Over the years, many liberal and radical clergy have lamented that Sunday morning worship has been the most segregated hour in America. This hard-hitting and trenchant paperback is edited by James L. Gorman, Jeff W. Childers, and Mark W. Hamilton, scholars whose selection of 13 essays on "Race and Reconciliation in America" prove that they possess a wide-ranging overview of this tragic history.
In their introductory essay, they consider two polarities: "Encounters of white and black people in the Christian community have produced some of the most heinous ideas and actions in history, but they have also incited beautiful acts of love, kindness, and sacrifice for the marginalized." The book goes on to illustrate that from the 1790s up through the present day, some churches have tried to practice unity while other congregations have fiercely clung to their racial prejudices and in the process obliterated the teachings and ways of Jesus of Nazareth.
Much of the racial hatred and violence comes from segments of our popular culture that have been responsible for "slavery's long shadow" and its lingering destructiveness. The editors' intention is to shed light on the national and Christian past in order to create a future animated by reconciliation, justice, and love.
