Howard Thurman was an influential American author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader. Strongly influenced by his grandmother, a former slave, who raised him and a Quaker mystic under whom he studied, Thurman adopted a philosophy of activism rooted in faith, guided by spirit, and maintained in peace. Editor Donna Schaper selects forty inspiring passages from the works of this spiritual advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to accompany readers on their own spiritual journeys. Ideal for traveling through the seasons of Advent and Lent.
Howard Thurman was an influential American author, philosopher, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader. Strongly influenced by his grandmother, a former slave, who raised him and a Quaker mystic under whom he studied, Thurman adopted a philosophy of activism rooted in faith, guided by spirit, and maintained in peace. Editor Donna Schaper selects forty inspiring passages from the works of this spiritual advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to accompany readers on their own spiritual journeys. Ideal for traveling through the seasons of Advent and Lent.
“As poet, prophet, and priest, Thurman builds upon a powerful legacy of ancestral hope: belief in a liberating God who can always be found ‘in and among the struggling.’” —Yolanda Pierce A universal beacon of hope and endurance for people of all faiths seeking to meet the challenges, uncertainties, and joys of life Howard Thurman’s Meditations of the Heart is a beautiful collection of over 150 prayers, poems, and meditations on prayer, community, and the joys and rituals of life by one of our greatest spiritual leaders. Thurman, a spiritualist and mystic, was renowned for the quiet beauty of his reflections on humanity and our relationship with God. In a new foreword, Yolanda Pierce, dean of Howard University’s School of Divinity, calls attention to the justice-centered theological framework of Thurman’s words. Pierce notes how Thurman brings to light an image of God who can always be found “in and among the struggling,” both in times of weariness and in strength. First written for and shared with his congregation of the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco, California, these meditations sustain, elevate, and inspire. They are a universal beacon of hope and endurance for people of all faiths seeking to meet the challenges, uncertainties, and joys of everyday life with a renewed and liberating faith.
Born in segregated Daytona, Florida, in 1900, Howard Thurman grew up dreaming of a better life a life where his mother and grandmother would not have to cook and clean for other people; a life where he could become a college man, honoring his late father's wishes and his own dreams. Through hard work, perseverance, and the support of friends and family, young Howard transcended the limits on Negro education in Daytona and earned a scholarship to an out-of town high school. His dream did not come easily and was nearly lost, until a kind act by a stranger at a railroad station aided Howard in a time of need. A moving testament to the bonds of community and the power of faith, Howard Thurman's Great Hope illuminates the early life of the man who became a seminal civil rights leader and an inspiration to the nation.
“One of the great religious leaders of [the twentieth] century” tells his story of growing up under segregation and finding his calling as a minister (Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Howard Thurman was a singular man—a minister, philosopher, and educator whose vitality and vision touched the lives of countless people of all races, faiths, and cultures. In his moving autobiography, Dr. Thurman tells of his lonely years growing up in a segregated town, where the nurturing black community and a profound interest in nature provided his deepest solace. That same young man would go on to become one of the great spiritual leaders of our time. Over the course of his extraordinary career, Thurman served as a dean of Rankin Chapel and professor of theology at Howard University; minister of the interdenominational Fellowship Church in San Francisco, of which he was a cofounder; dean of Marsh Chapel of Boston University; and honorary canon of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York. He was deeply engaged in work with the Howard Thurman Educational Trust until his death in 1981. This is Thurman’s story in his own inspiring words. “Inspiring . . . a tale of trial and triumph. It should be read by everyone.” —Vernon Jordan, president of the National Urban League “Now we can peer with delight into the soul of this master and grasp some of the sense of religious genius which has been the source of all that blessed teaching.” —Rabbi Joseph B. Glaser, former executive vice president, Central Conference of American Rabbis “The reader’s admiration for this educator and spiritual healer grows naturally as the story unfolds.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Thurman leads his readers . . . with an air of gracious ease and imperturbable dignity.” —Kirkus Reviews
Howard Thurman was famously known as one of the towering giants of American religion in the twentieth century. His writings have influenced some of the most important religious and political figures of the last century, from Martin Luther King to Barack Obama. Theologians such as James Cone and Cornel West regularly signal their indebtedness to him. He was a mystic, a preacher, an educator, a theologian, and much more. It is impossible to understand the African American church today without an appreciation for his contributions. And yet, while Thurman's name is often recognized, his seminal ideas have not received the attention they deserve. In this volume, internationally known leaders like Marian Wright Edelman, Parker Palmer, and Barbara Brown Taylor invite the reader into creative engagement with Thurman's writings. Anchored in the Current illuminates how Thurman’s life and wisdom lead these influential names on the ancient quest to connect with the Ultimate, all while discovering the contemporary need to seek racial justice and sharpening the minds and faith of those who come after us. Readers will find important and enduring answers in the works of this indispensable prophet and teacher.
“No other publication in the twentieth century has upended antiquated theological notions, truncated political ideas, and socially constructed racial fallacies like Jesus and the Disinherited. Thurman’s work keeps showing up on the desk of anti-apartheid activists, South American human rights workers, civil rights champions, and now Black Lives Matter advocates.” –Rev. Otis Moss III, author of Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World and senior pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ A commemorative edition of the work that inspired Martin Luther King Jr. and helped shape the civil rights movement In this beautiful gift edition of the classic theological treatise, complete with a place-marker ribbon and silver gilded edges, celebrated theologian and religious leader Howard Thurman (1899–1981) revolutionizes the way we read the gospel. Thurman lifts Jesus up as a partner in the pain of the oppressed and reveals the gospel as a manual of resistance for the poor and disenfranchised. In this view, the example of Jesus’s life shows us that hatred does not empower—it decays. Only by recognizing fear, deception, contempt, and love of one another can God’s justice prevail. With a new foreword by acclaimed womanist theologian Kelly Brown Douglas, this edition of Jesus and the Disinherited is a timeless testimony of faith that demonstrates how to thrive and flourish in a world that attempts to destroy one’s humanity from the inside out. Having witnessed firsthand the depths of white supremacy and the heights of human civility, Thurman reiterates the inherent dignity of all of God’s children.
