Knowing Christ Crucified: The Witness of African American Religious Experience

by M. Shawn Copeland

A timely and challenging collection of essays on Jesus Christ through the perspective of the slaves and the struggles of African Americans today.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Christianity, Faith, Race, Religion

223 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 20, 2018

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

the only chapter i really vibed with was the queer christ chapter - i agreed with that but not with too much else in this book (maybe yes to the overall idea about discipleship and helping to reduce suffering in the world...but it landed pretty flat to me as a non christian person. it just felt so unrealistic, especially given the fact that idc about jesus. if i was christian and believed in jesus and actually fw the bible, i think this book would go hard. does that make sense?). i liked being able to use this book as a launchpoint for talking about a sustainable discipleship though. overall this just seemed like a very targeted book for christian scholars and so was difficult for me, as a nonreligious person, to digest. anyway i find myself running into a common problem as i read christian theology books and it's that i simply can't identify with most of the way beliefs are framed and it irks me. there is a large chasm between what i understand (my assumptions, no matter how negative, about christianity, about christian people, about god) and so i jump straight to emotional or overly critical conclusions while reading, leaving no space for a healthy amount of constructive interaction. it's so hard for me to view this objectively and read it in a solely academic manner bc i just fundamentally disagree so hard and get so pmo'ed, and ik that is lowkey a me problem. at least that's what i think is happening. i still experience a lot of tension with this explanation so i feel like it can't be totally true. and as a i read this back, it doesn't feel like it's what i'm actually trying to say, and it probably makes me look morally bad too. whatever tho i just wanted to spill my thoughts somewhere

[Stephen Matlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if Christ did not come for the conquerors but for the conquered? What if Christ did not come for the colonizers, but for the colonized? What if Christ did not come for those who demand that we "Build the Wall!" but for those whose "backs are against the wall"?

In this deep reflective book, M. Shawn Copeland explores the relationship between the Jesus of the biblical texts and the lived experiences of the Black enslaved in America, who have progressed in some aspects of their exclusion from power and the abuse that comes thereby, but who are still living a life that is at all times subject to disruption and termination at the hands of the creators of America.

There is great scholarly research here, as well and personal insights and the encounters we can have with the Jesus who came into a world of the colonized, suffered death at the hands of the colonizers, and rose again to restore the Beloved Community to the beauty of the kin-dom.

The idea that Jesus does not pair with the powerful is a common trope in many theological circles, but often the powerful are simply those who don't do things are way. Copeland in this book strips away that idea and focuses on how Jesus the Crucified One is the Jesus for those who have been daily subjected to the iron hand of the powerful, including those who established and now maintain the American experience, including the American experience of the white American church.

[Jennifer Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have ever read, transcending genre. I am going to be unpacking and rereading this probably for the rest of my life. It has reignited my faith to discern that Christ belongs to the downtrodden and to the rejected. This is the God I want to worship. It was so difficult to read the accounts of slaves and the brutalities they experienced, but it inspired me to use the same faith they adhered to to fight the good fight.

[Chasen Robbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copeland creates a theology of the oppressed rooted in a commentary on African Spirituals. It is highly informative for reflection on how theology is made and how it sustains people. Copeland ultimately invites the reader to follow Jesus to the cross by picking up their cross. One section of the book feels ad hoc--a commentary on queer suffering-- but not unneeded or unwanted. Finally, her summary of the theological impacts form Black Spirituals is astounding.

[Katie Mangum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This text is such a rich gift. M. Shawn Copeland traces the witness of African American folks amid devastating, death-dealing realities. Those who have suffered so at the hands of men know the crucified Christ in a particular and powerful way, and their account calls every Christ-follower into true, risky, revolutionary solidarity.

To me, the text was best taken slow, chapter-by-chapter, and in conversation with others. Copeland's profound insights were accessible, but I did need a dictionary on hand - it's a rather academic read.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get out your highlighter, oh & be prepared to update your to-read list. If you ignore the footnotes you’ll be missing out.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good text, learned so much.

[Ed Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and rich! Copeland draws on amazingly wide and deep resources to knit together a compelling and inspiring narrative. Her writing is a joy to read - which I must say is rare in theology! Highly recommended.

[Keith Rhoden Jr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great complement to “Caste” with both disturbing and poignant essays, it’s too bad they all exist on their own. When they are packaged together the themes and connections get repetitive