Beyond Roots: In Search of Blacks in the Bible (Paperback)

by William Dwight McKissic Sr (Author), Anthony T Evans (Foreword)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Renaissance Productions (June 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962560502
• ISBN-13: 978-0962560507
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #108,629 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Reference Guide for African-American Evangelicals, February 19, 2000

By A Customer

If you're tired of hearing that Egypt is always used as a type for sin in the Bible or that Moses' wife came from a place with a similar name to the ancient name for Ethiopia but not from Ethiopia certainly, this book helps you get past the racism in so much of fundamentalist evangelical Christianity today. I once heard a well-known white preacher say something like "The Ethiopian eunuch is the biggest fool in the Bible!"

I've given copies of this book especially to African-American young men who feel that trusting Christ as Savior is selling out and turning your back on your race. This book helps young people to see that much of what they hear are cultural biases and not from the Bible.

With the aid of Rev. McKissic, African Americans can discover the part that Africa did play in biblical times and get a great historical perspective. You can love Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and not have to give in to Uncle Tom theology at the same time.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every American Christian needs to read this book, September 20, 2000

By	Baltic Books "Vic" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

In my mind Dwight McKissic's book is one of the two best volumes on the Black heritage in the Bible. This little book is an eye-opener that every Christian in America-- black and white should read.

How many times have we taken for granted the children's Bible story books that completely dominate the Christian retail market with their little white Jesus, white Moses etc.? The absolute truth is that Jesus and virutally every major major Bible character was a person of at least some color. You'll never take that for granted again.

McKissick is not delivering an political Afro-centric rewriting of history here. He is simply following principles of sound Scriptural exegesis that confirm what biology would tell you about the origin of races.

Having done a substantial amount of advanced research on this topic myself, I will say that I support McKissick's conclusions fully-- There areindeed numerous generations in Jesus genealogy that include people of color-- black color... That to be the father of all races, the first families of Adam and Noah had to be families of color.

I strongly encourage you to read this book. Also as a companion volume, you should look for Anthony T. Evans book, "Are Blacks Spiritually Inferior to Whites?: The Dispelling of an American Myth".

There are some volumes presenting material and views that go beyond rules sound Biblical interpretation. McKissick's and Evans' are not among those. They will dramatically affect your view of race in relation to the Bible and everyday life. The bottom line-- after reading this book, you will know that Jesus is a Savior from and for all races, not just one.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You gotta read this book!!, June 27, 2003

By A Customer

I got this book as a gift in an organization in college. It sat on my shelf until I was bored one day. I read this book and it has changed my way of thinking. It's not an Afro-centric book, but it does challenge the way most Christians in America think. It's a scholarly book, but it's not overwhelming. A point that stood out for me was the fact that Adam was made of the dust, soil, or dirt (whatever your translation) of the ground. Dust, soil, and dirt are all full of color. It can be brown, red, black, etc. but I've never seen it as white. There are no assumptions that everyone in the Bible is black, but it does make valid points that many of the people were people of color. McKissic doesn't just throw it out there and state claims. He backs everything up with research and the Scripture. I was impressed.