Divine Revelation and Human Liberation

Professor Singleton’s work on “revelation” fills a serious void in the literature of black theology and black religion. Making Karl Barth’s and Paul Tillich’s views respectively of “revelation” his point of departure, Singleton methodologically challenges us to construct from primary sources of the black experience a liberating theology of “revelation.” Extracting hermeneutical insights from the Bible and slave religion, he deconstructs the way in which the history of slavery, racism, classism, and sexism has distorted the Bible’s Christocentric liberating portrait of “revelation.” He calls for a liberating view of “revelation” that transcends the oppressive history that whites produced in the name of Christianity. In short, Singleton makes it clear that whites have used the notion of “revelation” to exploit and oppress.

Singleton’s book brings black and white Christian reader’s face-to-face with the tragic way that the notion of revelation has been appropriated to exploit and oppress the marginalized peoples of the world. Readers will find in the book a need to rethink “revelation” which is one of the most powerful biblical terms for Christians.

-- Riggins R. Earl Jr., The Interdenominational Theological Center

Singleton presents a concise theological history of the whitewashing of Christian doctrines. With the argument that all theology is contextual, Singleton reveals how the context of U.S. racism and slavery shaped key Christian ideals. As a response, Singleton focuses on the power of revelation as the starting point for black theology. This clear and grounded theological exposition is a needed addition to systematic theology discussions.

-- Monica A. Coleman, Claremont School of Theology

In Divine Revelation and Human Liberation, Singleton brings his considerable intellectual heft and sharp analysis to a singular question, “What does God’s revelation have to do with the oppressed?” His incisive critique of Karl Barth moves from revelation’s structure to its content and breathes new life into Black Liberation Theology. Ultimately, he ably wrests revelation from its capture by white supremacy and shows it as liberation—Good News for the disinherited! Singleton has written a tour de force. This book is indispensable for both scholars and non-scholars alike—anyone interested in the next horizon in theology’s struggle to reveal God’s justice to the world.

-- Herbert R. Marbury, Vanderbilt University

Like a scholarly physician, Harry Singleton deploys the scapel of theoretical critique to insert incisions into pathological notions of "revelation". And like a good doctor, he provides a salutary remedy recuperating the medicinal value of "revelation" for human liberation. His is the paradigm for wedding together faith, reason, and human wholistic transformation.

-- Dwight N. Hopkins, The Alexander Campbell Professor, University of Chi