December 9

White Awake: An Honest Look at What It Means to be White (2017)
By Daniel Hill

Pastor Daniel Hill wanted to see his urban church become more racially diverse, and met with a group of pastors involved in the ministry of racial reconciliation.  After Daniel shared his vision, a Latino pastor admired his enthusiasm, but admitted "much of what you say sounds paternalistic.  Why do you think rich white people need to come save us poor brown people?" (p 15).  This remark was an eye-opener to Hill (to me, too!) and motivated him to study what it means to be white, and how "white privilege" informs how we treat others and how it makes others feel.  Hill maintains that reconciliation can happen only after we [whites] recognize our sins of white supremacy, lament the sin, repent, and then take steps to help - whether to listen, advocate, or engage.  He emphasizes that self-righteousness (that anything I do can redeem myself) will not suffice; our righteousness comes from Christ alone.  It is not "Christ in me" (5x in Bible) so much that it is I "in Christ" (<150x in Bible).  This book is a wake-up call to white Christians.