Thirteen Turns
A Theology Resurrected From the Gallows of Jim Crow Christianity
Foreword by Sabrina L. Valente
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
It is remarkable that African Americans, the descendants of slaves, embrace Christianity at all. The imagination that is necessary to parse biblical text and find within it a theology that speaks to their context is a testimony to their will to survive in a hostile land. Black religion embraces the cross and the narrative of Jesus as savior, both theologically and culturally. But this does not suggest that African Americans have not historically, and do not now, struggle with the reconciliation of the cross, black life, suffering. African Americans are well aware of the shared relationship of Christianity with the white oppressors of history. The religion that helped African Americans to survive is the religion that was instrumental in their near genocide.
Larry Covin is the Systematic Theologian-Religion Scholar at Trinity UCC Church in York, Pennsylvania. He earned a BS in criminal justice from Albany State University, an MDiv from the Interdenominational Theological Center, a DMin from Lancaster Theological Seminary, and a Postdoctoral-ThM in theology and ethics from Princeton Theological Seminary. For over twenty years he taught at Morgan State University, University of Baltimore, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Lancaster Theological Seminary, and the Schaefer Center for Public Policy.
“Dr. Covin does an amazing job of inviting the reader to engage the hard truth about Christianity, race, and justice. This is a must-read for anyone who embraces progressive Christianity, is called to social justice and liberation work, and is prepared to handle the truth.”
—Jamie Washington, Senior Pastor, Unity Fellowship Church of Baltimore; President and Founder, The Social Justice Training Institute
“This slender volume is a remarkable and timely achievement. Marshaling insights from a diverse spectrum of thinkers, ranging from Friedrich Schleiermacher to James Cone, the book articulates a powerful African American message of life in the midst of death. Its reflections are both visceral and critical, informed by the memory of Jim Crow lynchings and by the eschatological speculations of Jürgen Moltmann. In the face of the resurgent white nationalism that plagues our era, Dr. Covin offers a revitalizing vision of resilient hope and undaunted resistance.”
—Lee C. Barrett, Henry and Mary Stager Professor of Theology, Lancaster Theological Seminary
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