Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation

A hallmark of American Black religion is its distinctive use of the Bible in creating community, resisting oppression, and fomenting social change. Stony the Road We Trod accomplishes this--and much more. This expanded edition contains a new introduction and three new essays that underscore the historic importance of this book and offer an invitation to a new generation of readers. "The publication of Stony the Road We Trod thirty years ago marked the emergence of a critical mass of Black biblical scholars with a distinct set of hermeneutical concerns. Combining sophisticated exegesis with special sensitivity to issues of race, class, and gender, the authors of this scholarly collection examine the nettling questions of biblical authority, Black and African people in biblical narratives, and the liberating aspects of Scripture. The original volume reshaped and redefined the questions, concerns, and scholarship that determine how the Bible is appropriated by the church, the academy, and the larger society today. To the original eleven essays, this expanded edition adds a new introduction by Brian K. Blount and three new chapters by Kimberly D. Russaw, Shively T.J. Smith, and Jennifer t. Kaalund. Not only does Blount's new introduction track the impact of the first edition, but the new contributions extend the implications of Cain Hope Felder's original vision for the book." --… (more)