Getting to the Promised Land, Kevin W. Cosby
Getting to the Promised Land, Kevin W. Cosby
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Getting to the Promised Land
Black America and the Unfinished Work of the Civil Rights Movement

Author: Kevin W. Cosby

Narrator: Mirron Willis

Unabridged: 4 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/29/2022


Synopsis

Too often, all oppressed people in America are lumped together under the moniker people of color, as if each group's experience under the yoke of systemic racism has the same economic and social repercussions. But the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) hold a unique claim to economic and reparative justice: for ADOS, after all, is the only group whose ancestors were forcibly brought to America, enslaved, built much of the wealth of the country, yet continue to be specifically excluded from the same social, political, and economic rights of other Americans. To that end, Rev. Dr. Kevin W. Cosby lays out the first theology of the ADOS movement, turning the traditional lens of Black liberation theology from Moses leading escaped Hebrew slaves in Exodus to other biblical leaders like Solomon, Daniel, and Nehemiah.

In the stories of Nehemiah and other biblical leaders, Cosby finds inspiration on how to rebuild Black America including the necessity of government reparations for ADOS. Cosby calls all Americans to move from a place of relative nonengagement and detachment to a place of active support of ADOS's efforts for justice and healing.

About Kevin W. Cosby

Kevin W. Cosby is President of Simmons College of Kentucky, one of our nation's 101 historically Black colleges and universities, and has served as Senior Pastor of St. Stephen Baptist Church, the largest African American Church in the state of Kentucky, since 1979. One of Kentucky's most influential leaders, Cosby holds an MDiv from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a DMin from United Theological Seminary. He is currently pursuing a PhD at Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Robert

I will admit that I struggled with this book. I had not been aware of the American Descendents of Slavery (ADOS) movement. There is much here that speaks the truth, and yet there is a separatist/exclusivist message that I struggle with. Kevin Cosby uses the story of Nehemiah as the scriptural founda......more

Goodreads review by Bob

Summary: An argument for the use of the Nehemiah narratives rather than Exodus to ground the appeal by American Descendents of Slaves (ADOS) for restitution for the centuries of abuse they and their ancestors suffered. Most often, Black preaching and rhetoric appeals to the Exodus narratives to cast......more

Goodreads review by Kristen

I received this an ARC through Netgalley. Reading this as white woman, I found it extremely eye opening and informative. Dr. Cosby states his points clearly and draws relevant comparisons between ADOS (American Descendants of Slavery) and Nehemiah from the Bible. "And while I of course believe that......more

Goodreads review by Leslie

Thanks to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for the digital galley of this book. Racism and oppression in America pervades all peoples of color, but the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) face specific and unique challenges, both in culture and in the Christian Church. In this book, Rev.......more

Goodreads review by Katie

ARC kindly provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! To start, this book was definitely something that was out of my realm of normal reading; I normally love fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi, and leave the non-fiction for my audiobooks. However, when I read the desc......more