Trouble I’ve Seen

In this emotionally wrenching yet accessible book, Hart—theologian and minister—provides an overview of the systemic racism that nonwhite people, particularly African-Americans, face in the U.S. today, as well as the responses of Bible-based Christian theology. Hart uses a mixture of personal anecdotes, research, and explications of Jesus’s New Testament teachings to show that the church has not provided racial justice. Hart’s voice is friendly and warm, despite the heaviness of the subject matter, and once the problem has been thoroughly outlined and dissected, he presents practical suggestions and a call to action for Christians. The book provides a notable amount of information given its relatively short page count. Though much of the material will be familiar to anyone who has read more extensively about racial justice or Jesus’s approach to equality, the book has a savvy and balanced blend of the topics that should serve as a useful introduction for Christians of all races who haven’t yet understood the full scope of the problem and been inspired to enact change. (Jan.)