Bonhoeffer's Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance (Revised)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer publicly confronted Nazism and anti-Semitic racism in Hitler's Germany. The Reich's political ideology, when mixed with theology of the German Christian movement, turned Jesus into a divine representation of the ideal, racially pure Aryan and allowed race-hate to become part of Germany's religious life. Bonhoeffer provided a Christian response to Nazi atrocities.
In this book author Reggie L. Williams follows Dietrich Bonhoeffer as he encounters Harlem's black Jesus. The Christology Bonhoeffer learned in Harlem's churches featured a black Christ who suffered with African Americans in their struggle against systemic injustice and racial violence--and then resisted. In the pews of the Abyssinian Baptist Church, under the leadership of Adam Clayton Powell Sr., Bonhoeffer was captivated by Christianity in the Harlem Renaissance. This Christianity included a Jesus who stands with the oppressed, against oppressors, and a theology that challenges the way God is often used to underwrite harmful unions of race and religion.
Now featuring a foreword from world-renowned Bonhoeffer scholar Ferdinand Schlingensiepen as well as multiple updates and additions, Bonhoeffer's Black Jesus argues that Dietrich Bonhoeffer's immersion within the black American narrative was a turning point for him, causing him to see anew the meaning of his claim that obedience to Jesus requires concrete historical action. This ethic of resistance not only indicted the church of the German Volk, but also continues to shape the nature of Christian discipleship today.
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Reggie L. Williams is Professor of Christian Ethics at McCormick Theological Seminary. He is a member of the International Dietrich Bonhoeffer Society, as well as the Society for the Study of Black Religion, and a founding member of the Society for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Religion.
Reggie Williams' Bonhoeffer's Black Jesus... breaks new ground in offeringa detailed and vibrant portrait of the Harlem Renaissance that was in full blossom during Bonhoeffer's time in New York.
--Victoria J. Barnett "Contemporary Church History Quarterly"Bonhoeffer's Black Jesus stands as a turning point in Bonhoeffer scholarship while offering a fresh and constructive approach to theological ethics in its vision for empathic resistance and solidarity with the oppressed.
--Timothy Dwight Davis "Anglican Theological Review"Williams' exploration is a welcome journey into a domain of praxiological substance in a contemporary age where vain ideologies, boisterous pathologies, and impotent philosophies have become normative impersonations of meaningful commitment. His historical framing is invaluable, as he refreshingly covers the development and depth of Bonhoeffer's thought.
--Kevin Dudley "Journal of Lutheran Ethics"... What should the reflective life of a global Christian look like? Williams' Bonhoeffer brings us close and paves the way for deeper reflection on the impact of Bonhoeffer's global ministry on his theology.
--William Young "Black Theology: An International Journal"Williams' prose is enthralling, and he successfully engages in meaningful dialog with earlier literature in ethics, theology, and black studies. His book is a welcome effort to bridge our understanding of Bonhoeffer's actions in Germany with motivations inherited from Black America. It might be useful in both undergraduate and graduate settings.
--Paul Hillmer "Lutheran Quarterly"... a highly significant study of Bonhoeffer's powerfully formative theological development inside the crucible and sublime beauty of Harlem. It is required reading for anyone seeking a more complex, constructive, and provocative view of Bonhoeffer, especially as it provides a dark-hued and somewhat contested thesis that will surely establish a new benchmark for the vigorous discussions and debates to come regarding Bonhoeffer's Christological and ethical embrace of racial alterity and Christian identity.
--James S. Logan "Modern Theology"In addition to the exploration of Bonhoeffer's time in Harlem, this book raises important considerations about scholarship and pedagogy that would benefit a broad audience. Williams, using Bonhoeffer's own words, emphasizes that his early theology had been a demonstration of intellect rather than an expression of faith.
--Courtney H. Davis "Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics"
