Description:
Just as Reconstruction after the Civil War worked to repair a desperately broken society, our Christianity requires a spiritual reconstruction that undoes the injustices of the past. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove traces his journey from the religion of the slaveholder to the Christianity of Christ, showing that when the gospel is reconstructed, freedom rings both for individuals and for society as a whole.
Brief description:
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (MDiv, Duke Divinity School) is a writer, preacher, and moral activist. He and his wife, Leah, founded the Rutba House, a house of hospitality in Durham, North Carolina. Jonathan directs the School for Conversion, a popular education center in Durham committed to "making surprising friendships possible," and is an associate minister at St. John's Missionary Baptist Church.Jonathan is the author or coauthor of more than a dozen books, including Reconstructing theGospel, The Third Reconstruction, Strangers at My Door, Common Prayer, The Awakening of Hope, The Wisdom of Stability, The New Monasticism, and Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers.
Review Quotes:
"Reconstructing the Gospel is an honest reckoning with the mangled, slaveholding religion that continues to pass for the gospel in the United States. It is not self-righteous or accusatory. Instead, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove vulnerably grapples with his own ongoing repentance of white supremacy's powerful grip. Ultimately, this book is an invitation into the river that has been flowing for centuries in this land, providing a past and present counterwitness to the vandalization of Jesus' name. A necessary and timely gift to the church!"
--Drew Hart, assistant professor of theology at Messiah College, author of Trouble I've Seen