The myth of equality Uncovering the roots of injustice and privilege

Wytsma (Pursuing Justice), lead pastor of Antioch Church in Bend, Ore., and president of Kilns College, has a gift for persuasive argument, well displayed in his deployment of history, biblical theology, and current affairs to demonstrate the subtle and unsubtle ways that white dominance shapes American culture and conversations about race. He does so from the perspective of a passionately committed evangelical Christian calling prophetically for justice for those who have been consistently disadvantaged by a system and culture built on what "a white normative standard" that shapes perceptions and judgments. Wytsma makes his points without accusation, the better to address an audience of white readers who may be unaccustomed to looking beneath the surface of attitudes about race or unaware of the history of Jim Crow laws and other forces that drove racial segregation. He is especially good at giving a quick tour of the post-Reconstruction history of race. Slavery was formally ended, but disenfranchisement, "Black Codes" in the South, redlining in housing, and other forms of social control perpetuated inequality. This book should be a wake-up call to Christian communities nationwide. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Wytsma (president, Kilns Coll., OR; Pursuing Justice) states that ignoring the dynamics of race by a privileged class is not the same as living in a postracial society. He bases his analysis not on institutional racism, but instead on white privilege. According to the author, the insidious nature of privilege is that those who possess it are prone not to notice it until it is taken away, mistaking it for reverse discrimination. Wytsma opens with a defense of the thesis that white privilege still exists. He then maintains that racism is a relatively recent and artificial phenomenon that follows from the disposition of or desire for privilege. Such desire runs counter to some of the central claims of Christianity (as evidenced in the kenosis passage of Philippians 2). He further develops this theme by suggesting that the distinction between righteousness and justice is not justified; for example, churches actively performing social justice work in an effort to be righteous. VERDICT Wytsma presents a challenge, particularly to Evangelicals, to step outside their comfort zone and work toward a more inclusive and just society.-JW © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.