Cultural Beliefs
Women Of Color Pray: Voices of Strength, Faith, Healing, Hope And Courage.
Edited and with introductions by Christal M. Jackson. The spiritual journeys
women of color walk are rich with creativity, perseverance, celebration, love,
resistance, and communion. In this multicultural, interfaith collection of prayers
and meditations, you will find inspiration from women of color from Africa, Asia,
the Middle East, and the many cultures represented in the United States.
Old Turtle by Douglas Wood is a beautifully illustrated story of different creations
with differing viewpoints on God coming to accept and appreciate one another
through the wisdom of Old Turtle. As fables do, it reflects on our society today,
showing that only through knowing and loving ourselves and others can we have
international understanding and a healthy earth.
Racial Sobriety: A Journey from Hurts to Healing; Inst for Recovery from Racism;
August 28, 2002 by Fr. Clarence Williams. Fr. Williams presents a process for
dealing with racism as a social illness in the human family. The book outlines a
treatment program for individuals and groups seeking to recover from the
‘stinking thinking’ of racism. The racial sobriety approach focuses on our white
supremacy culture as the source of the various racisms which affects every
member of society.
Living in Color: Embracing God’s Passion for Ethnic Diversity by John Dawson
(2004). Randy Woodley, a Keetoowah Cherokee, casts a biblical, multi ethnic
vision for people. He carefully unpacks how Christians should think about racial
and cultural identity, demonstrating that ethnically diverse communities have
always been God’s intent for his people. Woodley gives practical insights for how
we can relate to one another with sensitivity, contextualize the gospel, combat
the subtleties of racism and honor one another’s unique contributions to church
and society.
Hawn, C. Michael, One Bread, One Body: Exploring Cultural Diversity in
Worship. Hawn and four colleagues from Perkins School of Theology in Dallas
formed a diverse team in ethnicity, gender, academic field of study, and
denominational affiliation to study four United Methodist congregations in the
Dallas area that are grappling with cross-cultural ministry. Hawn offers a concise
and practical theological framework as well as numerous strategies and an
extensive bibliography for implementing “culturally conscious worship.”
Barrio-Logos: Space and Place in Urban Chicano Literature and Culture by Raúl
Homero Villa. Struggles over space and resistance to geographic displacement
gave birth to much of Chicano history and culture. In the book, Villa explores the
use of expressive culture by Chicano activists, journalists, writers, Barrio Logos
artists, and musicians in California to oppose the community destroying forces of
urban-renewal programs.
The American Indian Mind in a Linear World: American Indian Studies and Traditional
Knowledge, 2003. Donald Fixico, an American Indian and scholar, helps his readers
understand and appreciate differences between Indian and Anglo-American ways of
thinking, including circular rather than linear thinking, a spatial perspective, and
connection to the natural world.
The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide (2006) was
co-authored by Meizhu Lui, Barbara Robles, Betsy Leondar-Wright, Rose
Brewer, and Rebecca Adamson. These five women represent five ethnic groups,
with each sharing her research and personal stories from her group’s
perspective. They expose centuries of government and public policies that have
left people of color with a small proportion of the wealth. The authors have ties
with United for a Fair Economy, a leading economics education organization.