Becoming the Beloved Community - A Reading List

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
– Prayer for the Human Family (Book of Common Prayer, p. 815)

Q: What is the mission of the Church?
A: The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.

Q: How does the Church pursue its mission?
A: The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the Gospel, and promotes justice, peace, and love.

Q: Through whom does the Church carry out its mission?
A: The Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members.
– An Outline of the Faith (Book of Common Prayer, p. 855)

Some reading that would be helpful (in Becoming the Beloved Community):

• Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
• Kelly Brown Douglas, Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God
• Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
• Howard J. Ross, Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgments in Our Daily Lives 
• “Under Our Skin,” Seattle Times project on race and racism 
• Jim Wallis, America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege and the Bridge to a New America
• Martin Luther King Jr., Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? 
• James Cone, The Cross & The Lynching Tree 
• Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World & Me

(I am reading this right now: The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race is a 2016 essay and poetry collection edited by Jesmyn Ward)

The end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the Beloved Community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opponents into friends. ... It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men. – The Rev. Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.