Racism and oppression in America pervades all peoples of color, but the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) face specific and unique challenges, both in culture and in the Christian Church. In this book, Rev. Dr. Kevin W. Cosby lays out the first theology of the ADOS movement, putting it in both Biblical context, including the stories of Solomon, Daniel, and Nehemiah, and Moses, and through these stories shares a possible way forward for ADOS in the modern Church.

It took me a good while to read this one, as it’s not one to just fly through lightly. I’d pick it up and then put it back down, rinse, repeat as I digested each chapter and story that Cosby shared. It’s a great read for modern Christians who don’t want to abandon the church but cannot abide the racism that pervades it in modern, prosperity, white gospel. It’s not a light read, but it is enlightening and an excellent addition to spiritual reading and contemplation.

Insightful book on the ADOS movement and how it ties into American Christianity and the Black church.

Enjoyed reading this book and exploring ADOS. Very informative. I had not been aware of the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) movement.

ARC kindly provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

To start, this book was definitely something that was out of my realm of normal reading; I normally love fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi, and leave the non-fiction for my audiobooks. However, when I read the description for this book, I knew that even if it wasn't going to be the easiest read more me, it was definitely a necessary one.

In this book, Cosby takes us through his own life experiences, those of his friends and neighbors, and Bible stories to make his key argument: The American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS, as he abbreviates) have suffered immensely and still do under the oppression of institutional racism, and have a good case for why they deserve reparations.

The idea of reparations has been politicized throughout the years since ADOS began demanding it, but the case Cosby makes here isn't a plea to the government, per say, but a direct conversation with the Church about how it needs to support ADOS. Using scripture to demonstrate, Cosby makes the case the ADOS deserve specific reparations and support, rather than being lumped into the BIPOC label. He argues that, like the Jews in their many diasporas, ADOS went through specifically damaging trials that other POC, even black people from the Caribbean or immigrants from Africa, have not gone through. Like the Jews, ADOS need to be exclusive in their plea for justice, so their specific struggles can be heard.

As a white woman, this book was difficult to begin because the "exclusivity" that Cosby calls for ADOS goes against what we have learned in our discussions about POC rights - we are fighting for the rights for other groups as well, and those groups can band together and help each other. But Cosby's point that ADOS need to fight for ADOS first feels wrong -- until he completely explains it. He uses his own life experiences, statistics, and Biblical text to make his point, and if you have the time to dig deep, it is a worthwhile one.

Recommend for all willing to learn!

I have read a few current books involving racial justice issues and thought this might be a good next step in my education. I believe that Cosby is highly educated and passionate about this topic, but his writing style did not resonate with me. Cosby focuses on descendants of slaves in the United States and the movement for reparations. He weaves Biblical scripture into his writings as support for the ideas.

I received this an ARC through Netgalley. Reading this as white woman, I found it extremely eye opening and informative. Dr. Cosby states his points clearly and draws relevant comparisons between ADOS (American Descendants of Slavery) and Nehemiah from the Bible.

"And while I of course believe that the church ought to evangelize so that people might receive Jesus as their savior, I also believe that after receiving Him, Christians are then further called upon to follow Jesus as Lord. Because if following Jesus as savior influences one's vertical relationship with God, then when Jesus is known as Lord, it affects one's horizontal relationship with people and the world around him or her." (pg 48)

"By this I mean that in HIs design for us to become more Christlike, we have an active role to play. It necessitates us getting into things, and not just staying out of things. Jesus always stressed that you cannot simply be "good" by adding up the things that you did not do, or by counting the bad things that you kept out of." (pg 83)

Dr. Cosby's call to action is steeped in facts and clear steps to take.

Let me start with saying that I am a middle-aged, white woman that wants to do better. I do not know what the author of this book has gone through but I do want to understand the perspective. I had never heard of the American Descendants of Slavery until I started reading this book. It is a powerful read using the bible to parallel the struggles of black people that have descended from slaves. I highly recommend reading this book if you are interested in having your eyes opened to a worthy cause.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review