Free at Last?

by Carl F. Ellis Jr.

Book Overview

"Free at last " It has been more than thirty years since Martin Luther King Jr. shouted those words to a crowd gathered in Washington, D.C. His speech, "I Have a Dream," is now familiar, even famous. But has his dream been realized? In Free at Last? Carl Ellis offers an in-depth assessment of the state of African-American freedom and dignity within American culture today. Updating and expanding his examination (previously published as Beyond...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830816879
• ISBN13: 9780830816873
• Release Date: December 1995
• Publisher: IVP
• Length: 285 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Interesting Perspective

Though a little dated (over a decade old), "Free at Last" by Carl Ellis, Jr. provides an interesting and needed perspective on African American Christianity. A major premise contrasts militant secular approaches to black self help with Christian religious approaches to spiritual help. One of the most helpful connections made is between Frederick Douglass' view of Christianity and the needed modern view of Christianity. As a "patron saint" of African American history, Douglass shrewdly distinquished between the Christianity of the Bible/Christ and the hypocritical Christianity of the white slave owners. Ellis makes the astute observation that black secularist have been unable to make this same distinction and that failure led to the secularization of a large segment of reactionary black leaders. Not all may agree with Ellis' comparison, but all should ponder his penetrating insights. Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction.

BIBLICAL BALANCE BETWEEN ULTRACONSERVATISM AND LIBERALISM

CARL, A MAN WHO LOVES GOD AND SEEKS TO OBEY HIM, TAKES A HARD LOOK AT THE PRACTICE OF AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY. HE LEVELS NEEDED CRITICISM AND INSTRUCTION. HE MAKES A CLEAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE PRACTICE OF CHRISTIANITY AS A RELIGION AND FOLLOWING CHRIST AS A BELIEVER. IF CARL'S PROPHETIC VOICE IS HEEDED, WE WILL HAVE A STRONGER BODY WHICH WILL BRING GLORY TO GOD RATHER THAN CAUSE HIM TO HANG HIS HEAD IN SHAME BECAUSE OF OUR HYPOCRISY AND DIVISION.