'African Saints'
By Frederick Quinn
Crossroad, $22.95.
Subtitled "Saints, Martyrs and Holy People from the Continent of Africa," this book was written by an Episcopal priest and former foreign service officer who spent a number of years in Africa.
He has singled out for profiles individual religious leaders and missionaries who have made major contributions, including St. Augustine, Stephen Biko (South African political activist), Clement of Alexandria, David Livingstone (missionary, explorer) and Desmond Tutu, (archbishop and Nobel Prize winner). Many of the chapters are short — even a page or two — but they are useful in comparing the individuals and personalities, suggesting the wide latitude of people selected by the author.
This is a well-written and interesting book. — Dennis Lythgoe
'Introduction to Black Church History'
By Anne Pinn and Anthony Pinn
Fortress, $15.
Co-authored by a black minister and a black theologian, this paperback makes a nice companion volume to the above book. The authors take a comprehensive look at all the historic black denominations, including their origin, history and theology. That includes Methodist, Baptist and Pentecostal, and their development and activities in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
The authors include photos, timelines, profiles and additional readings. They suggest that black theology "is a theology of black liberation. It seeks to plumb the black condition in the light of God's revelations in Jesus Christ, so that the black community can see that the gospel is commensurate with the achievement of black humanity." — Dennis Lythgoe
'Bill Clinton and Black America'
By Dewayne Wickham
Ballantine, $24.
The author, a black journalist for USA Today, has written an interesting narrative about the relationship Bill Clinton forged with black Americans during his presidency. Wickham points out that 90 percent of black Americans opposed Clinton's impeachment, because they thought he was their champion.
As a result of interviews with more than 40 leading African-Americans from politics, business, academia and journalism, as well as everyday people who felt a kinship to Clinton, Wickham provides many interesting observations. He even interviewed Clinton himself. Finally, he includes previously unpublished transcripts of discussions between Clinton and a distinguished group of black journalists known as the Trotter Group.
Wickham rejects the popular white political analysis that blacks supported Clinton with "a sheep-like allegiance to the Democratic Party." — Dennis Lythgoe