Books

My Top 5 Books on the Black Experience in America

Pastor Bryan Loritts chooses 5 books to help evangelicals understand African-American hopes and anxieties.

When St. Louis worship pastor Michelle Higgins praised the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement before the Urbana 2015 audience, not everyone was pleased. The response to her statements exposed a degree of ongoing suspicion between some evangelicals and BLM activists. CT asked Bryan Loritts, pastor of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountain View, California, to imagine leading a reconciliation gathering with representatives from both camps. Here, he chooses five books to help evangelicals understand the hopes and anxieties of black America.

Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison

Published in 1952, at the height of Jim Crow and the dawn of the civil rights movement, this book remains profoundly relevant. By leaving his lead character nameless, Ellison places his finger on the inhumanity of being treated as anonymous—a low-grade fever that continues to simmer among people of color. If we want to restore humanity for people of color in our institutions and churches, reflecting on Invisible Man is a good place to start.

Oneness Embraced: Through the Eyes of Tony Evans

Tony Evans

Evans was the first African American to earn a doctorate in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. His take on race relations is scholarly, biblical, Christ-centered—and, in the best sense, uncomfortable. He does not shy from the problem of racism or shrink from proclaiming its remedy: the Cross of Christ played out within the local church. Whatever your racial or religious background, you’ll find plenty to agree with—and plenty to make you wince.

Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Coates has been called the James Baldwin of our time—a fitting description for an African American whose pen wields a prophetic edge. Written as a father’s letter to his son, Between the World and Me dives into police brutality and highlights both personal and structural racism. Though not written from a Christian perspective, the book’s insights into discrimination and privilege resonate with a vast majority of minorities. The beauty of Coates’s work is how it challenges the easy assumption that “things aren’t as bad as they were.”

Letters to a Birmingham Jail: A Response to the Words and Dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Edited by Bryan Loritts

At the risk of self-promotion—yes, I edited this volume and contributed a chapter—I’ll include this collection of contemporary responses to King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. The book recruits an eclectic set of authors to write about “Christ-exalting diversity.” There are white and black pastors, an Asian scholar, and an elder from the civil rights movement. King had addressed his letter to white clergy who urged him to be passive, to wait things out. In turn, we thank him for his urgency and plead with readers to follow suit.

Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian

John Piper

In Bloodlines, Piper opens up about growing up in the Deep South (South Carolina) and imbibing the anti-black prejudice of his environment. He leaves readers on the edge of their seats as he describes the journey away from his racist upbringing. You might not agree with his Calvinist perspective on race and diversity, but he succeeds in framing the conversation around the finished work of Christ.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Our Latest

News

UK Regulators Investigate Barnabas Aid over Reports of Misused Funds

The charity is under an โ€œunprecedented level of scrutiny on our financial processesโ€ after founders and top leaders were suspended.

News

Gaza War Strains Bible Scholarsโ€™ Model of Christian Conversation

How Hamasโ€™ October 7 terror attack and Israelโ€™s response exhausted a group of evangelical Bible professors pursuing unity on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Being Human

The Four Spaces of Anxiety with Lisa Cuss

Learning to identify reactivity in ourselves and others.

News

Gordon Students Count Cells, Hoping to Unlock Cancer Mysteries

Cutting-edge microscopy research could explain why some get sick while others donโ€™t.

News

Chinese Christians Want the Church to Adopt Children with Disabilities

After China banned international adoptions, some believers want the Chinese church to step up.

News

Global Methodist Bishops to Dance

The new denomination tussles over its authority structureโ€”but also finds surprising points of unity.ย 

Excerpt

The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia

Yan Yangchu taught thousands of peasants to read and write in the early 20th century.

The Bulletin

A Brief Word from Our Sponsor

The Bulletin recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate, discusses global religious persecution, and explores the dynamics of celebrity Christianity.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube