What is it about?
The article is a critique of political engagement in global Pentecostalism and how Luke Bretherton deals with this phenomenon in his latest book, Christ and the Common Life. It also gives an account of 'Black Power' in Bretherton's work and some of the reasons why this strand of black radicalism is often overlooked in contemporary studies in Christian ethics, especially when compared to the Civil Rights Movement.
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Why is it important?
This is one of the few texts that deal with Pentecostalism and 'Black Power' by a white scholar. The article will help readers understand these two currents, their strengths and weaknesses.
Perspectives
I enjoyed writing this article and engaging with other scholars for the Lambeth Palace Symposium on Luke Bretherton's book. My response commends Bretherton's work and his interdisciplinary scholarship, especially the way he curates contested areas in black radicalism and represent aspects of 'Black Power' as a legitimate challenge to racism and as an assertion of black dignity, ontology and autonomy. It has inspired me to return to these two themes, along with others, in his book. The persistence of 'race' in American politics and cultural discourse continues; the article illustrates that that theme is not going away any time soon, it also commends Bretherton's moral seriousness in tackling the problem head on.
R.David Muir
University of Roehampton
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Power in Black and Pentecostal: An Engagement with Bretherton, Studies in Christian Ethics, January 2020, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0953946819897592.
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