Beyond Colorblind
Redeeming Our Ethnic Journey
by Sarah Shin
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Nov 14 2017 | Archive Date Dec 13 2017
Description
For a generation or so, society has tried to be colorblind. People say they don’t see race. But this approach has limitations. In our broken world, ethnicity and racial identity are often points of pain and injustice. We can’t ignore that God created us with our ethnic identities. We bring all of who we are, including our ethnicity and cultural background, to our identity and work as God's ambassadors.
Ethnicity and evangelism specialist Sarah Shin reveals how our brokenness around ethnicity can be restored and redeemed, for our own wholeness and also for the good of others. When we experience internal transformation in our ethnic journeys, God propels us outward in a reconciling witness to the world. Ethnic healing can demonstrate God's power and goodness and bring good news to others. Showing us how to make space for God's healing of our ethnic stories, Shin helps us grow in our crosscultural skills, manage crosscultural conflict, pursue reconciliation and justice, and share the gospel as ethnicity-aware Christians.
Jesus offers hope for healing, both for ourselves and for society. Discover how your ethnic story can be transformed for compelling witness and mission.
Advance Praise
"Sarah Shin does what no one else has been able to do: connect a clear gospel summary with our stories of ethnic identity and reconciliation. I hope that not only all campus ministers but also every student leader in the country will read this book. I can't remember the last time I was so expectant for an upcoming book to arrive."
- Doug Schaupp, national director of evangelism, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, coauthor of Breaking the Huddle
"This is groundbreaking work: first, it highlights how a lack of ethnic identity is a barrier to being effective witnesses, and then it calls all people to ethnic identity, awareness, healing, and reconciliation through the gospel. It's brilliant and it's good news!"
- James Choung, author of True Story and Real Life
"How might Christian communities break away from the powerful grip of a colorblind narrative? By challenging Christians to reinterpret the significance and meaning of ethnicity through the lens of the good news of Jesus, this timely work points to a clear pathway forward that is biblical, pastoral, and prophetic. I strongly recommend Sarah Shin's work to all Christians who seek to better understand how our Christian and ethnic identities intersect in today's multicultural world."
- Peter Cha, professor, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
"In Beyond Colorblind, Sarah Shin offers us a personal and practical resource as we explore the issues of ethnicity, race, and diversity in our fractured world. This important book will prod at your heart at times, perhaps challenging you to reflect on your own assumptions. But it also serves to equip you—as a friend or neighbor, as a church or community leader, in work or in love. With humility, wisdom, and compassion, Sarah calls us to 'become ethnicity aware in order to address the beauty and brokenness in our ethnic stories and the stories of others.' Essential reading for today."
- Jo Saxton, chair of 3DMovements, speaker, author of More Than Enchanting
"I will never forget hearing Dr. John Perkins say that if we want to disciple people in the Christian faith, a primary focus should be on stewarding ethnic identity. I also will never forget having no idea what that meant or how to do it! I wish I had Beyond Colorblind when I first heard those words. In this critical work, Sarah Shin lays the foundation for ethnic identity in a winsome manner and with a thoughtful approach. I'm convinced that when the light bulb turns on for the importance of ethnic identity, this book will become a can't-miss resource."
- Daniel Hill, pastor, author of White Awake
"Beautifully written and astute. Sarah Shin takes readers on a deep, honest, and spiritual journey through the complications of our racial history. Along the way, she dismantles the objections of thin thinking and religious sentimentality while depositing a rich, nuanced, and healthy soil in its place. Whatever your background or level of experience in this conversation, Sarah's voice and wisdom will add rich texture to your understanding. I can't recommend Beyond Colorblind highly enough."
- Ken Wytsma, author of The Myth of Equality
"Sarah Shin is brilliant! Beyond Colorblind is revolutionary; it is a prophetic, pragmatic, and plucky guide for recovering the gifts and blessings of our ethnic journey. Grounded in Scripture and empowered by personal narratives, this masterpiece is kingdom-focused, Christ-centered, and full of healing. Beyond being a 'must-read' book, this is a 'must-study' resource."
- Emmett G. Price III, executive director, Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
"The unbiblical and unhelpful approach of being colorblind in a diverse world has resulted in significant unintended negative consequences that have adversely impacted the work of the multiethnic church. Sarah Shin calls us to move beyond our superficial understanding of culture, race, and ethnicity toward a more biblical theological approach that offers the hope of healing."
- Soong-Chan Rah, North Park Theological Seminary, author of Prophetic Lament and The Next Evangelicalism
"Ignoring our diversity is not faithful to the Scriptures, the reality that we live in, or the future of the church. Sarah's experience as a minister of the gospel as well as her voice as a woman of color bring a unique perspective that is both deeply theological and richly experiential. What a gift it is to have a resource on crosscultural fluency that is crafted for the whole church."
- Sandra Maria Van Opstal, executive pastor, Grace and Peace Community, author of The Next Worship
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780830845156 |
| PRICE | $18.99 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Cassandra H, Reviewer
This was an excellent book. The main point of this book is that the colorblind mentality can be dangerous and we should all embrace every culture & race. The author did a great job discussing this. She also gave some great advice & tips on. While I did disagree with a few things she said, I really appreciate how compassionate she was to other POC & white folks. She also points every subtopic in her book to the Gospel. It was also very well-researched book. I learned a lot of stuff myself.
My favorite part of the book was the definitely the stories she shared.
This book is perfect for everyone especially leaders of any kind.
Ethan L, Reviewer
A deep and wide exploration into ethnicity and ethnic identity in terms of Christianity and the Gospel.
From the beginning the author seeks for all to, as the book's title would indicate, get beyond colorblindness. She makes the case that ethnicity need not be a negative or a problem: God established nations, each in their place, and they have a role to play in His economy. Yes, ethnic identity has become unfortunately reduced to tribalism at times, has been broken in many ways, can cause distress, and become divisive, but the author does well at showing that all people--even white people--have some kind of ethnic background and can find redemption for themselves and that ethnic identity in Christ.
The author speaks of all sorts of ethnic identities; she herself is of Korean descent, and has worked among white people, Latinx, Native Americans, black people, and those from other ethnic groups as well. She does not single out white people for constant beratement; instead, unlike many other works on race and ethnicity, she encourages white people to recognize their own ethnic identity and learn to find redemption for it in Christ.
When people are able to recognize who they are and find redemption for themselves in their ethnicity in Christ, they are then able to help others of their own ethnicity and of other ethnicities more effectively find that redemption for themselves and their ethnicity as well. They can learn how to navigate the challenges that come whenever different ethnicities and cultures come together, learn to trust others, and work together in a way that can glorify God in Christ.
The work is full of questions for reflection and other resources to explore. This is a very important work for people to consider at this time in ministry.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
