Church in Black and White [antikvár]

Foreword Redeeming a Tragic History: A Call to Conversion John Wilkinson's book is likely to be read by many black Christians belonging to different denominations and traditions in this country, including the independent black-majority churches. After all, it deals with a story that they all share to a larger or lesser extent. When black Christians came to these islands with the great immi- grations that started in the early 1950s', an alarmingly large number of them felt they were being 'frozen out' of the local, preponderantly 'white-membership' churches to which they thought they belonged. Those who went through that traumatic experience responded in two different ways. A certain number opted to walk out of these churches and to form independent Christian congregations in which they could feel at home and could create the kind of christian experience that responded to their needs. These are the independent 'black-majority' churches which have become such a marking feature of present-day British Christianity. But an equally significant number chose to remain in their denominations of origin and to carry on from the inside the demanding task of helping to create visibly multi-cultural and multi-racial congregations such as would prove the truth of Paul's declaration: 'For (in Christ) . . . there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female (and add: neither white nor black)' (Galatians 3:28) This book sets out to listen to the story of this section of black Christians. It does far more than that: it goes on to propose what the author feels should be the appropriate and constructive response, on the part of the white membership of those churches, to the prophetic challenge thrown by their black brothers and sisters. Indeed Wilkinson makes it very clear that this book is meant to be 'a white response and testimony'. In that sense it surely is a brave and daring exercise, and one wonders what kind of reception his book will get from those it seeks to engage in dialogue.