Woke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in America to Confront Racism and Injustice - Hardcover

by Eric Mason (Author), John M. Perkins (Foreword by), Ligon Duncan (Foreword by)

"Between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference." -Frederick Douglass, 1845

The prophets of old were not easy to listen to because they did not flatter. They did not cajole. They spoke hard words that often chafed and unsettled their listeners. Like the Old Testament prophets, and more recent prophetic voices like Frederick Douglass, Dr. Eric Mason calls the evangelical church to a much-needed reckoning. In a time when many feel confused, complacent, or even angry, he challenges the church to:

Be Aware - to understand that the issue of justice is not a black issue, it's a kingdom issue. To learn how the history of racism in America and in the church has tainted our witness to a watching world.

Be Redemptive - to grieve and lament what we have lost and to regain our prophetic voice, calling the church to remember our gospel imperative to promote justice and mercy.

Be Active - to move beyond polite, safe conversations about reconciliation and begin to set things aright for our soon-coming King, who will be looking for a WOKE CHURCH.

Back Jacket

WOKE: (wok) adj. 1. able to understand how cultural, socio-economic, philosophical, and historical realities inform our responsibility as believers in Jesus Christ.

The church in America should have rejected the first whispers of slavery. But we didn't. We should have preached about the image of God when the dark-skinned among us were declared subhuman. But we didn't. We should have stopped segregation and Jim Crow before they affected our communities. But we didn't. We should have protested racial profiling and police brutality before anyone else. We should have been woke, but we've been asleep.

Dr. Eric Mason challenges the church in America: "Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead." It's time to take a hard look at our history and stand together against the indignities and injustice in our world--to understand that justice is both theological and sociological--that there is no intimacy with God without justice in one's heart.

No more waiting. No more sleeping. Christ our King is coming back, and He'll be looking for a WOKE CHURCH.

Author Biography

DR. ERIC MASON is the founder and pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, PA. He and his wife, Yvette, have four children. After more than two decades of gospel ministry, Dr. Mason has become known for his passion to see the glory of Jesus Christ robustly and relevantly engaged in broken cities with the comprehensive gospel. He helps coach and train families to plant churches locally, nationally, and internationally. He is the founder and president of Thriving, an urban resource organization committed to developing leaders for ministry in the urban context, and is the author of three books, Manhood Restored, Beat God to the Punch, and Unleashed. He is the recipient of multiple earned degrees, including a BS in Psychology from Bowie State University, a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Doctoral degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.