Can God’s Word teach us how to reverse engineer communal violent scapegoating? What role can each of us play to eradicate police brutality? From Scapegoats to Lambs: How God’s Word Speaks to George Floyd’s Murder audaciously confronts these issues stemming from Charles L. Brown Jr.’s unflinching belief that God’s Word is uniquely qualified to preach to and through the legacy of the suffering of black and brown bodies, and that the Lord has a way of humbling the powerful and empowering the humiliated. This book is for people looking for a moral compass to help make sense out of the chaos, to illuminate hidden truths, and to guide them through these turbulent times as the world dares to confront in a significant way, the dehumanization of black and brown bodies head-on.
Pastor Charles Brown Jr. has done a masterful job of engaging the ancient Biblical text to bring meaning, instruction, and healing to a global community rocked by the George Floyd murder. This work will be greatly appreciated by those who use it for personal reflection, Bible study or to quote from it while preaching a relevant sermon.
John R. Bryant, Retired Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
I have known Rev. Charles Brown since our seminary days together in the 1990’s. The depth of his commitment to the Gospel is evinced by his move to a foreign land to minister in answer to his calling. This book reflects the depth of that commitment. In it he thoughtfully, and with great feeling and empathy, grapples with the issues and theological questions surrounding a nation-shaking injustice and its implications that bedevil us all. He takes a deep, passionate, theologically informed dive into biblical waters to help us make sense of the almost ritualistic murders of black folks at the hands of police in the world over which God reigns. But the book is also something more: it is also the kind of responsible response to an issue of our time that those of us who know him would expect from this man of great faith, intellectual integrity and love for his neighbors. From Scapegoats to Lambs is a worthy, worthy, read.
Obery Hendricks, Ph.D., author of Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Evangelicals are Destroying Our Nation and Our Faith (Beacon, 2021)
Cover Design by Angel Bolques Jr., of Angel Arts Consulting https://www.angelartsconsulting.com/