Room at the Table: Struggle for Unity and Equality in Disciples History

by Sandhya Rani Jha

Sandhya Jha, an ordained minister and co-moderator of the Anti-Racism Commission of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), discusses the multicultural history that makes up the Disciples of Christ. Through research and interviews with people from various racial backgrounds, Room at the Table engages the reader through the 200 years of multicultural Disciples history.

Genres: Social Justice, Spirituality

104 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2009

Reviews

[JD Waggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend of mine (who is Disciples of Christ) loaned this to me (who is not DOC) and I found it a really interesting look into another denomination mindfully struggling with diversity and racial inclusion. The book really needs some editing and also is very much an in-house communication--there is a short overview of the DOC's history, but for those of us outside the denomination there were a lot of insider references and assumptions that we don't get. It's a bit dry, as reads go, and it's covering a lot of ground in a short text, but it was an interesting insight with a solid call to action moving forward (that, admittedly, is a bit dated now).

I think this is something that really works best for DOC folks speaking to themselves, which is fine; those kinds of communications are definitely necessary, though all of the denominations (mainline or no) absolutely need to be considering how we're handling diversity in our societies right now.

[M L]

An academic read on the social justice history and missions with people of color for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (CCDOC). An eye opener of unknown, or reproached history of the church with source references throughout the text. An excellent read for scholars looking to become better versed in CC(DOC) history.

[John Goebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely important read for white Disciples of Christ. Still learning all means all today. My hope and prayers are that the next, yet to be written chapters of this book are filled with evidence of progress toward love and unity within church circles and outside of church circles.

[Amanda Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diversity and unification in ministry.

Great historical data on the early church. This book delivers a clear picture of the Disciples Church in American history.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a really interesting book. It documents the history of my denomination in the way that it has dealt with diversity. On of the founding principles of the denomination is that everyone is welcome. It was interesting to see over the course of history where we really lived up to that standard and where we failed. I'm not sure of someone outside the denomination would be interested in reading a book like this, unless for curiosity sake, but I think it would be interesting to anyone in the denomination. There were some things in the book, issues that different ethnic groups faced at different times, that I wasn't at all aware of. It was nice to get the perspective. I appreciated all the quotes in the book for that. It was also a really easy read. The chapters were short and the whole book was easy to understand, so I was able to read it in just a few days.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Disciples of Christ, the denomination that I serve in ministry, has made unity our "polar star," our purpose for existing. We were born on the frontier and were driven by that ethos as we moved west with the pioneers. But as we moved, for the most part, our focus was upon making white Christians.

In this little book Sandhya Jha takes us on a tour of the lives and mission of those who lay outside this white European focused community, bringing into the conversation those who lived on the margins from African Americans to Asians. It took many years and much heart ache for the Disciples to achieve any sense of equality in our midst. It won't take long to read, but reading it will help Disciples better understand the often dark side of our history.

[Rev. Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a student award at Brite Divinity School, and found it an informative read about parts of my denomination, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), history that I was not aware of previously. Jandhya Jha has a wonderful conversational style for her writing, and has created a book that I feel all members of the Disciples of Christ, and anyone else interested in our denomination, should read and add to their bookshelves. I was honored to be a recipient of this work.
From the publisher: Sandhya Jha, an ordained minister and co-moderator of the Anti-Racism Commission of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), discusses the multicultural history that makes up the Disciples of Christ. Through research and interviews with people from various racial backgrounds, Room at the Table engages the reader through the 200 years of multicultural Disciples history.

[Robin Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent information, could use some editing here and there.