of vision. Gilbreath has his, and I--white, Pentecostal, and politically conservative--have mine. But surely Jesus' angle of vision is the one that counts, the one that calls us to work through our differences to a higher unity based on our common life in him!

As an African-American male who is a member of a predominantly white Evangelical mega-church, the title of this book jumped out at me, and that's why I was so eager to read it. I found the book to be very interesting, with many poignant history lessons, and I could definitely relate to the different prisms through which Christians from different racial backgrounds see God in our great country. Mr. Gilbreath does an excellent job, even using examples from his own life talking about the challenges, triumphs and setbacks in regard to racial-reconciliation. I wish many more people would read this book, because even though it is a touchy subject, I believe that Mr. Edward Gilbreath handles it with class and fairness and shows that he truly has a heart for reconciliation. I highly recommend this book to all Christians regardless of your racial or denominational background.

I've given up on racial reconciliation quite a few times. The first time was shortly after I discovered it due to my inability to sleep peacefully as I grappled with my newfound understanding of ethnocentrism. The second was when my Asian American husband and I left the segregated and monocultural Midwest for the more integrated and diverse landscape of the East Coast (where racism no longer exists, or so we thought...). The third was when the African American pastor of our mostly white urban church resigned, citing racial reasons as one of dynamics that shadowed his pastorate. The fourth and most recent was when we returned to rural Indiana to a landscape of, shall we say, far more (white) milk than (brown) honey. However, it gets a bit tricky to walk out completely on racial reconciliation when you're married to someone of another race.

Although I am white, I daily face racial issues through my children and husband. While I easily blend into the crowd, they never do, and I am regularly privileged to experience life through their eyes. In his book Reconciliation Blues: a Black Evangelical's View of Christianity (Intervarsity Press, 2006), Edward Gilbreath offers a similar gift. With painful honesty, he shares his experience of being an African American evangelical Christian in a white dominated church culture. Confronting the majority notion that racism in the church is not a pressing issue, Gilbreath observes that "something is still broken." He offers examples not only from his own life, but also from other African American Christians who struggle to interact with and trust white evangelicals.

While he concedes that the church has come a long way from the days of slavery, segregation and lynching, he still questions if we have come far enough, citing the lack of diversity in many Christian organization, and the white majority's unwillingness to genuninely submit to leaders from other cultures.

Gilbreath begins by describing his experience being the only black person in many evangelical Christian institutions and organizations. He speaks candidly of how he is often expected to speak for his entire race, and to `give in' to the white majority's unacknowledged ignorance of other cultures. "Many days the weight of it all leaves me exasperated," he writes. "Sometimes in the silent thumping of my heart, I am haunted by the thought that I will always carry the mantle alone - terrified by the realization that, on a daily basis, if I do not speak up to voice a nonwhite perspective, it will go unheard."

In addition to sharing about his personal experience, he offers portraits of other publically known black Christians such as Tom Skinner, Martin Luther King, Jr., and (gasp!) Jesse Jackson. Offering a fair treatment of each figure, he shows how their influence has both affected and been received by a white evangelical audience. He even explores how hot-button issues like political associations and cultural over-generalizations effect race relations within the church.

While a powerful read for those already in the throes of the reconciliation movement, I would also highly recommend Reconciliation Blues for those who have not yet entered. While the issue of racism - especially in the church - is never an easy one, Gilbreath addresses the issue much with gentleness and grace. His vulnerability is a sigh of relief for other nonwhite believers who share his experience of isolation, and a challenge to those of us who too often forget how much we have to learn.