An exploration into many of the practices of the Black church and culture and how they relate to the contemplative tradition.

The author sets out from the beginning with the recognition that Africana contemplative traditions do not look like the quiet meditative discipline which is normally associated with the term. She makes compelling arguments that even though the Africana traditions may involve dance and ecstatic experiences, it remains very much in the same vein as the contemplative tradition, and can be considered part of the contemplative tradition.

She explores the legacy of contemplation from West African societies and how they would have provided a foundation for those brought over to North America; she considered the "inner life" of those enslaved; she considered how many of the traditions of the Black church have a contemplative side or are their own forms of contemplation; she investigated the way such themes are expressed in Biblical interpretation in the Black community; she explored how the contemplative traditions were practiced and informed activism for civil rights, and even how more "secular" forms of entertainment, the blues and jazz, etc., were expressions of the contemplative tradition in many ways. She sees a way forward for song, dance, and ritual to bring people together, and for the Black church to become the home for its people it ought to be.

This is a very helpful book to expand one's view of what the contemplative tradition ought to look like, even if one has not been acculturated into such different perspectives and would find many of the practices foreign. ( )