Oneness Embraced: Reconciliation, the Kingdom, and How We are Stronger Together by Tony Evans

Oneness Embraced: Reconciliation, the Kingdom, and How We are Stronger Together Reviews

• 
  Andrea

  The point of this book is that "oneness is the preeminent vehicle through which God displays not only His power and His presence, but also His glory."
  
  Tony Evans devotes the first four chapters to the problem of not having oneness (which felt like four chapters of introduction, following a formal introduction, with only slightly different emphases). He then spends seven chapters on what he calls a "Historical View of the Black Church" in which he covers things like the "myth of Black inferiority," black presence in the Bible, the "Black Church's link with Africa," the "Uniqueness of the Black Church," the role of black preachers, the introduction of black theology and the rise of black evangelicalism. Finally, Part 3 covers a "Kingdom Vision for Societal Impact" which discusses how the church should work in the culture toward kingdom goals involving social justice and the like.
  
  I read this as part of my research for a class and I'll just say up front, I had some major problems with it. I'll see if I can state them clearly and charitably.
  
  First and foremost, I had a real problem with Evans' Bible interpretation. The book opens with a couple dozen recommendations, many of which specifically recommend this book, or Tony himself, as biblical. Unfortunately, I can't agree. Is the book filled with references to Scripture? Yes. Do his arguments from Scripture demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of those passages? I don't believe so. Let me give some examples.
  
  1. Twice the author claims that the tower of Babel is “the best illustration in Scripture of the power of unity and oneness.” He says this because God comments that there is nothing that they can't do in their "unity." Evans uses this, one of the most arrogant, self-glorifying, disobedient episodes in the Bible, as an example of what we can accomplish when we work together - as if even God steps back and says, "Wow, look at them all working together and getting things done." The author acknowledges that it's talking about the "evil citizens" of Babel, but he still uses this as a demonstration of how much oneness can accomplish. If that's not missing the point, I don't know what is.
  
  2. Evans writes in Chapter 3 about Peter's sin of not eating with the Gentiles when the Jews show up in Galatians as "deference to the cultural pressure of his own race." I think this (and many other instances) belies a lens of interpretation that causes the author to see race in situations where the Bible is trying to show something else. I think there is greater support of Peter acting out of the fear of man because of religious differences (not racial ones) in this situation.
  
  3. The author claims that Miriam was afflicted with leprosy because of her racism against Moses' wife (a Cushite). Multiple commentaries on the subject suggest that it wasn't her race, or even necessarily the fact that he married her that was the problem (since they had been married for quite awhile at this point), but the perceived influence she was exerting over him. Evans writes that what apparently bothered Miriam and Aaron was that Moses' wife was "black and foreign" and therefore "unacceptable" to them. It seems more likely that the real problem in that episode is Aaron and Miriam's sin of pride and envy in their criticism of Moses than their racism.
  
  4. In the chapter about the "Black Presence in the Bible," Evans says we should take "special note" of the Shulamite wife of Solomon because of her "spirit of legitimate pride associated with her recognition of her color, for she saw herself as black and beautiful." This particular section demonstrates several flaws. For one thing, if you actually read the passage, the woman says, "I am black, but comely [attractive]." That's pretty different than "black and beautiful." I am obviously not saying that black is not beautiful. But the Shulamite woman is also not saying the opposite. She says she is beautiful in spite of her darkness, which, by the way, is likely not racial as she goes on to say in the very next verse that she is dark because of being exposed to the sun. She was made to work in the fields so she was exceedingly tan. And even though she felt confident in Solomon's love for her, she still says, "Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me." That doesn't sound like someone who was proud of her blackness, as such. Even if we ignore all of his misinterpretation, his application may be even worse - that she has "legitimate pride associated with her recognition of color." Not only is the Shulamite's pride throughout the book actually in the knowledge of Solomon's care for her, but I find absolutely no teaching in the Bible that we are to have pride in who we are racially. This idea of "legitimate pride" comes up more than once in Evans' book and yet there's no Scripture that teaches pride in anything of ourselves. In fact, Philippians 3:3 says we are to put no confidence in the flesh (after which Paul goes on to give every reason for why he could have confidence in the flesh, including racial markers, if that were the goal). Every confidence and boast we have is in the Lord. Instead of acknowledging this truth, Evans writes, "When a person understands the glorious presence of African people in God’s drama of redemptive History, Scripture is clearly the primary source for legitimate black pride." He goes on to say that "All Christians need to understand the eternal dimensions of black history." To support this claim, Evans employs some rather questionable interpretation to show how many significant characters in the Bible and in the line of Christ were probably black, or had black blood in them. The amount of energy and the interpretive gymnastics that went into trying so hard to show that black people have contributed to significant biblical and historical episodes, to me, demonstrates a failure to understand that our identity is not in our race, but in the fact that we are made in the image of God, loved by him and, as Christians, redeemed by him. To find our "legitimate pride" or identity in anything else will not satisfy.
  
