How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice

by Jemar Tisby

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Jemar Tisby believes the key to America's racial reconciliation lies within the Christian faith. Building on his previous book Color of Compromise, he details how Christians can make positive changes to move forward to a more equitable future.

Winner of the 2022 ECPA Christian Book Award for Faith & Culture

How do we effectively confront racial injustice? We need to move beyond talking about racism and start equipping ourselves to fight against it.

In this follow-up to the New York Times Bestseller the Color of Compromise, Jemar Tisby offers an array of actionable items to confront racism. How to Fight Racism introduces a simple framework—the A.R.C. Of Racial Justice—that teaches readers to consistently interrogate their own actions and maintain a consistent posture of anti-racist behavior.

The A.R.C. Of Racial Justice is a clear model for how to think about race in productive ways:

• Awareness: educate yourself by studying history, exploring your personal narrative, and grasping what God says about the dignity of the human person.
• Relationships: understand the spiritual dimension of race relations and how authentic connections make reconciliation real and motivate you to act.
• Commitment: consistently fight systemic racism and work for racial justice by orienting your life to it.

Tisby offers practical tools for following this model and suggests that by applying these principles, we can help dismantle a social hierarchy long stratified by skin color. He encourages rejection passivity and active participation in the struggle for human dignity. There is hope for transforming our nation and the world, and you can be part of the solution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310104780
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	01/05/2021
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	443,233
File size:	559 KB

About the Author

Jemar Tisby (BA, University of Notre Dame; MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is CEO of The Witness, Inc., an organization dedicated to Black uplift. He is also cohost of the Pass the Mic podcast and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Color of Compromise. He has spoken nationwide at conferences, and his writing has been featured by the Washington Post, CNN, and The Atlantic. Jemar is a PhD candidate in history at the University of Mississippi studying race, religion, and social movements in the twentieth century.

Table of Contents

Chapter One - Introduction - Courageous Christianity Part One – Awareness Chapter 2 - Discovering What the Bible Says about Race and Ethnicity Chapter 3 - Unpacking Your Racial Experiences Chapter 4 - Learning about Race in U.S. History Chapter 5 - All Reconciliation is Relational Chapter 6 - Can I Be Your Friend? Chapter 7 - Building Diverse Communities Part Three - Commitment Chapter 8 - Searching the Bible for Justice Chapter 9 - Doing Justice in Public Chapter 10 - Orienting Your Life to Anti-Racism Conclusion - Hope in the Midst of Persecution

Editorial Reviews

'The value of this book is that it is more than 'how-to' instructions aimed at transforming society. This book is also an invitation to a journey of love. To some that will be disappointing; the author invites you to take that up with Jesus.'

BILL PANNELL

'Jemar Tisby reshaped the conversation about race for white Christians with his bestselling, The Color of Compromise. Thousands of us came to see the way that our faith had been co-opted by the wicked ideology that sustains racism, and we then became desperate for concrete ideas to break the chains of this unholy alliance. In How To Fight Racism, Jemar responds to that very need. In this book, Jemar uses a very accessible framework of ARC (awareness, reconciliation, and commitment) to provide a road map for moving forward. You can be certain that you will walk away from this wonderful book feeling armed with a litany of practical tools for taking the next steps to confront and challenge this systemic and historic evil.'

DANIEL HILL

'With clarity and conviction, Jemar lays the path for anyone seeking to uproot racism in their lives, their families, their congregations, or any sphere of influence. Every leader needs this book!'

NICOLE MASSIE MARTIN

'In this clear-eyed and practical book, Jemar Tisby brings his scholarship, faith, and humanity to the inescapable challenges of racial injustice in America. How to fight Racism is a timely gift and a biblical challenge. Read it, share it, teach it, live it!'

CHARLES MARSH

'This book is for people of faith who are ready to fight racism not merely by educating ourselves but by moving towards courageous action in diverse community. Jemar's work at the intersection of awareness, relationships, and commitment will serve the church as we seek to be reconciled, justice-oriented people. The varied narratives and concrete applications Jemar shares are in line with the integrity he has as a leader who is engaged in this multiethnic civil rights moment.'

executive director of Chasing Justice SANDRA MARIA VAN OPSTAL

'How to Fight Racism by Jemar Tisby has come at a perfect moment for the church. While racism in America is a highly complex, multilayered reality with a variety of definitions, lived experiences, and proposed solutions, the church of Jesus Christ stands as the only viable hope for ending racism. Even though the church has a mixed record when it comes to racism, it is our fight! If you're new to the fight or could benefit from a concrete road map to a more just and merciful society, this beautiful book makes the complex doable.'

KAY WARREN

'Jemar Tisby has given us a gift in How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey toward Racial Justice. I deeply appreciate the holistic approach to racial justice outlined in this book and am both challenged and inspired to apply the practical action steps that can promote racial equity. If we all step up and do our part, we can finally achieve racial justice. This book is an important part of moving closer to making this dream a reality.'

CHRISTINE CAINE

'Jemar Tisby is a sociohistorical scholar par excellence! And he is committed to the advancement of the good news, for all. Tisby offers an unvarnished, biblical approach to antiracist work—one rooted in sound research, biblical knowledge, and a clear-eyed perspective on how white supremacy has made the good news bad news for so many. This is a critically important combination.'

KORIE EDWARDS

'Those recently awakened or reawakened to the need to pursue racial justice who find themselves wondering 'What's next?' will find the answer here. With authority, clarity, and compassion, Tisby invites readers of all races to join in a transformative journey of learning and doing, a journey marked by both resilience and hope. This is an invaluable book that points the way to deep and enduring change.'

KRISTIN KOBES DU MEZ