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Black and Free
Black and Free
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 1, 2023
A fascinating memoir of sorts. Tom Skinner was an interesting man.
October 27, 2022
I first heard of Tom Skinner while listening to podcast that featured an excerpt of him speaking at the Urbana conference in the 1970's, which intrigued me enough to look up the entire speech, which intrigued me enough to look up this book. It's an easy read and an interesting memoir, but unfortunately marred by some unbelievable elements that cast more serious doubts on the story.
First, the positive. The brief opening history lesson of how African-Americans came to be crowded in northern urban ghettos like New York City was exceptional. Despite the familiarity of the overall events, Skinner's way with words and knack for including personal anguishes made me feel the crushing evils and sorrows of slavery and post-slavery racism in a fresh and wrenching way. And while the book did not feature as much commentary on racial relations as I expected, the closing Q&A section was fantastic content, still largely relevant several decades later. I also appreciated Skinner's insight on the intersection of theology and the scientific method; while it is common to focus apologetics on intellectual evidence for or against matters such as God's existence, Skinner advocated for a personal application: "As a student of science I was a strong believer in the scientific method... It occurred to me that I had never really put God to the test... had never given Him a chance to work in my life."
However, the bulk of the book recounts Skinner's life testimony from gang leader to worldwide preacher, and I'm disappointed to say that what should have been a strong and glorious story caused me much struggle. Frankly, Skinner is simply an unbelievably invincible hero of his own story. Before finding Christ, he joins a gang, endures the violent initiation ritual with perfect bravery, almost immediately challenges and beats the leader in a knife-fight (somewhere around the age of fourteen), leads his gang to victory after increasing victory over other gangs, and successfully knifes 22 opponents without ever sustaining serious injury himself. Meanwhile, "while I was leader of the gang, I was also president of the student body at school. I was a member of the Arista Society, made up of the cream of the intellectual crop. I was president of the Shakespearean Club. And I was a member of the baseball team. I was also president of the young people's department in my own church. By the time I was fourteen years of age, I'd acted out full length plays of Shakespeare, Hamlet, and Macbeth, playing the title roles." Oh, and later we find out he also played high school football. Really?
Then, after a remarkable conversion experience, he almost immediately transitions into a flawless and wildly successful evangelist, converting gang members by the dozen and quickly becoming a sought-after preacher. Almost every other preacher of the older generation is a hypocrite and a fool, often criticizing and opposing him on some endeavor and then conveniently coming around later to admit that he was right and they were wrong. Really??
Now let me be clear that Skinner clearly was a real evangelist who really did amass large crowds, had a great impact on many people's lives, and undoubtedly led many to Christ. But it's hard for me not to be skeptical that his autobiography, at minimum, contains some embellishments. I started to wonder if this guy was for real. There's not much on the Internet, save one interview with a former member of the Harlem Lords who claims Skinner was never in the gang and stole their reputation to make himself famous, plus a general lack of supporting evidence for Skinner's side of the story. That's not enough to make any conclusions, but if Skinner's story is exaggerated or even partially falsified, that has two major disappointing implications. First, it'd be ironic that Skinner spent so much ink criticizing other pastors as phonies if he was guilty of the same thing. Second, if Skinner never led the gang, then his miraculous story of supernatural protection when he quit the gang never happened, which also calls into question his other supernatural testimonies. It's one thing to embellish yourself; it's quite another to embellish God. Again, I want to stress that I don't think there's enough evidence to prove that his story isn't true, and it's clear regardless that God used his life in powerful ways, but the opposing claims plus the general unbelievably heroic tenor of the overall story leaves room for some uncomfortable and disillusioning doubt.
First, the positive. The brief opening history lesson of how African-Americans came to be crowded in northern urban ghettos like New York City was exceptional. Despite the familiarity of the overall events, Skinner's way with words and knack for including personal anguishes made me feel the crushing evils and sorrows of slavery and post-slavery racism in a fresh and wrenching way. And while the book did not feature as much commentary on racial relations as I expected, the closing Q&A section was fantastic content, still largely relevant several decades later. I also appreciated Skinner's insight on the intersection of theology and the scientific method; while it is common to focus apologetics on intellectual evidence for or against matters such as God's existence, Skinner advocated for a personal application: "As a student of science I was a strong believer in the scientific method... It occurred to me that I had never really put God to the test... had never given Him a chance to work in my life."
