Reconstructing the Gospel

Finding Freedom from Slaveholder Religion

by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
Foreword by The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

“Jonathan is a moral prophet and spiritual physician for our time. In this timely book, with the precision of a heart surgeon, he exposes the sickness that has long plagued American Christianity and infected our society and politics, revealing that none of us is untouched by the disease. With the credibility of his life lived in solidarity with systemically oppressed people, he resounds a clarion call to reform the way in which we live the gospel. This is a must-read for all Christians in America. You will be humbled, enlightened, and motivated to heal the ailing heart of our country and recover its soul.”–Phileena Heuertz, founding partner, Gravity, a Center for Contemplative Activism

“God has entrusted Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove with a message—the gospel of Jesus Christ has been tragically defaced by American white supremacy and must be reconstructed. In this passionate, fast-paced book, Jonathan gives us a distinctively Christological, hopeful path toward faithful reconstruction. God is able! Even though we, in our structures of sin, often feel powerless to exorcise the demon of white racism, know that God’s will shall be done, and God’s reign will come because God’s purposes shall not be defeated. What an empowering, hopeful word Jonathan has for Christians, white and black.”–Will Willimon, professor of the practice of Christian ministry, author of Who Lynched Willie Earle? Preaching to Confront Racism

“In this insightful, accessible volume readers are introduced to the original sin of racism in the United States, which was first and foremost an economic system to benefit the few at the expense of the many. Racism is woven into the fabric of American institutions, and it will require systemic change to bring about true reconciliation. ‘A gospel that doesn’t confront racism is no gospel at all,’ writes Wilson-Hartgrove, for the work of the gospel is to heal that which is divided and to reconcile that which has been torn apart. This book is a must-read for the church.”–Elaine A. Heath, professor of Missional and Pastoral Theology, Duke Divinity School

“A poignant, compelling, and eye-opening journey that recognizes the racism in us, Christian churches today, and the implicit bias of the dominant culture. The blinders come off through stories, history, and creative biblical insight. We are left amazingly hopeful for ourselves and the church, with Jesus’ invitation to follow him to a whole new world.”–Mary Nelson, Executive Director Emeritus, Parliament of the World’s Religions

“This powerful and prophetic book should come with a warning label. It’s full of stories of ordinary folks working for racial justice, making you want to pull up a chair on the porch for a closer listen. But the stories pack a wallop of conviction, and you will not leave that porch unchanged.”–Jana Riess, author of Flunking Sainthood and coauthor of The Prayer Wheel

“It has become obvious to any who seriously study our sources that much of what we call Christianity in the West today is in radical discontinuity with our faith in its early centuries. Our spiritual healing now depends on corporately facing our past with hope, just as any individual must do in our personal journey to wholeness. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is an honest, courageous, and compelling guide on this path of radical conversion.”–Richard Rohr, Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico

“For a long time the justice conversation in much of the evangelical church has centered on acts of compassion or engaging causes that emerge to fight global injustice. Along the way, we have neglected to ask tough questions like, What was the flaw in our gospel that allowed generations of Christians in America to perpetuate injustice in this country while at the same time being devoutly evangelical? For anyone who cares about true biblical justice and is not afraid to ask difficult questions, Jonathan Wilson-Hargrove’s masterfully written reflections on his journey of being challenged and mentored by black Christians in America is essential. Reconstructing the Gospel shows that such a journey can help us better learn what the gospel really means and why, without it, we are at risk of continuing to perpetuate insufficient justice pursuits informed by a flawed or incomplete gospel. This is a must-read for anyone looking for a more robust, nuanced, and mature faith in the face of America’s complicated ongoing history of race and religion.”–Ken Wytsma, author of Pursuing Justice and The Myth of Equality

“This book offers a front row seat to Jonathan’s transformation out of a well-meaning religion marred by white supremacy to a faith that keeps him in the frontlines of the fight for racial justice. His journey will be an inspiration and a roadmap to Christians who desire to be faithful in our times.”–Tony T. R. Lin, managing director, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia

“The Bible is full of stories of God healing blindness. Reconstructing the Gospel is about how God heals a common form of blindness today—racial blindness. You may have it and not even know it, which is why you need this book. By helping you see life in full color, it can help you be saved from the shriveled-heart syndrome and set free from slaveholder religion and the religion of whiteness. This is a beautiful and challenging book for these times.”–Brian D. McLaren, author of The Great Spiritual Migration

“Reconstructing the Gospel is an honest reckoning with the mangled, slaveholding religion that continues to pass for the gospel in the United States. It is not self-righteous or accusatory. Instead, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove vulnerably grapples with his own ongoing repentance of white supremacy’s powerful grip. Ultimately, this book is an invitation into the river that has been flowing for centuries in this land, providing a past and present counterwitness to the vandalization of Jesus’s name. A necessary and timely gift to the church!”–Drew Hart, assistant professor of theology at Messiah College, author of Trouble I’ve Seen

“Racism in American religion, especially in its most subtle forms, isn’t something we’ve had language for describing helpfully—until now. This is a masterful work, invaluable for coming to terms with the hidden wounds of racism and the awful lie that Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove calls, Christianity of the slaveholder. Jonathan is a reflective soul, at home in his own skin, fully aware of the contradictions and struggles in his own heart. This transparency proves to be the perfect gift for the rest of us who have our own soul work to do in helping end whiteness as a religion.”–Peter W. Marty, publisher of The Christian Century

“I hope every Christian in America will read this book. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove exorcizes the demons of racism and white supremacy that have plagued the body of Christ for far too long. He points the way toward a Christianity that looks like Jesus again.”–Shane Claiborne, author, speaker, activist

“Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove gets it. In the rubble of evangelicalism’s white supremacist crisis, Reconstructing the Gospel unflinchingly confesses the ways Christians remain captive to slaveholder religion. Resisting paralysis, it charts a path of personal and political hope. Reconstruction is such an apt word to describe the work we all have to do in light of our nation’s history.”–Daniel José Camacho, contributing opinion writer for the Guardian US

“This book contains the message I have been longing to hear for several years now. It is the book so many of us need to read.”–D. L. Mayfield, author of Assimilate or Go Home