A Master Class on Being Human
A Black Christian and a Black Secular Humanist on Religion, Race, and Justice
1 of 1 copy available
Brad Braxton and Anthony Pinn represent two traditions—Christianity and Secular Humanism respectively—that have for centuries existed in bitter opposition. For too long, people with different worldviews have disparaged and harmed one another. Instead of fighting each other, Braxton and Pinn talk with, listen to, and learn from one another. Their wide-ranging conversation demonstrates the possibility of fruitful exchange that accounts for—rather than masks—their differences.
Written amid the Covid-19 pandemic, threats to our democracy, and national protests for racial justice, A Master Class on Being Human shows us that constructive dialogue can help us pursue the common good without sacrificing our distinctive identities. In conversations that are frank, personal, and deeply informed by scholarship, Braxton and Pinn discuss topics that are urgent and immediate, such as the ongoing violence against Black communities, the rise of religiously unaffiliated communities, the Black Lives Matter movement. They also ponder those broader philosophical and theological questions that inform our politics and sense of what it means to be human: the meaning of religion, the stubborn dilemma of moral evil, the power and problems of hope.
Braxton and Pinn invite us to join them in a master class as they strive to create a world where differences are not tolerated but instead celebrated. In that kind of courageous classroom, all can learn how to be better people who in turn transform the world into a better place.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
July 25, 2023 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780807007891
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780807007891
- File size: 1047 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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May 1, 2023
Pinn (Interplay of Things), a professor of religion at Rice University, and Braxton (Open), a pastor and professor of public theology at Chicago Theological Seminary, explore their “deep differences” regarding an array of moral and social issues in this open-minded offering. Structured as a dialogue between Braxton, a Christian, and Pinn, a secular humanist, the authors aim to “expose the assumptions undergirding” the arguments of both traditions while envisioning a better, more just world. Topics of discussion include the Black Lives Matter movement, whether suffering can be redemptive, and Black “nones”—the “growing group of religiously unaffiliated people”—whose close commitment to social justice work, Pinn opines, “raises questions concerning the... meaning of religiosity as a guiding orientation for ‘good’ living.” Elsewhere, the two tackle the role of hope in social movements (Braxton considers it essential, while Pinn advocates instead an attitude of resistance), and religion’s place in public life (Braxton views religious communities as key drivers of social change, whether they’re registering voters or supporting climate change initiatives; Pinn calls for a “public arena that... doesn’t privilege the claims of any particular faith”). The authors’ obvious rapport keeps the conversation from lagging despite its theological heft, and their rejection of “Pollyannish call” for simple agreement is appealing. This gives readers a lot to chew on.
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