The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey HH #606 How Far to the Promised Land with Esau McCaulley
Structural racism and social justice in the United States of America is a complicated story. I couldn’t think of anyone better to have on the show to talk about that complicated story other than today’s guest, my friend, Esau McCaulley.
Esau McCaulley is an associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. He is the author of many works including Sharing in the Son’s Inheritance and Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope. He is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and his writings have also appeared in places such as The Atlantic, Washington Post, and Christianity Today.
In Esau’s newest book, How Far to the Promised Land: One Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South, he takes us on a journey through his family tree and the community that shaped him into the man he is today. He raises questions like what it means to be human and what does each person’s struggle to build a life teach us about what we owe each other? This book brings into light our often too-simple narrative of poverty and upward mobility. I encourage you to lean into the hard, engage in the tough conversations, and go pre-order this book today!
SHOW LINKS:
Last episode with Esau McCaulley
Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal
Josey Johnson’s Hair and the Holy Spirit