White Awake by Daniel Hill {Review}

(Review Copy thanks to @IVPress)

White Awake: An honest look at what it means to be white by Daniel Hill

“The doctrine of the imago Dei insists on recognizing every human being as an image bearer of God and therefore as valuable and worth. To live from our identity in Christ, we must confront the ways the narrative has informed both our sense of self and our views of other people.” Daniel Hill in White Awake, p.61

This book is a stage by stage accompaniment to the beginning a white Christians’s journey into race and reconciliation. It gives structure to the feelings and experiences you may go through as begin and helps you process your whiteness in a way that is helpful. The author includes his own story and what that meant as he was trying to incorporate racial awareness in the ministries in his church.

White Awake offers many opportunities to question presuppositions about race, consider important keys for white people, rethink Bible passages, and glean useful notes from personal stories. It is smart, useful, honest and an open door to learn more about racial reconciliation in U.S churches and communities. You have to start with where you are and, if you happen to be white, this is where you start.

A few quotes:

“Colorblindness minimizes the ways God recognizes and celebrates cultural diversity.” p 44.
“American Christianity (particularly evangelicalism) has often lost sight of a holistic understanding of the gospel. There’s an emphasis on the good news, but it tends to be theologically disconnected from demonstration of that good news.” p.92
“[…] For those who are white and have grown up in a theologically conservative Christian tradition – the chances are high that our theology is too limited for the work [of reconciliation] that lies ahead.” p.92
“It may not seem like the most enticing work, but engaging with the white people in our extended community is one of the most concrete ways to make a difference. The apathy, indifference, and even hatred in the white community are the chief threats to racial progress in our country, and any little spark we can ignite is positive for the movement of the whole.” p.175

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(Disclaimers: This book was free of charge from IVPress in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. And this post contains amazon affiliate links.)