July 8 2001

ARTICLE TOOLS

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SEPARATE NO MORE: Understanding and Developing Racial Reconciliation in Your Church
Norman Anthony Peart
Baker, 203 pages, $14.99

No one's going to accuse Norman Peart of mincing words: "A primary reason that Christianity's power is not able to heal the wounds of racism," he writes, "is that many evangelicals do not understand. … the race problem from a biblical perspective."

With that, the author sets out to help concerned Christians discover "their role in the ministry of racial reconciliation," a ministry that he believes is too often viewed by evangelicals as optional.

Peart, a pastor and sociologist, combines a meat-and-potatoes exposition of Scripture, interviews with church leaders, and a survey of the church's often tainted track record on matters of justice and race. He gives evangelicals an insightful kick in the pants.

As a sociologist, Peart acknowledges that race can be seen as a social construct. But, he writes, "Because race is an aspect of how we view ourselves and also shapes our social interactions with others, we cannot trivialize the concept's significance and still minister effectively to the whole person."

He contends that real biblical reconciliation is a working of the Holy Spirit and not the result of carefully crafted strategies. Nevertheless, "Those who wish to pursue it must do so intentionally." This book is a good start.

Separate No More can be ordered at Christianbook.com and other book retailers.

Baker Book House has a page on Peart's book.

Previous Christianity Today articles on racial reconciliation include:

Lost Common Cause | Christian focus on racial reconciliation is set back after Cincinnati's riots. (June 14, 2001)Awakening Liturgies | With the latest census figures, ...