Becoming Brave
Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now
by Brenda Salter McNeil
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Pub Date 18 Aug 2020 | Archive Date 28 Aug 2020
Baker Academic & Brazos Press | Brazos Press
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Description
Reconciliation is not true reconciliation without justice! Brenda Salter McNeil has come to this conviction as she has led the church in pursuing reconciliation efforts over the past three decades. McNeil calls the church to repair the old reconciliation paradigm by moving beyond individual racism to address systemic injustice, both historical and present. It's time for the church to go beyond individual reconciliation and "heart change" and to boldly mature in its response to racial division.
Looking through the lens of the biblical narrative of Esther, McNeil challenges Christian reconcilers to recognize the particular pain in our world so they can work together to repair what is broken while maintaining a deep hope in God's ongoing work for justice. This book provides education and prophetic inspiration for every person who wants to take reconciliation seriously.
Becoming Brave offers a distinctly Christian framework for addressing systemic injustice. It challenges Christians to be everyday activists who become brave enough to break the silence and work with others to dismantle systems of injustice and inequality.
Advance Praise
“In Becoming Brave, Dr. McNeil exercises uncommon courage. Part confession, part biblical reflection, part call to storm the gates, Becoming Brave declares that the Christian call to do justice cannot and shall no longer be guided, shaped, and defanged by sensibilities more loyal to white people’s comfort than to God. McNeil has led two generations of evangelical Christians into the value and practice of racial reconciliation. With Becoming Brave she returns and calls her followers to gird their courage and engage like never before, for the sake of the gospel. This book is a must-read.”—Lisa Sharon Harper, founder and president, Freedom Road
“Brenda Salter McNeil has been a giant in the work of racial reconciliation among evangelicals. Like Tom Skinner and Bill Pannell in previous generations, she defines for this generation of evangelical scholars and pastors what real racial reconciliation means on the ground. There is simply no one who has worked with more thoughtfulness, theological precision, and faithfulness at this vital work than Brenda Salter McNeil. There is no one who understands more clearly what is necessary to move white evangelicals forward beyond their racial captivity than McNeil, and there is no more important book that must find its way into the hands of students, pastors, Christian activists, and all those who understand the urgency of this moment than Becoming Brave.”—Willie James Jennings, professor, Yale Divinity School; author of After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging
“This is a beautiful and courageous book about journeys. Brenda Salter McNeil takes us on hers, even as she invites us to newly understand Queen Esther’s and—ultimately—our own. Real prophets lovingly criticize and truthfully energize. McNeil does both with clarity and with the kind of rare vulnerability that—when offered by a justice-leader in it for the long haul and deeply responding to God’s call—enables the rest of us to get quiet and ask again what it is that God requires of us. This book will move your heart and compel your feet to move as well, with others, in response to God’s call to do justice.”—Jennifer Harvey, author of Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America
“During a time requiring moral clarity and moral courage, Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil calls any and all with ears to hear to be brave. Through a combination of personal reflection, cultural awareness, and biblical exegesis of the book of Esther, she provides a roadmap for leaders to become and to be brave.”—Bishop Claude Alexander, senior pastor, The Park Church, Charlotte, North Carolina
“Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil explicates that to speak about the centrality of justice in the story of God and in the gospel of Jesus Christ is to speak about the wet part of the ocean. A Christlike church cannot depart from Christlike justice. She urges the church to grow in the paradigm of racial justice and reconciliation into what the Spirit is calling the church to be now. For such a time as this: a just church that repairs broken systems. With over thirty years of ministry experience as a reconciler, she walks us through her own growth and development of a racial reconciliation paradigm with honesty, candor, challenge, and kingdom urgency using the courageous story of Esther. This book is light in our darkness and an urgent prophetic wake-up call to a church that has lost its reconciling credibility.”—Inés Velásquez-McBryde, pastor, speaker, and reconciler; chaplain, Fuller Theological Seminary
“There is not a more credible, seasoned, and dynamic voice in the country that could speak to us about leadership and reconciliation than Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil. She has guided countless organizations and individuals through these choppy waters, and there are literally thousands of people who could bear testimony to the way she has changed their lives—including me. That is why I cannot recommend Becoming Brave strongly enough. In this book you will be equipped and moved to become someone different and better than what you’ve ever been before.”—Daniel Hill, pastor; author of White Awake
“Once again, Dr. McNeil proves herself as a leading theologian and practitioner of reconciliation and justice. She brilliantly uncovers, through the book of Esther, how God uses the marginalized as brave vessels of transformation. I am grateful for her reminding us of the courageous women of the Bible and how they can inspire justice-oriented disciplemakers today.”—Efrem Smith, co-senior pastor, Bayside Church Midtown, Granite Bay, California; author of Killing Us Softly
