Called to Reconciliation

C. Augustine Jonathan

Description

Nationally recognized speaker and church leader Jay Augustine demonstrates that the church is called and equipped to model reconciliation, justice, diversity, and inclusion.This book develops three uses of the term "reconciliation": salvific, social, and civil. Augustine examines the intersection of the salvific and social forms of reconciliation through an engagement with Paul's letters and uses the Black church as an exemplar to connect the concept of salvation to social and political movements that seek justice for those marginalized by racism, class structures, and unjust legal systems. He then traces the reaction to racial progress in the form of white backlash as he explores the fate of civil reconciliation from the civil rights era to the Black Lives Matter movement.This book argues that the church's work in reconciliation can serve as a model for society at large and that secular diversity and inclusion practices can benefit the church. It offers a prophetic call to pastors, church leaders, and students to recover reconciliation as the heart of the church's message to a divided world. Foreword by William H. Willimon and afterword by Michael B. Curry.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 08 février 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493435371
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Endorsements
“In an age of despiritualization, greater emphasis is usually placed on social reconciliation than on salvific reconciliation. We tend in these days to ignore the consequences of our having lost the strength of our spiritual connection as we long to repair our relationships with our neighbors of different hues. Called to Reconciliation forces us to bring a more holistic vision to our quest to become the beloved community to which God is calling us ‘with the fierce urgency of now.’”
— James A. Forbes , senior minister emeritus, The Riverside Church, NYC
“In a time of political polarization, Augustine reminds Christians that we are called to reconciliation. That calling is not just an invitation to some; it is a mandate for all (see 2 Cor. 5). Augustine’s training as a lawyer and pastor come together as he challenges all of us to find fresh ways to reweave the social fabric. A wonderful accomplishment!”
— L. Gregory Jones , president, Belmont University; author of Embodying Forgiveness
“A book for our times. In this well-documented, insightful study, Augustine explores the nature of Christian reconciliation in its biblical, theological, social, and contemporary implications. The book surveys the broad concept of reconciliation while providing important implications for recovering it in church and society here and now.”
— Bill J. Leonard , professor of divinity emeritus, Wake Forest University
“Augustine has clearly and creatively fixed the issue of countering racism within the context of Scripture, thus claiming the issue as a matter of formation for those who follow Jesus. And too, he turns the reader’s attention to the future by articulating a vision of hope that is reconciliation. A wonderful resource for those who seek discernment on the topic of racism via the way of faith in Jesus Christ.”
— Russell Kendrick , bishop, Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast
“Augustine has done the best and most comprehensive job I have yet seen not only of describing the racial divide and challenges in this country but also of giving us a hopeful way forward. Of the eight books I’ve read in the past eighteen months on the topic of racial justice, this one by far resonates the most with me as something that can bring us together, even in a time of such deep division, around this central biblical and cultural necessity. I couldn’t put it down, and it renewed my hope that we not only must, but we can, do this.”
— Timothy M. Smith , bishop, NC Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
“In the tradition of theologians such as Walter Rauschenbusch, Howard Thurman, and James Cone, Called to Reconciliation is a masterful argument demonstrating that faith is thought and deed. Through the focus on reconciliation, the text provides a clear, biblically based pathway for people to begin to reimagine their connection to others and what this requires of them. This book could easily be applied to classrooms, church groups, and social organizations. In the midst of the intense and never-ending culture war that has erupted in response to the successes of the civil rights movement, this text provides an explanation of why this has happened and a vision of how to end the enduring and painful American internal conflict.”
— Eric L. McDaniel , associate professor, University of Texas at Austin; author of Politics in the Pews
“An important book and a timely book. Augustine draws the call to reconciliation from the very heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What has been far too peripheral (where it has even existed) in the American evangelical church has been summoned to the center of the church’s life. I commend this work to pastors, to church study groups, and to the college and seminary classroom.”
— R. Robert Creech , professor and director of pastoral ministries, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University