  5. Evans writes that Pentecost happened once all people had come together ("When they were one, God poured His blessing from heaven into history" and again "God manifested Himself when they were one"). While it's truth that they were together when God sent the Spirit, Christ didn't promise to send the Spirit or that the Spirit would work through them once they all came together. It was an unconditional promise. Instead Evans claims that "God chose to do things that He would not otherwise have done if His people had not been one."
  
  6. The author really likes to reference Old Testament passages and make application for the church. This seems to demonstrate a general misunderstanding of Scripture. Obviously we can (and should) learn about God and principles for living from the Old Testament, but to expound on the role of the church having listed off a bunch of Old Testament passages is not appropriate.
  
  A second issue I take with this book is that, in a sustained effort to argue for the value of black culture, Evans claims that "African Traditional Religion" uniquely primed the African people to accept Christianity.
  
  1. Evans writes, "My conviction is that the African heritage of the slave prepared him well for his encounter with the Bible. The tenets and theological structures of Christianity would not have been alien to him. In many cases, his own cultural and religious leanings would have helped him to theologize as efficiently as, and perhaps even more so than, his European counterpart." To support this, he talks about Paul's message to people in Acts 17 and his observation that they are "very religious" worshipping even at the alter of an Unknown God. He says that while Paul condemns the worship of idols, "we would be guilty of exegetical myopia if we did not recognize that Paul insinuates that Greeks may have had a profound understanding of the things above; yet this understanding was aberrant in places and was not effective toward salvation." A couple paragraphs later he continues, "if we listen carefully to the rhythmic cadence of African Traditional Religion, we will also find profound reflections of biblical truth that compel us to a greater appreciation for God, the Father of Jesus Christ, as well as for the Africans and their ability to remain committed to that God, even in the most oppressive circumstances." What? First of all, Paul told the Greeks that they were worshipping in ignorance, not in a "profound understanding of the things above." Second of all, I have a really hard time believe that we can gain appreciation for God in the ignorant (Paul's word, not mine), pagan practices of unbelievers.
  
  2. The author goes on to spend eight pages on the god of the Yoruba tribe of West Africa (who he claims are representative of the people of West Africa and therefore the people that were taken as slaves from West Africa) to try to show that there is "great deal of similarity between nine attributes of God as He is revealed in Scripture and that Supreme Being known to the Yoruba as Olodumare." Part of what really bothers me in his discussion about the African's traditional understanding of God in general is that Evans choose uses the formal, uppercase "God" to talk about it. I don't care how similar it is, if it's not the God of the Bible, it's not GOD and to pretend that their similar god made them uniquely inclined to adopt Christianity when it was presented to them is just bogus. Lots of religions have gods that are described as supreme, having creative power, omnipotent, omniscience, just, immortal and demanding of sacrifices. By that standard, all kinds of people groups have a leg up to coming to Christ, but God in his Word says that He is the one that draws because there is no one that seeks Him. In contrast, Evans writes that "African Traditional Religion [as if there is only one], although errant in many of its perspectives and applications – of utmost importance with regard to the understanding of the nature and identity of the one true God – contained a substantial foundation of similar systematic beliefs, thus allowing for the opportunity for a positive response to Christianity." He continues, "the Yoruba had an enormously deep appreciation for God and His ways. In fact, the appreciation was so profound that their belief system mirrored that of Christianity in many respects. Therefore, the leap from African Traditional Religion to Christianity would not have been a quantum leap, but rather a simple transition."
  