“Rev. Brenda illuminates a justice path for those seeking to be brave or simply responding to the times. With truth-telling, vulnerability, and profound scriptural insights, Rev. Brenda’s work reflects the complex struggles that come from a long engagement in reconciliation work. In Becoming Brave, Rev. Brenda, one of the American church’s great leaders of racial reconciliation, delves into the unexpected disruptions she has encountered during her journey toward deep reconciliation. She models and illuminates a path for others. A fantastic resource for advocating for and embodying justice.”—Nikki Toyama-Szeto, executive director, Evangelicals for Social Action at the Sider Center of Eastern University
“Brenda’s reflections in Becoming Brave could stand in for countless numbers of people in the community of color. For many, the first years of faith disarmed the gospel of its resistance to injustice—the restoration of God’s shalom—replacing it with the placating call to piety, to ‘Just follow Jesus!’ We celebrated soul salvation, our ticket home to a triumphant eternity, with the implicit expectation that earthly matters were important only inasmuch as they ensured we could ‘occupy until Jesus returns.’ This truncated experience of salvation meant that continuing injustice went unaddressed by many gospel-embracing believers. Clearly, a disarmed gospel is no gospel at all. If we are honest, most people of color can insert their names, stories, and journeys in the place of Brenda’s. The gospel we initially responded to was about soul salvation and piety. Her stories, rooted in women of action in Scripture, inspire us to deepen our faith and take the whole gospel to the whole of creation. Paul admonishes us that ‘the whole of creation awaits the revelation of the children of God.’ Perhaps this is less about us being revealed than it is about us experiencing the gospel more fully. In Becoming Brave, Brenda challenges us to be woke!”—Terry LeBlanc, director, NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community
“I want to be a leader for racial reconciliation. Dr. McNeil’s book is an essential tool for my leadership education. It is not a book for the faint of heart. Dr. McNeil anchors her wisdom in the book of Esther. And while I was inspired by the wisdom of the book, it’s going to challenge you. It pulls no punches. And for these reasons, it is an essential read.”—Shirley Hoogstra, president, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
“For years, Dr. McNeil has been a pioneer in awakening churches to the biblical call to racial reconciliation. She is now taking a bold and courageous step forward into new territory. My prayer is that all who have received and appreciated her ministry will follow her into the wilderness—in a parallel journey to that of Moses and Miriam leaving Egypt. In this brilliant and powerful book, Dr. McNeil makes a case for recognizing this kairos moment when traditional reconciliation models don’t go far enough to liberate us from fear and captivity. This book is a clarion call that cuts through the fog of our partisan arguments and blazes a path to abundant life for all. All of those who are suffering unjustly at this time need you to read this book and respond. This book will equip you to hear your equivalent to the call of Queen Esther—that you are who you are in order to speak out in your place for such a time as this.”—Alexia Salvatierra, Centro Latino professor, School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781587434471 |
| PRICE | US$21.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 208 |
Featured Reviews
Missy S, Reviewer
I’m not even sure how to give feedback on this book. what i can say is WOW.
Brenda Salter McNeil writes with passion and urgency that now is the time for the Church to step up and help with racial justice and reconciliation.. She is tired of trying to be nice to White people getting them to understand what has been happening to African Americans in our country.
I reaized as an almost 68 yr old White woman once again, all the privledges I have received throughout my life from education, to health care , to living in middle class America as a given. I have read numerous books this summer about race and what we have done so comppletely unjustly to our Black brothers and sisters. I am lamenting and grieving.
What can I possibly do living in a forest with not many people around? I am praying and asking God to showo me how to be brave.
Dr McNeil is known for her passion for racial reconciliation but now, using the book of Esther in the Bible, urges us to act- the time is now.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I underllined in this book. I Have learned, I have been convicted and I have been inspired.
We, the White people, DO NOT HAVE THE ANSWERS, but we can join with our Black Family and ask what can we do? how can we join you?
I cannot recommend this book enough because it has challenged me like no other.
I want to be brave just like Doc Brenda. I want to get out of my comfort zone and listen and act.
For who knows if we are allive “for such a time as this” to join in this fight for justice and reconciliation for all mankind?
I was given an advance copy of this book.
Melissa P, Reviewer
"I will pierce the darkness of racism and injustice with the leader whom I will influence and nurture and encourage in their practice of what I believe reconciliation really means: repairing broken systems together."
Dr. McNeil's book takes the framework of the book of Esther and shows how Esther herself was the first seeker of justice in the Bible. The narrative presented is important, convicting, and very real. In today's racial climate, we see the same stories happening again and again in the U.S., and Dr. McNeil looks toward real solutions to this ongoing problem with racial justice. Solutions that don't just rely on a yearly highlight of diversity or a multicultural meal.
"I will stand in truth, and I will no longer dumb down the truth to help White people feel less guilty. To do so is to be complicit in sanitizing the truth, and I refuse to be complicit in that any longer."
If you are a Christian, I repeat that this is important work that must be done in the church. We can no longer hide behind centering whiteness, we need to step out in the truth. White people, myself included, cannot cloister ourselves in our protective bubble, we need to enter into the work of reconciliation. This is not easy work, and we need to take the words of Esther to heart: "If I perish, I perish." This book should set its readers on fire to push for real, lasting change in our country. The church must be a participant in restructuring the power equations.
