Reading for Change:

Some Books That Changed How I View Race in America and in the Church

Over the last 10-15 years, I’ve made it my quest to carefully audit the books I read. For most of my adult life, I read almost exclusively authors who were white men. Hey, don’t get it twisted — some of my best friends are friends of white men (yes, that was supposed to be funny). Not as funny, I’m a white man myself, and I still want you to read my stuff. That said, some time ago, I chose to revise my reading habits and focused more on BIPOC and women authors.

Since February is the month our nation has chosen to celebrate African American history, I thought I’d share several books by Black and Brown authors that have shaped the way I view the world and the church. This list isn’t exhaustive, but one of these titles might inspire you to update your own reading list.

Here are some, in no particular order:

• The Cross and the Lynching Tree – James Cone

• Strength to Love – Martin Luther King Jr.

• Jesus and the Disinherited – Howard Thurman

• Roadmap to Reconciliation – Brenda Salter McNeil

• The Color of Compromise – Jemar Tisby

• Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates

• All About Love – bell hooks

• The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race – Willie Jennings

• Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible – Willie Jennings

• Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson

• Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus – Reggie Williams

• A Black Theology of Liberation – James Cone

• God of the Oppressed – James Cone

• The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right – Lisa Sharon Harper

• The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander

• Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope – Esau McCaulley

• The Post-Black and Post-White Church – Efrem Smith

• Subverive Witness - Dominque Gilliard

A few additional titles have helped shape my thinking on racism in America, particularly as it shows up in the church. Both of these authors are white — and both are friends. I’m aware of the irony of including them on a list meant to center minority voices, but their work has genuinely marked me, so here they are.

• White Awake – Daniel Hill

• Rediscipling the White Church – David Swanson

If a book has played a key role in your journey, please share it in the comments — I’m always seeking meaningful titles.

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