Reading while Black African American biblical interpretation as an exercise in hope

An assistant professor at Wheaton College, McCaulley, who is himself Black, writes cogently about reading the Bible as context for a number of issues both social and theological affecting the Black community today. He writes, for example, about "The New Testament and a Theology of Policing," "The Bible and the Pursuit of Justice," and "The Bible and Black Anger." He also examines the struggle between Black nihilism and Black hope and the ways in which the Bible addresses the hope of Black people. His goal, he states, is to demonstrate and embody the Black ecclesial, interpretive model. Given the current urgent focus on systemic racism in America, his cogent and insightful chapters on policing, justice, and Black anger will probably be the most resonant with general readers, although his discussions of other topics--the political witness of the church, the Bible and Black identity, and the freeing of slaves--are equally instructive and relevant. Altogether, his book is an exercise in hope that speaks powerfully to readers of every race and ethnicity.