Deep River and The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death [Paperback]

Howard Thurman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 1975

Dr. Howard Thurman explores how protest and resistance are expressed in spirituals as well as how these songs have been a "spiritual watering hole" in his life..

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

At the time of his death in 1981, Howard Thurman was Dean Emeritus of Marsh Chapel, Boston University, and Chairman of the board of trustees of the Howard Thurman Educational Trust in San Francisco. He also served as Dean of Rankin Chapel, Howard University, Washington D.C.; as professor at Howard University School of Religion, and as Director of Religion Life at Morehouse and Spelman Colleges, Atlanta. Founder of the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco, the first interracial, interdenominational church in the united States, he was honorary Canon of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City.

Poet, Mystic, Philosopher and Theologian, Dr. Thurman authored more than twenty books including, Meditations of the Heart, The Inward Journey, Jesus and the Disinherited, The Centering Moment, The Creative Encounter, The Search for Common Ground and With Head and Heart, his autobiography.

About the Author

When Howard Thurman spoke, he filled the entire room with compassion, truth, keen intellect, and joy. To be in his presence was to experience the drama of life itself-with all its attending conflicts-and to be carried beyond these realities to the Reality of a gracious God whose will is life and wholeness.

Howard Thurman was graduated from Morehouse College and from Colgate-Rochester Theological Seminary. He then became a special student of philosophy in residence at Haverford College with Rufus Jones, the noted Quaker philosopher and mystic. After serving on the faculty of Howard University as Professor the Theology and Dean of Rankin Chapel (1932-1944), he moved to San Francisco to help found the intercultural and interdenominational Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples. In 1953, he became Dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University (1953-65).

Friends United Press and Howard Thurman began their association in 1971 with the paperback edition of The Inward Journey. Since then, twelve other titles have been added to the Thurman paperback series.

Howard Thurman's close relationship to Quakers dates back to 1929 when, he began independent study at Haverford College with Rufus M. Jones. Thurman first discovered Rufus Jones through his book, Finding the Trail of Life. "When I finished (the book) I knew that if this man were alive, I wanted to study with him", wrote Thurman in his autobiography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Friends United Press (May 30, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0913408204
• ISBN-13: 978-0913408209
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Message of the Spirituals, June 24, 2006

By 

Robert W. Kellemen "Doc. K." (Crown Point, IN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Deep River and The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death (Paperback)

Howard Thurman, grandson of an enslaved grandmother, author, philosopher, and writer, offers two books in one with "Deep River" and "The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death." Both volumes describe with amazing insight the depths of meaning held in the slave songs. Thurman provides accurate and detailed background along with experiential wisdom that bring the spirituals to life for all readers, regardless of race.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Sacred Friendships: Listening to the Voices of Women Soul Care-Givers and Spiritual Directors."