However, the bulk of the book recounts Skinner's life testimony from gang leader to worldwide preacher, and I'm disappointed to say that what should have been a strong and glorious story caused me much struggle. Frankly, Skinner is simply an unbelievably invincible hero of his own story. Before finding Christ, he joins a gang, endures the violent initiation ritual with perfect bravery, almost immediately challenges and beats the leader in a knife-fight (somewhere around the age of fourteen), leads his gang to victory after increasing victory over other gangs, and successfully knifes 22 opponents without ever sustaining serious injury himself. Meanwhile, "while I was leader of the gang, I was also president of the student body at school. I was a member of the Arista Society, made up of the cream of the intellectual crop. I was president of the Shakespearean Club. And I was a member of the baseball team. I was also president of the young people's department in my own church. By the time I was fourteen years of age, I'd acted out full length plays of Shakespeare, Hamlet, and Macbeth, playing the title roles." Oh, and later we find out he also played high school football. Really?
Then, after a remarkable conversion experience, he almost immediately transitions into a flawless and wildly successful evangelist, converting gang members by the dozen and quickly becoming a sought-after preacher. Almost every other preacher of the older generation is a hypocrite and a fool, often criticizing and opposing him on some endeavor and then conveniently coming around later to admit that he was right and they were wrong. Really??
Now let me be clear that Skinner clearly was a real evangelist who really did amass large crowds, had a great impact on many people's lives, and undoubtedly led many to Christ. But it's hard for me not to be skeptical that his autobiography, at minimum, contains some embellishments. I started to wonder if this guy was for real. There's not much on the Internet, save one interview with a former member of the Harlem Lords who claims Skinner was never in the gang and stole their reputation to make himself famous, plus a general lack of supporting evidence for Skinner's side of the story. That's not enough to make any conclusions, but if Skinner's story is exaggerated or even partially falsified, that has two major disappointing implications. First, it'd be ironic that Skinner spent so much ink criticizing other pastors as phonies if he was guilty of the same thing. Second, if Skinner never led the gang, then his miraculous story of supernatural protection when he quit the gang never happened, which also calls into question his other supernatural testimonies. It's one thing to embellish yourself; it's quite another to embellish God. Again, I want to stress that I don't think there's enough evidence to prove that his story isn't true, and it's clear regardless that God used his life in powerful ways, but the opposing claims plus the general unbelievably heroic tenor of the overall story leaves room for some uncomfortable and disillusioning doubt.
March 11, 2024
Tom Skinner's first book, originally published in 1968, "introduces" Skinner and his ministry to a broader audience. Tom Skinner was a complex man with a complex perspective, in some parts deeply compelling, and in others sensational with edge of defensiveness. It's one fascinating version of "Black evangelicalism," a sliver of a movement that included others like William Pannell, William Bentley, William R. Jones, and others.
Reading Skinner's story, even as told from his perspective, one can see why this complexity developed. Skinner grew up in Harlem, in the "ghetto" (a term Skinner uses freely), and was at the same time a preacher's kid, and a brutal gang-leader. After a true conversion to Christianity, Skinner sought to share his faith, and ran into all kinds of obstacles--from rival gangs, from other Black pastors, from white churches, and from other establishment systems in the city (political, economic).
From my perspective Skinner is most compelling when calling out white evangelicalism. He sounds most defensive when calling out fellow Black people (both in the ghetto, and in the ministry), and some of these accounts sound so sensationalized that I wonder if they need to be read with a grain of salt? To hear Skinner tell it, the Black church as a whole is corrupt; the ghetto is corrupt; white churches are corrupt; and the only thing left is to create something completely new--Tom Skinner Associates, Inc. Granted, this was Skinner's first book, and I am sure that as he grew and developed, some of the natural "re-defining" of his identity deepened without the need to so sharply condemn where he came from.
Here's an example of the way this early Skinner characterizes the Black church:
"the kind of religion usually found in the Negro churches is highly emotional, often supersititious and has little biblical foundation" (152).
The book also reflects an emphasis on the "spiritual" and a de-emphasis on the "material," that is characteristic of evangelicalism as a whole:
"I don't have to go out and struggle for human dignity anymore. Christ has given me true dignity. I don't have to go out and fight for human rights anymore because I have my rights" (152).
"I don't have to go out and fight and struggle for economic rights. You see, as a son of God, the Bible tells me that I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ" (154).
"I do not have to go off and fight for social status. Ephesians, chapter four, reminds me that I am seated with Jesus Christ in heavenly places" (155).
"I know that there will be many of my Negro friends who will say that this is nothing but an 'Uncle Tom' philosophy, a philosophy that has caused the Negro to be stepped on all these years. I'm going to suggest to you that it's not" (156).
I personally think that there is much to learn from the life, ministry, and perspective of Tom Skinner, including the earliest Tom Skinner. But I think that aspects of his early thought as expressed in Black and Free will need to be carefully sifted for those elements that are powerfully true and helpful, and those that were understandably shaped in reaction to some of the forces he encountered as a young evangelist.
