always on fire.

below i will highlight some of my topical readings during this summer of unrest. my hope is to share a glimpse into my own continual educative process with you all, as well as encourage you in your own learning and growing. and this in the hope that we can all understand how to live in this world together a little better, understanding better the heart of Christ and how to emulate that in our broken world. if we are truly to love God and those around us, i believe we need a constant, life-long process of learning.

thus, from the below readings and more and my time in the bible, there has been an overarching theme guiding my thoughts recently. namely, when the voices of the oppressed cry out in rage, who are we, the mostly comfortable, to say they are not actually oppressed? should we not listen? i think of mark chapter 5, when Jesus is summoned to heal the daughter of a synagogue leader and an ailing woman reaches out to touch His robes to be healed. and in that incredible, miraculous moment, Jesus stops the procession, stops the crowd, and brings the focus on to the woman. He shunned the disciples’ hurry and, the text says, stayed to hear the woman’s ‘whole truth’. this probably wasn’t a thirty second overview, but a long description of twelve years of suffering. her whole truth. and the crowd was forced to listen. and in this act Jesus told them all, here is the woman deemed unclean who is now clean; you have all been guilty of ostracizing her and now she will be welcomed back into your communities. i see strong parallels in this story with america today. people of color in america have been oppressed. this is historical and present fact that i will not allow to be argued over or pooh-poohed. they are crying for justice. let us hear the whole truth.

the rundown of books:

–the cross and the lynching three by james cone: often more of a history of lynching in america than a theological treatise, this book is heavy. yet cone shows the ways that, while black americans processed their position in society through writing, music, and rebellion, the white american church turned away from the stark reality of extrajudicial killings of black people for decades that went wildly unpunished. even great theologians didn’t think open gang murder of black people was a serious problem. yet in the figure of the lynched black body cone sees the figure of our Christ, killed by absurd violence. there are deep theological implications here, for our country and for our own souls.

–so you want to talk about race by ijeoma oluo: this was honestly one of my recent favorites. the author breaks down giant social concepts and history into such wonderfully indicative stories and vignettes that, though the subject matter was often harsh, this book was a joy to read. if you need a place to start in all this and aren’t afraid of a few curse words thrown in, this would be a great book for a down to earth overview of the issues.

–why i’m no longer talking to white people about race by renni eddo-lodge: though she brings a british view on racial issues, much parallels and can be applied to situations in america today. the author gives an overview of the racial history of britain and describes the frustrations of being black in a society geared towards whiteness.

–white fragility by robin diangelo: ok so this one is much maligned nowadays, and while i agree with the detractors, there are some good ideas to digest for us white people. if you find yourself defensive about all the race talk in the nation or ruffled at being called a racist for that one joke or comment, or are just a white person who hasn’t really had to think much about race, then this book can help you unpack that. but, as many people of color are pointing out, all this can be learned from people of color and it is very important that white people learn from people of color. so read this book and then go read the above two books and others (check the previous blog post for further recommendations).

–the color of compromise: the truth about the american church’s complicity in racism by jamal tisby: the title and subtitle here certainly say a lot about the scope of the book. much of modern church history in america (and elsewhere) has been characterized by widespread attempts to maintain the ‘status quo’. as in, the traditional norms of society are how things should be, and, sure, they’re not perfect, but we can’t change things too fast. such was the sentiment of the pastors who wrote to martin luther king, jr. while he was in the birmingham jail, suggesting that he leave town so that they could settle racial problems their own way. king’s response was brilliant and essentially held little hope for the white church in america when it came to true justice and actually being like Jesus. the example we have in Jesus is one that pushes against ‘tradition’ and ‘the ways things have always been’, pushing us towards a closer life with God (see His many encounters with the religious leaders for a plethora of examples). if you find yourself curious about this history, or feeling shame over what you already know, or if you are grumbling about all the protests, please read this book.

–the origins of totalitarianism by hannah arendt: whatever your political stance, i suggest you take in this sharp analysis of culture and politics in the western world. several decades old, the work is dated in a number of ways (still using the term ‘savages’ to describe non-western peoples? really?), but her description of the undermining of political and democratic power for the sake of ‘national’ goals and identities is something we can all learn from. i walked away from this book haunted. there is way too much in america these days that smacks a lot of russia and germany in the 1930s. i’m not saying we’re doomed (yet), but that we all need to be very aware of what happened then and what is happening now. and i would doubt very much that Jesus would want us to disregard the image of God in others for the sake of some idea of what a man-made nation is; such as the nazis removing the jews as being good for the german people and thus the right thing to do. (and if you believe that america hasn’t or doesn’t do that kind of stuff, please take a good look at native american reservations and the southern border.)

–go, went, gone by jenny erpenbeck: speaking of humanization of others outside one’s own national boundaries, here’s a wonderful little novel about a german man coming to know and befriend refugees. the book shares refugee stories as well as detailing the mental and emotional processes of the man, his new friends, and the society around them. if you want to know what it is like to work with refugees in such settings (as in, what life and ministry where like for us recently in glasgow), this is a great read. i had a lot of nostalgic emotions. but read it to understand more of a reality of millions in our broken world and your possible role in the alleviation of those terrible situations.

–the dispossessed: a story of asylum and the us-mexican border and beyond by john washington: and speaking of refugee issues, holy cats this one was heavy but necessary. the author mixes history and tales of his own journeys along the migrant routes of central america, weaving them into the narrative of one salvadoran man’s many attempts to enter and stay in the united states. the author gives a sense of the prevalent threat of violence that force many to flee and the dehumanizing absurdities that await them along the southern u.s. border. whether you agree with america’s heavy-handed crackdown on the border or not, these stories need to be absorbed and acknowledged.

–the very good gospel by lisa sharon harper: and then there’s this book. i had such joy during it’s entire duration. it was incredible that one could speak of the brutal realities of our history and our present and yet still instill such deep hope. often focusing on the early stories of genesis, this book is all about the redemption God is working into being and our role in that work, the reflection of this godly work in the things we believe, the actions we take. and how do we realize the great shalom, the peace of God, in our lives and world today. such a challenging and beautiful work, it was a breath of fresh air.

–the myth of the american dream by d.l. mayfield: a reflection on culture and religion, mayfield examines the beliefs about what america is versus the realities of those for whom the ‘american dream’ doesn’t quite work: the immigrants, refugees, the poor. as in, someone in china has more of a chance of rising out of poverty than someone in the states. ‘people that love God can also love systems of death’, she states. so what does it mean to follow Jesus when the surrounding culture claims Jesus while ignoring His actual words? we need to listen to the people at the margins and understand the bad to move towards something better. with personal stories and societal critiques, this book is concise and thought-provoking.

–the violence of love by oscar romero: salvadoran archbishop oscar romero was shot by government assassins in 1980 while he held the eucharist before his congregation. for years previous he had spoken truth to the corrupt and violent powers of his country, had empowered the poor to embrace the mission of Christ and also to refuse to accept the rampant dehumanization from their own government. for such truth-bringing he was labeled a subversive, a communist, a radical, and murdered. but his words, thankfully, live on, and show us how to embody the mission of Jesus in a violent and broken world.

–tear gas by anna feigenbaum: a short history of the uses of weaponized gas from the battlefields of world war one to the streets of today, and very interesting. i include it here for the analysis of the police use of gas around the world, the regulations around its use, and the industry that profits from the suppression of citizens doing what governments allow them to do on paper (and for more on the global industry of borders and crowd control, check out todd miller’s empire of borders). there are even resources for those protesters out there to track where and who the tear gas used against you came from, so you can then track how such companies are linked to your politicians. fun!

–the end of policing by alex s. vitale: i mentioned this book in an instagram post when the protests were really picking up in june. many are advocating for the complete removal (or at least wide dismantling of) police departments across the nation. this book details the history of the police in america (yes, originally started as slave catchers and such), and their gross abuse of power over the decades. the police, in short, have ever been the tools of those in power. and when police officers flood the streets in wars on drugs and the like, the crime rates skyrocket. but when social services are made widely available in every neighborhood, crime rates decrease because the reasons for crime are addressed. this is the world the author points to, one where police are not necessary and our communities are treated with holistic care rather than contempt. yes, this advocates a drastic restructuring of the societies many of us have grown comfortable with, but doesn’t such a vision of empathy and community development look like what the church should be?

i hope that you seek some of these books out and read them. many are free on library borrowing apps like hoopla (my favorite). if you have little time for more reading, i will simply say that listening to audio books while doing the dishes is truly a game-changer. if you have thoughts, suggestions, critiques, or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. i’m still reading and adding to this list, so let me know what you have been reading, too. have fun learning and growing. peace to you all.