  Thirdly, this misguided appreciation for a pagan religious worldview, leads Evans to the understanding that the religious history of the black church, and its extreme suffering under slavery, place it in a unique position to be basically the world's best example of what a church should be like. Even if you could ignore the arrogance of the claim, there are some real blind spots in the author's thinking.
  
  1. Evans writes, "Such a fusion [the best of African culture and the Christian faith] gives rise to what is probably one of the clearest expressions of New Testament Christianity America has ever seen. This is so because of the natural way the slave community accepted Christianity, coupled with the similarities that existed between the experience of the Jews in both the Old and New Testaments. Such a link made untenable any philosophical separation of church and state, for one could not speak of life apart from theology. When we examine the New Testament definition of the church and juxtapose it with the functioning of the historical black church, it becomes clear that the two institutions were very similar. As such, these two institutions are in a unique position to teach both the black and white churches of today what true biblical Christianity looks like when it operates in a church that truly makes God the center of its existence." He claims that in the slaves' search for meaning, and based on their understanding of their African religion, they clung to God and so the "slaves' minds were already preconditioned for the key role the black church would play in their lives. This intuitive theistic mind-set also reveals the depth of the divine consciousness within them."
  
  2. It got to feel like the author, not always but mostly, emphasized everything good about the black church and downplayed anything bad, even to the point of excusing "low religious practice" (apparently referring to abhorrent practices that aren't specified) by saying that, in light of other cultures' paganism, "African religion cannot be singled out as primitive savagery." Ok, sure. Lots of religions have done horrible things. I don't really find that as an excuse for any of them, though.
  
  3. I'm just going to let the author speak for himself to show his view of how the Africans were uniquely positioned to receive the Gospel has made them the poster child for the way the church should be:
  
  - "The black church has deposited in its biblical legacy and cultural history the clearest model of biblical Christianity in the history of American religion. This is not because the black church is innately superior to the white church, but because it historically operated more in line with the comprehensive nature of biblical revelation and a kingdom orientation. It did so because the communities’ cultural-historical roots and worldview, couple with the reality of American slavery and racism, forced the black church to grapple with aspects of biblical revelation that were unnecessary for the majority culture to heave to deal with in any comprehensive manner."
  
  - "We cannot speak of evangelicalism and exclude the African-American church, which has always held to historic Protestant Christian doctrine."
  
  - "Because blacks were not allowed to attend white schools, they were insulated from the theological controversies of the day, thus limiting the exposure to liberal theology. In the early 1900s, for instance, controversies emerged over the new liberalism, which denied the virgin birth and the inspiration of Scripture. These controversies did not enter into the sphere of black religion because blacks were denied access to the higher education institutions where such matters were discussed and debated."
  
  I was pretty taken aback by the author's strong belief that the black church not only came into existence in such a way that supremely modeled the early church, but also by his delusion that it has been sufficiently insulated from "controversies" that would threaten it. Martin Luther King, Jr. himself (quoted and referenced many times in this book) denied the virgin birth of Christ. Any claim that a particular body of believers has not suffered from doctrinal error is incredibly arrogant and ignorant.
  
  Fourthly, Evans writes from a post-millennial, Kingdom-based perspective that I don't agree with. I do sort appreciate that the author is very upfront about his views (although I don't think he articulates or argues them from Scripture well), but as a pre-millennialist who doesn't believe that we can, by effort, usher in the Kingdom of God, I obviously take issue with this view. Since the whole book is predicated on this understanding, the rest of the views are substantially impacted.
  