And now I'm going to read the Tom Skinner comic book
Reading Skinner's story, even as told from his perspective, one can see why this complexity developed. Skinner grew up in Harlem, in the "ghetto" (a term Skinner uses freely), and was at the same time a preacher's kid, and a brutal gang-leader. After a true conversion to Christianity, Skinner sought to share his faith, and ran into all kinds of obstacles--from rival gangs, from other Black pastors, from white churches, and from other establishment systems in the city (political, economic).
From my perspective Skinner is most compelling when calling out white evangelicalism. He sounds most defensive when calling out fellow Black people (both in the ghetto, and in the ministry), and some of these accounts sound so sensationalized that I wonder if they need to be read with a grain of salt? To hear Skinner tell it, the Black church as a whole is corrupt; the ghetto is corrupt; white churches are corrupt; and the only thing left is to create something completely new--Tom Skinner Associates, Inc. Granted, this was Skinner's first book, and I am sure that as he grew and developed, some of the natural "re-defining" of his identity deepened without the need to so sharply condemn where he came from.
Here's an example of the way this early Skinner characterizes the Black church:
"the kind of religion usually found in the Negro churches is highly emotional, often supersititious and has little biblical foundation" (152).
The book also reflects an emphasis on the "spiritual" and a de-emphasis on the "material," that is characteristic of evangelicalism as a whole:
"I don't have to go out and struggle for human dignity anymore. Christ has given me true dignity. I don't have to go out and fight for human rights anymore because I have my rights" (152).
"I don't have to go out and fight and struggle for economic rights. You see, as a son of God, the Bible tells me that I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ" (154).
"I do not have to go off and fight for social status. Ephesians, chapter four, reminds me that I am seated with Jesus Christ in heavenly places" (155).
"I know that there will be many of my Negro friends who will say that this is nothing but an 'Uncle Tom' philosophy, a philosophy that has caused the Negro to be stepped on all these years. I'm going to suggest to you that it's not" (156).
I personally think that there is much to learn from the life, ministry, and perspective of Tom Skinner, including the earliest Tom Skinner. But I think that aspects of his early thought as expressed in Black and Free will need to be carefully sifted for those elements that are powerfully true and helpful, and those that were understandably shaped in reaction to some of the forces he encountered as a young evangelist.
And now I'm going to read the Tom Skinner comic book
July 2, 2023
I have mixed feelings about this book. Skinner says the gospel solves problems race, just believe in Jesus and all will be well. I think this is a partial truth, borderline prosperity gospel which he is highly critical in the book.
I found some of the stories quite miraculous, like I was reading a desert father or some of the gables about George Washington. I am concerned that skimmer doesn’t give specific dates and peoples names to verify these events. Giving these details would help verify that they happened. They are extraordinary events so they need evidence to be believed.
I found some of the stories quite miraculous, like I was reading a desert father or some of the gables about George Washington. I am concerned that skimmer doesn’t give specific dates and peoples names to verify these events. Giving these details would help verify that they happened. They are extraordinary events so they need evidence to be believed.
August 11, 2021
Can’t believe I’d never heard of Tom Skinner before picking this up. This was published in 1968 and I was wowed at how relevant his words still are in regards to the many issues we face as Christians like racial, political, and social divide. Also wowed and encouraged by his testimony and unflappable faith in Jesus’ ability to transform the life of anyone who encounters Him.
Definitely a great read and one that I will be sitting with and mulling over for a while.
Definitely a great read and one that I will be sitting with and mulling over for a while.
November 3, 2024
Those who do not know the name Tom Skinner do not know how big this figure is in the black Christian community. This autobiography sheds light on Skinner's upbringing and impact. God used a former thug of Harlem to be the voice in the wilderness for Harlem. This helps you understand not just this man's life but also urban anthropology and why our culture has certain situations today.
February 28, 2022
Excellent read. I thoroughly enjoyed the transparency of Mr Skinner transformation from a young teen filled with hate to a “Damascus” road experience. What God did with the person of Tom Skinner was truly impactful to everyone that would encounter this sold out disciple for Christ.
March 7, 2020
Good read, relevant for today. A book of hope and encouragement.
March 8, 2020
Must read for those that have a heart to reach the lost and hurting for Christ. If you are in Christ you are a new creature!
July 12, 2022
An amazing testament to God and His power to work in a person's life.
August 5, 2022
Skinner surprised me by focusing on the basic tenets of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with minimal focus on social justice actions, as the way to freedom and the solution for the race problem.
January 21, 2019
Interesting and insightful, cultural short-read. Topical perspectives from Harlem and beyond on life, faith, purpose, and 'how' and 'why' things are as they are.
December 4, 2025
Last night I finished BLACK AND FREE (1968) by evangelist Tom Skinner (1942-1994). It's about Skinner's transformation from being a leader of a Harlem street gang to an international preacher of the Gospel.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews