October 7, 2019



“In the era of colorblindness, it is no longer socially permissible to use race, explicitly,
as a justification for discrimination, exclusion, and social contempt. So we don’t.
Rather than rely on race, we use our criminal justice system  to label people of color “criminals”
and then engage in all the practices we supposedly left behind. Today it is perfectly legal
to discriminate against criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal
to discriminate against African Americans.  Once you’re labeled a felon, the old forms of discrimination—
employment discrimination, housing discrimination, denial of the right to vote,
denial of educational opportunity, denial of food stamps and other public benefits,
and exclusion from jury service—are suddenly legal.
As a criminal, you have scarcely more rights, and arguably less respect,
than a black man living in Alabama at the height of Jim Crow.
We have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.”

― Michelle Alexander, social critic
TODAY is her birthday!



***  These video clips are
a great introduction to
Michelle Alexander's work!



Michelle Alexander is also one of 
Ten Women Social Critics
that Christians Should Be Reading!




*** Kindle Ebook
Deal of the Day!
The Contemplative Pastor
by Eugene Peterson
Only $1.99!!!

 

 

*** Eerdmans Theology Ebook Sale – October 2019

Some excellent theology ebook deals in the Eerdmans sale for October 2019…
Here are some of our recommended titles from the sale…
Eugene Peterson, Fleming Rutledge, Marva Dawn, MORE




*** New Book Releases –
Week of 7 October 2019

Here are a few new book releases from this week that are worth checking out:
Sarah Bessey, Zadie Smith, Ronald Rolheiser, Megan Phelps-Roper, MORE



Megan Phelps-Roper –
Unfollow – TED Talk

One of the best new book releases of this week:
Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church
Megan Phelps-Roper  (Hardback: FSG Books, 2019)
A powerful story of the transformative work of conversation.
Watch a TED Talk by Megan Phelps-Roper that introduces her story:



Amiri Baraka –
Five Excellent Poems!

Today (Oct. 7) marks the 85th birthday of the  poet Amiri Baraka…
We honor the occasion with five excellent poems by him…




In Case You Missed It...


*** Amazon Monthly Kindle
Ebook Sale ! – October 2019

Amazon recently released their October 2019 ebook sale …
Browse the full sale or check out our recommended deals,
including books by N.T. Wright, Dorothy Day, Dallas Willard, and MORE



*** Not Yet Classics – Theology Books

I have been enjoying theologian Matthew Bates’s Twitter series of not yet classics,
books that are neither “new nor a universally known classic,” but yet still merit our careful reading and reflection.
Taking Bates’s lead, I offer this list of theology books that are not yet classics
in my estimation, yet are ones that I have read, re-read, and regularly share with others.