  1. Evans writes that "A kingdom perspective urges us to open our eyes, hearts, and minds in order to take what we learn about ourselves, and from each other, with regard to the strengths inherent within each of us, and merge these together to form a more productive union." He goes on to say that "Reconciliation is not an end in itself. It is a means toward the greater end of bringing glory to God through seeking to advance His kingdom in a lost world…the degree to which we embrace oneness in the body of Christ is the same degree to which God empowers us to fully carry out His agenda." He further teaches that, "It is my contention that if the church can ever get this issue of oneness right, then we can America to finally become the 'one nation under God' that we declare ourselves to be. When we get it right in the church house is when we can then spread it to the White House, and beyond."
  
  2. The kingdom language is ever-present and it obviously ungirds the author's understanding of what we should be looking for and moving toward in this life. His expectations of what the church can accomplish are based on the idea that it is the church's responsibility to solve the race problem as part of establishing the kingdom and that "The reason we haven’t solved the race problem in America after hundreds of years is that people apart from God are trying to create unity, while people under God who already have unity are not living out the unity we possess…Our failure to find cultural unity as a nation is directly related to the church’s failure to preserve our spiritual unity." Emphasizing oneness again, he writes, "Acknowledging and embracing our differences in a context of oneness more accurately reflects the kingdom of heaven than any other thing."
  
  3. Because of this kingdom-based perspective, I think Evans misunderstands the purpose of the church. He writes, "The church is a community of individuals spiritually linked together with the purpose of reflecting and legislating the values of the kingdom of God” and also that “In the midst of a place of war and conflict, God has deposited an ecclesia: a group of people who have been called out to bring the governance of God into the relevant application and practice of mankind." Evans' expectation is that the church should create a system of dealing with things (including "biblical economics") in line with kingdom living.
  
  4. This perspective also seems to cause Evans to incorporate social justice into the framework of the Gospel which I think is on dangerous ground.
  
  There were some other miscellaneous things that I didn't think were helpful such as:
  - the claim that we all "agree that President Obama was able to unit a large number of Americans across racial, gender, and class lines during his election. He did this by capturing the heart of the nation through the casting of a vision to fundamentally transform our land." In my opinion, Obama did more to foster division and dissension than anything.
  - the claim that social justice is just "biblical justice." It's pretty convenient to just define your cause as biblical and then no one can really say anything.
  - the claim that "Israel's story became the black community's 'story'" because they both were victims of oppression. Israel's story has always been about their relationship with God more than their oppression and to claim that any particular group can identify more with Israel based on a particular aspect of their physical journey totally misses the point.
  - the absence of how he actually got saved (even though he talks about how his parents got saved) in the chapter about how the author was raised and became involved with the church. It was odd to me that he talked about lots of spiritual milestones, but doesn't actually say when/how he came to Christ.
  
  Lastly, I'll just say that I found this book to be really poorly cited. Quotes, stats and historical information were often used in arguments or narratives with no reference to the source. I thought the writing was very rambling and repetitive and often lacked a clear focus. I believe the author has good intentions and he doesn't get it all wrong, but while I would normally at least mention a few helpful things about a book I didn’t like, the author’s bent on seeing everything through race and his poor Bible interpretation made it really hard to trust anything I read. I'm also out of space. :/
• 
  Dan Rutledge

  Overall, I appreciated and grew and learned from this book even though I didn’t agree with all of it. Here’s some things I really appreciated:
  
  - Dr. Evans’ tone. He made a number of strong statements about racial challenges, but he managed to convey everything in a way that came across as constructive and hopeful to all. So rare!
  
  - Dr. Evans’ own examples of the pro-active ministry of his church in social justice arenas. His challenge (and examples) of how the church can lead the way is inspiring. I was particularly moved by the way his church works with the prison system to mentor young men. Additionally, the adopt a school initiative has had huge impact.
  
  - His central point that “oneness” is not the ultimate goal. Rather, the believer’s goal is glorifying Christ and we can do that better through unity. Oneness is a testimony to the world of the transformative power of Christ.
  
  - His point that the gospel is the only true answer to solving injustice and oppression by transforming people. He also emphasizes that the gospel (and the Kingdom agenda) is more than evangelism and therefore Christians must be involved in pursuing the salvation of the entire mind, body and soul of people.
  
  That said, there were several things I was less thrilled about.
  
  - The language/terminology used is a little dated or not explained well. For example, he talks a lot about God’s intent to unify “the different races” and the strengths of particular races. But more recently, prominent preachers have made sure to clarify that race is not a word in the Bible but a social distinction created later.
  
  - As another reviewer mentioned, some of the passages he uses have aspects of ethnicity and culture and religious belief all woven together... and therefore the interpretations are not as simple as the arguments he makes. For example, is the ‘Samaritan woman at the well’ an instructional passage on how to interact with another ethnicity? It feels like the conclusions, even if true, are not always clearly pulled from the passages.
  
  - There is one section talking about how African tribal religions made Africans open to Christ. I wasn’t clear on his points and it is just a little odd in how it is presented and sometimes borders on praising this pagan religion so the whole section stands out in the book.
  
  There’s a few more points I could make on both sides, but the fact that I was engaged enough by the book to think through and write this much is a testament to the fact that I was impacted. Thanks to Dr. Evans for all he’s contributed to the church in this important area. I hope that current Biblical leaders/teachers will build on this work and expand and refine it.
• 
  Tim Franks

  This is a good book in the current cultural climate we are living in. Dr. Evans presents the issues at hand with the idea of Biblical oneness. I would not agree with every place he lands, but once again I have never walked in his shoes as a black man in America. The strongest part of this book comes in the middle portion with the history of the black church and the black preacher that informed a ton more than I was before I read this book. I deeply desire to see racial healing and for my own heart to be cleansed of racial issues. I would highly recommend this work for those interested in this topic.
• 
  Robin

  Important and timely book
  
  I very glad I read this book. Tony Evans did a great job of navigating a very sensitive issue. Evans shows what the Bible has to say about the issue of race and helps readers think through the larger kingdom agenda. He challenges readers to think through how they think the issue if race relations well be resolved. Politics hasn't been able to provide the solution. Money can't solve the problem. Only Christ and His Church can bring healing to the issues that have for so long only caused division. My only real critique is that there are times where Tony takes a very long time to make his point, or takes the time restate a point that was already very clear. Definitely worth the read!
• 
  Deborah Pauli

  This book took me a long time to get through— not because of the length, but because I had to frequently pause and process what I had read. Rather than take a political stance, Dr Evans took a biblical stance, as is his precedence. He didn’t adopt a view that we are in an age of ‘post racism’, wherein acknowledging racism somehow implies a lack of respect or patriotism. Neither did he take a ‘woke’ stance, trying to cast guilt and shame on any racial group. White, black, conservative, liberal— he called everyone out to embrace a biblical view of unity. Regardless of who you are, this book will most likely leave you with ideas you hadn’t considered and a feeling that you need to do better— not a condemnation but a conviction.
• 
  Cari

  A must-read for anyone who has every wondered "why is Sunday the most segregated day of the week?" Dr Tony Evans doesn't pull punches. He clearly tells the African-American and European-American churches what their strengths and weaknesses are and what they can do to reach across the racial divide. Spoiler Alert: It's follow God's agenda - what Evans calls the "kingdom agenda." This book is biblically and historically supported and give practical advice on how we can help each other become one in unity!
• 
  Brenda McDearmon

  4.5
  
  Everything written by Tony Evans is worth reading. In this book, Dr. Evans lovingly and biblically challenges believers to work together for Kingdom causes, using scripture and stories that provoke Christians to think and act as Christ would have us do.
• 
  Christina

  Hmmmm...it’s a good read. I feel like Dr. Evan’s work is better for someone new to the discussion. It makes the topics more palatable for a majority culture person looking to expand their understanding and viewpoints about conciliation. There are better teachers on the subject that can give a more in depth discussion. Check out John Perkins, Eric Mason, Jemar Tisby, and Esau McCaulley. I’d recommend John Perkins, One Blood, over this book.
  
  Dr. Evans does a good job presenting the biblical case for unity, black church history, and some next steps for those wanting to live more intentionally in this area. He does a good job coming against the westernized view of Africa and the Christian faith. But I had a hard time with his endless anecdotes, repetition, use of the words “blacks” and “whites” to describe PEOPLE, and his referring to races. He missed a big opportunity to teach that race is not biblical. This is a key point in being one in Christ.
  
  I also did not appreciate what felt to me like him linking American gang slavery as part of God’s way to evangelize African people. He could’ve also better taught on the curse of Ham. It seems he was teaching this was not relevant to black people because it would’ve faded after a few generations. But a proper exegesis would’ve highlighted the numerous other errors there. He also falls into the trap of identifying “the black community” as those living in the projects with material needs and resource insecurity. He teaches concepts that add to stereotypes while attempting to disprove stereotypes. I could go on. But this gives you an idea of some of the issues I found here.
  
  Ultimately, I think Tony Evan’s is from a particular generation that has internalized some racism. That showed in his writing. But I do appreciate his work and contribution to the discussion. He shares a lot of truth. But there are some flaws. I guess that is subjective.
  
  There were a few scriptural connections made that I think could be parsed and cherry picked in a variety of ways to say something differently. But overall, there are good biblical lessons about unity through Christ In the diversity of the church. Part 2 of the book was the strongest portion in my opinion.
• 
  Joyce Stahle

  Highly recommend! Well-written ❤
  Dr. Tony Evans gave me lots to ponder. I learned somethings I never knew before. I loved the fact it wasn't one-sided.
• 
  Caroline Morris

  There is simply no reason to not read this book.
• 
  Chrystie Cole

  I found this book educational, insightful, convicting, and full of truth. I’m thankful for Evans’ words and clear call to the church.
• 
  Luke McCarnan

  I appreciated Dr. Evans' focus on oneness, not merely equality.
• 
  Lexie

  Important Read for All Who Serve Jesus
  
  Dr. Evans' book is not an easy read. It is informative, thought-provoking, and well-researched. For those who truly desire to implement a revival, to turn your community towards Christ, and do all for God's glory, this book is for you to savor and mediate upon. Dr. Evans hits the heart for why our nation full of Christians allows all facets of sin to thrive: we would rather sit in our comfortable churches and leave the "noise" stay outside. Read this book to challenge your mindset, and allow God's Word change your heart.
• 
  Kathleen Bautista

  I like Dr. Tony Evans and think this book had a lot of helpful content in addressing racism, bringing historical context to the black perspective, and considering a Kingdom-minded approach in our church communities. It was hard for me to get past the tedious and scattered writing, yet there are ideas here that will stick with me for a while.
• 
  Lauren

  Great book with an important message. We read this as a staff and I think a lot of people could benefit from it, however, I know many of my co-workers struggled due to the vast vocabulary and depth of the book. It is not an easy, quick read, but I would definitely recommend it.
• 
  Donald Johnson

  This book, written by one of our foremost Christian leaders-Dr. Tony Evans, is empowering and pragmatic. Dr. Evans provides some history and clear insight about racism and how we can overcome it collectively. May it be so!
• 
  Courtney

  4.5 ⭐️
• 
  Tracy

  I listened to the audio version in Audible. My only disappointment was that it was not narrated by Dr. Evans himself.
• 
  Chrissy

  Long but really good.
• 
  Billie Fisch

  Dr Evans uses lots of very complicated vocabulary. I listened to the end on audiobook to even understand this. I still like him as a writer though.
• 
  Tina

  A slow read for me. Much to consider and digest. Heaps of encouragement as I desire to make a difference in my community.