Reggie Williams’ Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus fundamentally disrupted Bonhoeffer studies for the better, breathing new life into conversations too long caught in an endless feedback loop. Now with this second edition which includes an extraordinary foreword from Ferdinand Schlingensiepen, arguably the world’s leading Bonhoeffer scholar, we see even more clearly the path Williams has laid for us to move Bonhoeffer from Eurocentric intellectual isolationism toward a Bonhoeffer listening and learning from the black diaspora—would that others could follow his example and Williams’ insights.
~Willie James Jennings, Associate Professor of Theology and Africana Studies, Yale Divinity School
In Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus, Reggie Williams does what no other Bonhoeffer scholar has done in the history of the guild. His turn to interrogate Harlem, its historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, and the significance of Black life and resistance for Bonhoeffer's theological vision and ethical formation is groundbreaking and field-shifting. This book is required reading for all who desire a more expansive treatment of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life, and who want to know how Black lives matter then and now for his enduring legacy.
~Eboni Marshall Turman, Associate Professor of Theology and African American Religion, Yale Divinity School
Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus is destined to transform Bonhoeffer studies. Previously scholars have focused on Bonhoeffer’s experience that year at Union Theological Seminary, but Williams makes a plausible case that his experiences in neighboring Harlem were far more decisive in shaping the man who returned to Germany to take on the Nazis and the Nazifying Protestant churches.
~David P. Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics & Director, Center for Theology and Public Life, Mercer University
Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus is a compelling study of Bonhoeffer’s encounter with the Christianity he found alive in the streets of Harlem and the sanctuary of Abyssinian Baptist Church. These formative experiences inspired Bonhoeffer’s efforts to undermine the false connection between White imperialist identity and Jesus. The Black Christ that Williams finds in Bonhoeffer challenges all of us to live more authentically and fully into the call to do justice. Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus is a must read.
~Emilie M. Townes, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Womanist Ethics and Society, Vanderbilt Divinity School
In recent years, scholars have begun to name Bonhoeffer’s experience in Harlem as central to his development, but no one until now has provided such a rich analysis of the embedded cultural thinking he had to shed and the degree and manner in which he did so. Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus not only will ignite new discussions on Bonhoeffer and race, but also will guide readers into more honest reflection on the entrenched nature of racism and the deliberative thinking and action necessary for resistance.
~Jennifer M. McBride, Associate Dean of Doctor of Ministry Programs and Continuing Education and Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics, McCormick Theological Seminary
This study of Bonhoeffer and the black Christ is a revelation, an unveiling that illumines the deep places of Bonhoeffer’s life and thought. Moreover, Reggie Williams’ presentation and writing are exemplary, within reach of any audience serious about Bonhoeffer.
~Larry Rasmussen, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor Emeritus of Social Ethics, Union Theological Seminary, New York City
Reggie Williams’ Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus... breaks new ground in offeringa detailed and vibrant portrait of the Harlem Renaissance that was in full blossom during Bonhoeffer’s time in New York.
~Victoria J. Barnett, Contemporary Church History Quarterly
Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus stands as a turning point in Bonhoeffer scholarship while offering a fresh and constructive approach to theological ethics in its vision for empathic resistance and solidarity with the oppressed.
~Timothy Dwight Davis, Anglican Theological Review
Williams’ exploration is a welcome journey into a domain of praxiological substance in a contemporary age where vain ideologies, boisterous pathologies, and impotent philosophies have become normative impersonations of meaningful commitment. His historical framing is invaluable, as he refreshingly covers the development and depth of Bonhoeffer’s thought.
~Kevin Dudley, Journal of Lutheran Ethics
... What should the reflective life of a global Christian look like? Williams’ Bonhoeffer brings us close and paves the way for deeper reflection on the impact of Bonhoeffer’s global ministry on his theology.
~William Young, Black Theology: An International Journal
Williams’ prose is enthralling, and he successfully engages in meaningful dialog with earlier literature in ethics, theology, and black studies. His book is a welcome effort to bridge our understanding of Bonhoeffer’s actions in Germany with motivations inherited from Black America. It might be useful in both undergraduate and graduate settings.
~Paul Hillmer, Lutheran Quarterly
... a highly significant study of Bonhoeffer’s powerfully formative theological development inside the crucible and sublime beauty of Harlem. It is required reading for anyone seeking a more complex, constructive, and provocative view of Bonhoeffer, especially as it provides a dark-hued and somewhat contested thesis that will surely establish a new benchmark for the vigorous discussions and debates to come regarding Bonhoeffer’s Christological and ethical embrace of racial alterity and Christian identity.
~James S. Logan, Modern Theology
In addition to the exploration of Bonhoeffer’s time in Harlem, this book raises important considerations about scholarship and pedagogy that would benefit a broad audience. Williams, using Bonhoeffer’s own words, emphasizes that his early theology had been a demonstration of intellect rather than an expression of faith.
~Courtney H. Davis, Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics
Williams invites readers to leave behind the romantic image of a white Jesus, moving beyond it to articulate thoughtfully the representative action of a Palestinian Christ who experienced necropolitics on the way to the cross. In this way, Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus challenges the formation of young theologians today: to learn from historical engagement, to face current ideological and religious oppressions, and to journey in vulnerability, mutual learning and action towards justice and peace.
~Samuel Murillo Torres, Modern Believing
