The American Church in Black and White

About the Book

The American Church in Black and White is a book born out of the author’s love for God’s church. It was shaped and given form and text in the crucible of the author’s experience as a pastor of several Indiana congregations—congregations that attempted to create a Christian, counter-narrative, to the tragic narrative and legacy of our nation’s history of slavery and racism. Cautiously optimistic in tone, the author posits that if the American church is going to live into Christ’s prayer request for His church to be one (John 17:21), if the church is going to deal effectively with the fallen powers and win people to the Lord, then Christians will have to face and overcome the complex and tragic history of racial antipathy in this country; also, the church will have to learn how to successfully navigate a spiritual and cultural minefield. The author has distilled the three main cultural controversies (mines) that can explode/implode the church’s intercultural hopes, down to:1) Culturally-Based Worship Preferences 2) Culturally-Based Views on Ministerial Authority, and 3) Biblical Hermeneutics in Black and White. It is the author’s conviction that in spite of these areas of potential conflict, God has given the church the power to become an intercultural community that is distinctive, attractive, and authentically Christian

About the Author

Gregory E. Bryant, a native of Chicago, is the Senior Pastor of the United Christian Church of Detroit (Disciples of Christ), in Detroit, Michigan. Prior to accepting the call to serve United, he served congregations in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a graduate of Jarvis Christian College, in Hawkins, Texas, where he received a Bachelor of Science in History. He also is a graduate of the Christian Theological Seminary, in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he received a Master of Divinity and has completed work toward the Doctor of Ministry Degree. Though Reverend Bryant’s faith in Christ was rooted and nurtured in the context of the African American arm of the church, much of his ministerial career has been a two decades long journey through the promise and pain located in congregations that have attempted to engage in multicultural ministry. Reverend Bryant has been a workshop leader, lecturer, and preacher for retreats, revivals, and ecumenical gatherings. Reading, music, art, cars, politics, and basketball are his additional interests. But one of the most important joys of his life is his family. His wife, Crystal, is a teacher and a Reading Interventionist. He and Crystal have been blessed with three wonderful children: sons, Gregory and Isaiah, both college students, and a daughter, Christiana, who will be starting high school in the fall.