The last couple of weeks have been nerve-racking.
Donald Trump won the presidential election, surprising many people in the U.S. and around the globe. His nomination of Steve Bannon and other prominent bigots to his staff does not bode well.
How should we respond as the church?
On one hand, our calling to be communities striving to be faithful to the faith of Jesus remains the same as it was prior to the election.
On the other hand, Donald Trump’s platform and allegiances seem to cast a specter of violence on those who are not white males. How do we respond faithfully to these threats of violence against our neighbors?
A number of prominent media outlets have published reading lists for understanding and navigating the Trump age, including:
While there are many important and insightful books on these lists, we wanted to offer a similar list of theologically-informed resources that will serve to guide our churches in this new and unsettling age.
1.
[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”160″ identifier=”1501122290″ locale=”US” src=”https://englewoodreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/41xx2Bpy4aKL.SL160.jpg” tag=”douloschristo-20″ width=”106″][easyazon_link identifier=”1501122290″ locale=”US” tag=”douloschristo-20″]The End of White Christian America[/easyazon_link]
Robert Jones
(2016)
White Christian America is the nostalgic vision of a “Great America” that propelled Trump to victory. Although Jones predicts its demise, he may have been a little premature in doing so. He is correct that White Christian America is waning, but apparently it has more life left in it than he expected. The history he recounts is essential to understanding the voter base that elected Trump to office.
2.
[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”160″ identifier=”1513800000″ locale=”US” src=”https://englewoodreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/51Tvk8gTyIL.SL160.jpg” tag=”douloschristo-20″ width=”104″][easyazon_link identifier=”1513800000″ locale=”US” tag=”douloschristo-20″]Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism[/easyazon_link]
Drew Hart
(2016)
This insightful book gently unmasks the deep racism that has guided the American experience, and how our churches have not been immune to its power. Confessing our racism will be a necessary part of repenting and imagining a new sort of politics. For a detailed introduction to this book, see the nine-part book of the month conversation that we hosted earlier this year.
3.
[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”160″ identifier=”0807010294″ locale=”US” src=”https://englewoodreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/511NbhCVqfL.SL160.jpg” tag=”douloschristo-20″ width=”102″][easyazon_link identifier=”0807010294″ locale=”US” tag=”douloschristo-20″]Jesus and the Disinherited[/easyazon_link]
Howard Thurman
(1949)
This classic book offers a vision of Christian faithfulness apart from the sort of civil religion that props us the systems of the rich and powerful. It is as timely today as it was when Thurman wrote it in the aftermath of WWII.
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