True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary

Just received my copy and so look forward to reading and using it in my studies and deliberations.

I am glad for the publication and the availability of this book, as a one-volume resource on New Testament Interpretation through African-American eyes (but also executed in close dialogue with biblical scholarship) was sorely needed prior to its appearance. This has certainly helped to fill that gap. I have used it several times as a required textbook in my class on New Testament Introduction. What keeps me looking for alternative ways to bring in diverse voices rather than settle happily on this volume as a constant textbook choice, however, is the fact that there is less here specifically on African-American perspectives than I would have wished. There is also a certain unevenness in the degree to which individual authors accomplish this (some of the contributions much more, some surprisingly little). A great deal of space covers that which is also available in any standard introductory textbook or one-volume commentary, such that it is redundant alongside an Introduction to the New Testament. On the other hand, this volume does not work for me as a primary textbook as it doesn't cover so much of what one finds in such an Introduction. This is not to detract from the quality of this resource AT ALL, merely to say that it is not yet the ideal volume by which I can introduce African-American perspectives on the NT into the required readings (the perspectives are indeed already present in every classroom, but not the critical resources). For my purposes I wish it had focused more on African-American interpretation and applications and less on the general -- but for other readers' purposes this blend will rather be a great strength of the volume.

I loved this commentary. I found it super useful and as a white male it gave me some much needed background in which to read the scriptures.

This book is one that I turn to almost weekly. My favorite article in the front is by Raquel St. Clair, "Womanist Biblical Interpretation." SO good, SO helpful. Mitzi J. Smith's article, "Slavery in the Early Church" is excellent. Top notch piece of scholarship. Makes me want the Hebrew scriptures, too.

Great book for preachers/pastors, theologians, seminary students, as well as any one who wants to learn the bible.

This is a great resource to my Bible study. I would recommend this book.

This pioneering commentary sets biblical interpretation firmly in the context of African American experience and concern. The contributing writers produce cutting edge scholarship that questions many of the canons of traditional biblical research. The book highlights the role of the Bible in African American history, accents themes of ethnicity, class, slavery and African heritage. A must have book for studying, writing and comparing New Testament Biblical interpretations.

I have been looking for a book (Commentary) that show a varied stance bionically.