By Curtis A. Woods and Jarvis J. Williams | WearePatrol.com | 108 pages (parents)/48 pages (kids)
Published in July of 2018
SUMMARY: Grounded in the Imago Dei The Gospel in Color firmly traces the incarnation of racism back to the garden of Eden when sin entered the world. Fortunately, Jesus coming into the world and dying on a cross allows us to be reconciled to him while modeling what it takes to be reconciled to each other. To sum it up succinctly, reconciliation with God and others is not optional, but a requirement for Christians.
The Gospel in Color consists of two books – one for parents and one for kids – that are meant to be read together and talked about on a chapter by chapter basis. Each book begins with instructions on how to maximize the use of the book. We particularly liked the instructions at the start of the kids edition with tips on what to do with specific age ranges.
While the parent book uses advanced terms and fleshes out some of the ideas more the authors do not dumb down the kids edition. They treat kids with respect and sometimes we found the explanation in the kids book easier to understand then how it was presented in the book for parents.
The chapters are short and to the point with illustrations that complement the writing while challenging the reader to think deeply about what was just read. Each chapter ends with scripture to read, vocabulary to teach, words to pray and questions to discuss. The kids books ends similarly and ties together seamlessly with the parent book.
We appreciate that these books are meant to be engaged with and the learning put into action. These books would be great for a small group study or to read and discuss as a family.
KEY QUOTE: “We want to see children grow up knowing this full-color gospel, that they would see every image-bearer through the biblical lens of love instead of a false cultural lens of racial superiority and inferiority.”
BONUS: Patrol put a short four part video series to accompany the books. Part 1 is embedded below.
BONUS II: Sunday to Saturday has a Good Reads page where we post all of the books we have read – even the ones that didn’t make the cut.
DID YOU KNOW? We have distilled the media we have curated into guided learning paths to help you learn about racism in your preferred learning style.
More curated books on racism:
BOOK: Jesus and the Disinherited
When a major cultural event, such as George Floyd’s murder, shifts the focus of a country, it is easy to assume that critiques of the American church and racism are a recent phenomenon. Oftentimes we are simply unaware of prophetic voices from the the past such as Howard Thurman and his quintessential Jesus and the…
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BOOK: The Color of Compromise
To this day church services across the nation are some of the most segregated times of the week. Is this by random chance or was this intentional? Author Jemar Tisby details the sordid history of the American church and its complicity with racism in the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller…
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BOOK: Worse Than Slavery
A history of another brutal part of America’s past that is glossed over Worse Than Slavery tells the story of convict leasing, a thinly veiled system of slavery, through the songs of convicts, court documents, and local newspapers.
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Sunday to Saturday 