“Augustine has issued a call to the church to engage its diversity, or sad lack of it, if it is to take up the all-important work of reconciliation. Augustine’s mastery of theology, political theory, sociology, and the law enables him to describe a path forward. It is way past time for our congregations to give up on their segregated ways and become beacons and witnesses for true reconciliation. For any in the church looking for a partner in the Christian vocation of reconciliation, they will find one in this author and be enriched by his wisdom and passion.”
— David M. Greenhaw , president emeritus, Eden Theological Seminary
“Augustine’s multidisciplinary work is a gift to the church, by which I mean the diverse ekklēsia envisioned by Jesus. Drawing on and synthesizing a wide array of resources from theology, politics, and law, Augustine has written a powerful and inspiring book for individual Christians and congregations ready to work for reconciliation. He calls the church to lead in our society’s larger fight to end systemic racism by recovering the heart of a Gospel message that affirms the equal worth and dignity of all people.”
— Amanda Tyler , executive director, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
“This masterful work is an essential tool for all people of good will as we seek solutions to the serious and deep fissures challenging our society. A road map for how we come together when we seem so far apart, this is a must-read for anyone navigating the intersection of faith and politics.”
— Leah D. Daughtry , national presiding prelate of The House of the Lord Churches, author, and activist-organizer
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2022 by Jonathan C. Augustine
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakeracademic.com
Ebook edition created 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-3537-1
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
To the memory of my precious mother, Jeanne Cunningham Augustine (1930–2020)
Contents
Cover
Endorsements i
Half Title Page iii
Title Page v
Copyright Page vi
Dedication vii
Foreword by William H. Willimon xi
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction 1
• Reconciliation in Context
• The Divided States of America
• Social Divisions and the Church’s Ministry of Reconciliation
• Conclusion
Part 1: The Theology of Reconciliation 15
1. The Trajectory of Reconciliation: Definitions and Peter’s Leadership in the Early Church 17
• Defining and Contextualizing Reconciliation: Salvific, Social, and Civil
• Peter’s Leadership in Moving the Church toward Reconciliation: The Original Use of the Word Church
• The Church Was Born as a Jewish Assembly
• Reconciliation under Peter’s Leadership: The Church Admits Gentiles as “the Other”
2. Social Reconciliation: Paul’s Theology of Equality in Christ Jesus 35
• Paul’s Theology in Moving the Church toward Reconciliation
• Social Reconciliation in Galatians, 1 Corinthians, and Romans
• Applying Social Reconciliation’s Threefold Criteria to Paul’s Theology of Equality
3. Civil Reconciliation: Contextualizing King and the Black Church’s Ministry of Reconciliation 53
• Civil Reconciliation Stems from Social Reconciliation
• The Importance of Forgiveness in Civil Reconciliation
• Contextualizing Civil Reconciliation
• Revisiting Forgiveness as a Part of Reconciliation: King’s Theology with a More Contemporary and Applied Response
• Conclusion
Part 2: Reconciliation with “the Other” 69
4. The Response to Civil Reconciliation: White Evangelicalism and the Southern Strategy Give Rise to “Make America Great Again” 71
• The Southern Strategy Meets “Make America Great Again”
• The Voting Rights Act and Affirmative Action: Two of the Civil Rights Movement’s Most Measurable Achievements in Civil Reconciliation
• A Response to Success: The Southern Strategy Fusion of White Evangelicals and the Republican Party
• Can Anything Separate Evangelicals from Blind Political Allegiance?
• Conclusion
5. Where Do We Go from Here? A Call for the Church to Return to Her Apostolic-Era Embrace of Diversity and Inclusion 99
• What Did God Intend the Church to Look Like?
• How Can Diversity and Inclusion Be Good in Moving the Church toward Reconciliation?
• Evangelicals and the Issues: Can the Divisions Unearthed by MAGA Move the Church toward Reconciliation?
• Conclusion
Epilogue 121
Afterword by Michael B. Curry 125
Appendix: Supreme Court Cases 127
Scripture Index 129
Subject Index 131
Back Cover 134
Foreword
Here’s the right book, at the right time, written by the right person, for the right reasons. Lots of folks are talking about and yearning for racial reconciliation. Jay Augustine joins that conversation and debate by boldly speaking up for reconciliation from an unashamed, uniquely Christian point of view.
Jay adheres to a “gumbo” view of diversity. (For all of us not from Louisiana, Jay explains, “Good gumbo is good because it’s made with a variety of diverse ingredients, each one enriching the others.”) He believes that “society is also better when it brings diverse people and diverse groups together.” Then Jay moves into a Christian, richly biblical defense of diversity, and, before he is done, he also offers guidance for how to achieve diversity in our churches for