Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope

by Esau McCaulley

Based on my readings of this tradition outlined above, I noticed a few things. First, there is no one Black tradition, but at least three streams: revolutionary/nationalistic, reformist/transformist, and conformist.49 Much of the modern academic dialogue highlights the heirs to the revolutionary and conformist tradition. I hoped to make a case for a third thing within the African American tradition. Second, I noticed that there were some common tendencies among the reformist/transformist stream. I named this the Black ecclesial tradition because I think it lives on in pulpits even if it is less often in print.