In God's Holy Darkness, Sharei Green and Beckah Selnick deconstruct anti-Blackness in Christian theology by celebrating instances in the story of God's people when darkness, blackness, and night are beautiful, good, and holy. Perfect for reading and anti-racist reflection in worship and as an affirmation and celebration with children.
In God's Holy Darkness, Sharei Green and Beckah Selnick deconstruct anti-Blackness in Christian theology by celebrating instances in the story of God's people when darkness, blackness, and night are beautiful, good, and holy. From the darkness at the beginning of creation to the blackness of the sky on the day when Christ's birth was announced to the shepherds, children learn that blackness is something to celebrate as an important element of the life of faith. Lush and vibrant illustrations by artist Nikki Faison underscore the mystery and beauty of these wondrous acts of God's holy darkness.
Perfect for reading and anti-racist reflection in worship, as an affirmation and celebration with children, and at home with caregivers, God's Holy Darkness is a gift to cherish.
“A Note for Caregivers.” Full-color illustrations.
Format
Page Count
Trim Size
Dewey
AR
Lexile
Genre
Scholastic Reading Counts
JLG Release
Book Genres
Topics
Standard MARC Records
Cover Art
School Library Journal
K-Gr 3-With a wish to "combat colorism in Christianity," the creators of this book note in the opening pages that "Darkness and blackness and night are too often compared to lightness and whiteness and day and found deficient, but let us name the beauty and goodness and holiness of darkness and blackness and night." In this, the book transcends some of its religious parameters and will work in any context where false equivalents are drawn between dark as "less than" and negative, with white set as the preference. The authors point, through Bible verse to the creation that came from sacred darkness, to the stars in a black sky that show evidence of a heaven and more, and yet the lessons never feel forced. The illustrations veer between abstract and literal, creating conversation starters for classrooms where Christian content is not treated as hallowed text, but as one interpretation of the many stories people tell. VERDICT For collections that already include similar material, this book states very clearly what it is and what it hopes to be used for; it enlarges an existing discussion and turns tropes around to include everyone and everything.-Kimberly Olson Fakih?(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.