Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2014 -

Academic theologians and American Christians continue to read and be influenced by the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a 20th-century German Lutheran theologian executed by the Nazis for his resistance to Hitler.  Williams (McCormick Seminary) argues that the theological understandings that led to Bonhoeffer's resistance were influenced by understandings of Jesus and Christian ethics gained from the African American theology Bonhoeffer was exposed to at Abyssinian Baptist Church, where he worshiped and taught Sunday School while studying for a year at Union Seminary in New York City.  Understanding Jesus's solidarity with the suffering, rather than with the dominant powers, was crucial to Bonhoeffer's theological resistance to Nazism.  Indeed, when he returned to Berlin, Bonhoeffer sought out and did pastoral work among Germans facing economic hardship, incorporating many ideas he learned at Abyssinian.  Williams's careful readings of Bonhoeffer's pre- and post-New York writings show how Bonhoeffer's theology was shaped by his time in Harlem.  This book is required reading for anyone who wishes to understand the influence of African American Christianity on a prominent, widely read theologian. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.

In this monumental collection, Cannon (Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education) and Pinn (Rice Univ.) provide an assessment of the current state of African American theology, looking at it from an interdisciplinary and multi-faith perspective.  The 34 essays are divided into five sections.  "Sources" examines the use of African American history, scripture, religious experience, Christian tradition, and methodologies; "Doctrines" considers God, Christology, the Holy Spirit, the church, and such topics as evil and sin; "Internal Debates" focuses on the criticisms, new approaches, and dialogues between African American theologians (e.g., womanist theology, humanism, embodiment, pedagogy, and sexuality); "Ongoing Challenges" emphasizes the problems of history, social theory, black ontology, and the relationships with Africa and the rest of the world.  The concluding section, "Prospects for the Future," examines the prosperity gospel, public imaginary, and cultural boundaries.  The most interesting contributions are those in "Internal Debates," because they assess the current state of African American theology and the different perspectives being proposed.  Because of the breadth of the topics and the quality of the essays, this volume is destined to be a classic work in the field.Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.