Theology in the Raw Biblical Scholarship, Race, Sports, BBQ, and Everything Else: Dr. Esau McCaulley
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Sep 29, 2025 Esau McCaulley, a New Testament scholar and author, dives into a range of intriguing topics, from his evolving views on soccer to his experiences working in a family record store. He shares the inspiration behind his impactful books, including 'Reading While Black', which resonates deeply within African American communities. Esau discusses the creation of his children's Bible, 'God's Colorful Kingdom', emphasizing diversity and justice. He also explores the importance of compassion in critiquing political movements and the role of the church in navigating complex social issues.
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From Dissertation To Public Books
- Esau wrote an academic dissertation on inheritance language in Galatians linking heirs to renewed cosmic life.
- He later planted breadcrumbs in books leading to broader public-theology works like Reading While Black.
Scholarship As Representation And Service
- Esau pursued scholarship partly to show African Americans could do serious New Testament work and to be hired by institutions.
- He wanted to write rigorous scholarship and later communicate it to his own community.
Writing To Save Faith In 2016
- In 2016 Esau began Reading While Black to help African-American Christians hold Scripture and justice together amid cultural pressures.
- He wrote it as a pastoral intervention, not an academic pivot, to prevent faith loss and show black hermeneutical practices.
