Lamenting the way that the Bible has been used to justify racial injustice and to numb conscience against action, he nevertheless writes: One paragraph in particular, written just after the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, has lingered long in my memory.

This is the sort of hope that refuses to shrink from the reality of despair, and yet somehow finds something beyond it. McCaulley is also black, and it is from this social location that he offers a rare public voice to what I can only describe as costly hope. 1 All three were written by Esau McCaulley, a New Testament scholar and Anglican clergyman.

There were, however, three pieces of writing that at particular points served as buoys to keep me from sinking into despair. I’m not sure that I’ve fully emerged from the darkness yet. I felt some anger, but mostly I felt grief. But most significantly, we failed to offer an unambiguous rejection of white supremacy after irreplaceable black lives were extinguished. We failed to offer a united front in the face of a global pandemic. We failed to bear witness to the gospel in a way that eclipsed partisan division.

But this summer it seemed to me that the church in America failed badly. I say this as a person who loves the church deeply, who is thoroughly embedded in the church, and who preaches most Sundays. This summer I found myself as disappointed with the church as I have ever been. Title: Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope

Reading while black by esau mccaulley