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 Cultureby Raúl Homero Villa. Struggles overspace and resistance to geographicdisplacement gave birth to much ofChicano history and culture. In the book, Villa explores the use of expressive cultureby Chicano activists, journalists, writers,Barrio Logos artists, and musicians inCalifornia to oppose the community destroyingforces of urban-renewalprograms.
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.