"It is deeply disturbing that so many Christians think that racial reconciliation is some kind of liberal, politically motivated social agenda that has nothing to do with their faith as followers of Jesus Christ. It is also an indictment of the church that so many Christians don't know that the gospel includes reconciliation across racial, gender, ethnic, social, and cultural barriers. Our call to discipleship is an invitation to follow Jesus int a new community."
I highly recommend this book to fellow Christians looking for guidance to get to the difficult work of the pursuit of racial justice. This cannot happen alone, and Dr. McNeil gives the encouragement and tools needed to enter with a heart of courage.
Chris B, Reviewer
I first heard about racial reconciliation several years ago at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, GA. One of those voices was Dr. McNeil. A short while afterward I began my own personal journey to uncover the reasons beneath the racial divide in our country, and I have taken in history and information from many sources recommended to me through others. I benefited mightily from them, and it is now my privilege to offer a recommendation to those who read this review. You should buy and read this book! Dr. McNeil offers up her personal experience in the arena of racial reconciliation while also tracing a road to what it looks like to be a reconciler through the Biblical story of Esther. The book is an easy and concise read; she cuts to the heart of things in each chapter making very important concepts easy to grasp. Most importantly, I can say definitively that this book has challenged and changed me. What the remainder of this journey looks like for me I have yet to find out. But, I came away with a great many things that will be valuable to me as I travel.
Amanda L, Reviewer
Becoming Brave is a must read! It is a timely reflection on what reconciliation is and why the non-white church should take the lead. Brenda Salter McNeil writes about her own journey to understanding more fully what reconciliation truly entails. She writes about the need to call things what they are. She writes honestly about the pain of assimilation culture and of racism within systems. For far too long the White church has expected people of color to make their pain palatable for us. But no more! I firmly believe true reconciliation within the Church will come when BIPOC decides to take the lead. The Black church does not need to make white evangelicals comfortable. They need to speak, move, and stand in the Word, holding Truth – as uncomfortable and hard as is it for us white folk to take – as the beacon to a more just society.
McNeil is a wise and trustworthy guide to those who realize reconciliation is Kingdom work. For people disenfranchised with the silence and complicity of the Church, McNeil’s book in a lantern in our current evangelical darkness.
Shannan H, Reviewer
This book was truly amazing. A book you truly don't want to put down. If you are really concerned about racial reconciliation in the church in America, It is imperative that you read this book, and read it more than once. Using the book of Esther in the Bible, Pastor McNeil shows us how God cares about reconciliation, including the church. This is a must read book that will challenge and cause you to think tremendously. An absolute mind blowing book
Andrea H, Reviewer
I wanted to read this book after listening to Rev. Dr. McNeil speak as part of a virtual panel with Lisa Sharon Harper, Jemar Tisby, and LaTasha Morrison. She was the panelist with whom I was least familiar, but whose contribution I most enjoyed. Becoming Brave is essentially a book-long expansion of what she shared during that panel. Using the book of Esther as the framework, she describes her journey from fighting for diversity and inclusion in the church, to fighting against injustice and systemic racism. It's challenging and hopeful, without ignoring the very real obstacles that everyone doing anti-racism work faces. That we cannot have true reconciliation without justice and reparations may seem obvious to some and yet it is an idea that so many in the church deny both implicitly and explicitly. I appreciated Rev. Dr. McNeil's honesty and vulnerability as she confronted her own erroneous assumptions and modes of work as she calls the reader to do the same.
Laurel W, Reviewer
This book reads like one of the authors famous talks or sermons that people travel and pay good money to hear. She fleshes out the story of Esther from the Bible to show how each of us may be called to racial justice. Equal parts challenge and encouragement, the author pulls no punches in her exhortation. She uses personal stories, information from experts, and other Bible stories to complete the picture, and she is brutally honest about her own struggles. I often struggle to finish non-fiction books and prefer to read fiction, but this book was compelling right to the very end. The book is educational and inspirational and just a really good read.
Liz R, Reviewer
I do not think anyone can argue that in these unprecedented times in the United States amid a global pandemic, horrendous governmental leadership with no regard for the imago Dei in all, and racial tensions that seem like we've taken a trip back to the civil rights movement, WE NEED TO BECOME BRAVE.
This book is a deep dive into a story that many Christians are familiar with but from a different perspective. She doesn't give us the "everything will be alright" platitudes. She tells us the truth. Standing up might just cost you something but she reminds us why being brave and standing on the right side of justice still is a worthy stance for the Christian.
In this book, our global Godmother in all things racial reconciliation lovingly takes our hand and shows us her journey and reminds us that in most of our lives like in hers, we don't have to go out looking to do this work, the work will find us. Yet, how we respond is the key and this book will give all who read it the moxie driven by understanding of scripture to STAND UP, STAND OUT and BE BRAVE.
Tina B, Reviewer
Putting words and thoughts into practise may be the hardest thing... however reading someone's words and being completely open to opportunities is what most makes digesting this book and putting it out into the world the most vulnerable. This book is a great tool to open minds and explore what is possible.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Brenda Salter McNeil and Brazos Press for providing me with an ecopy of this publication which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
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