Fortress Press

"Finally! A rising generation of theologians are interrogating the very construct of race! Brian Bantum's The Death of Race does just that and more. Bantum points the way forward for a world tortured by the lie that some people were created more human than others. Through a combination of personal story and sharp theological reflection, Bantum calls the church to the Galatians 3 baptism—to new eyes that see, affirm, protect, cultivate, and serve the full image of God in all! Every single Christian in the United Stated (and beyond) must read and wrestle with this book."

"Brian Bantum has given us a stunning book on race, identity, and Christian faith. This elegantly written and theologically rich text is one for the ages. Part memoir, part studied theological treatise, The Death of Race is a gift that should be placed in the hands of students from 15 to 95. Already one of the country's leading scholars on race and identity, now the world will also know what many of us know—that Bantum is an absolutely brilliant theologian and writer."

"In The Death of Race, Brian Bantum rightly argues that the concept of race is a deeply theological problem. He brilliantly diagnoses race as a “word made flesh,” one that originates with a deeply fallen understanding of our bodies, and results in the domination and destruction of dark bodies. This is an important and painfully timely book that should be read by all Christians who believe in justice and healing for God’s children."

"Brian Bantum's The Death of Race takes us on a reflective journey, showing how race, a social construct, has led to a history of destructive determination of who can use who in our society based on our bodies and skin color. He laments that the Christian church is no less guilty in perpetrating a system in which our skin and bodies are the criteria with which we view one another in the world. Bantum challenges us to look again at one another's bodies and, rather than seeing our differences, embrace the freedom in Christ to honor one another's bodies as gifts and to fight for one another's freedom. His call for the death of race is to recognize that we cannot compartmentalize or segregate ourselves. Our bodies and lives are intricately connected to one another. God's genesis of human history begins with relationships between God and humans. His conclusion that true freedom does not come until we can have the freedom to live for one another is insightful and challenging."

"Timely, accessible, and passionately written, The Death of Race interrogates the complex intersections of race, body, and Christian faith with precision. Bantum’s bold indictment of Christian complicity in the production and preservation of structures of evil that propel our racial world is especially poignant at this moment in the movement for Black freedom. Its provocative Christology and rich personal testimony presses the church toward a resurrection ethic and makes this book a must-read for anyone who believes beyond the tomb."

"In our Black Lives Matter moment, every church in America needs to convene a reading group to discuss Brian Bantum’s The Death of Race that inspires us to move from the death-dealing workings of racism to Jesus’ life-giving justice and love."