Pressing Toward the Mark

"Professor Oglesby does not disappoint. Pressing Toward the Mark: Christian Ethics for the Black Church Today provides ethical guidelines for dealing with the thorny problem of sexuality in the Black Church,Womanist Ethics, and the use of the Bible. Replete with case studies, this text is ideal for church study groups, theological schools, and departments of religion."

--Noel Leo Erskine, Emory University



"To articulate an ethic that is less a matter of logic and theory than the byproduct of a life engaged in struggle, Dr. Oglesby recounts some of the key moments in Black America's pursuit of justice, equality, and liberation. He claims a voice hewn from the rocky crevices of a racist culture, but polished and refined to reveal a durability, a beauty, and a resolve intended to inspire and to educate."

--Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer, Associate Conference Minister, St. Louis Association, Missouri Mid-South Conference



"I had no idea I was raised on the principles of Womanist Theology until I read E. Hammond Oglesby's Pressing Toward the Mark. . . . Indeed, the unique contribution of this book to ethics in the black church in the twenty-first century is its reminder to us that our moral traditions have Womanist roots."

--Edward P. Wimberly, Interdenominational Theological Center



"Representing the mature reflections of a distinguished teacher and author in the field of Christian Ethics, Professor Oglesby's volume grounds Christian Ethics in the black church tradition in the inseparability of love and justice. . . . [T]he four case studies will be valuable resources that effectively invite and facilitate further reflection, dialogue, and group discussion, both in the black church and beyond."

--J. Clinton McCann Jr., Eden Theological Seminary