Suggested Resources For Understanding Culture & Race in America

Photo Credit: The Impact Movement

In my fifteen years of ministering cross-culturally within the United States, I've encountered a number of helpful resources that have aided me in my journey of understanding, appreciation and things I've learned from other cultures.

I've listed a sampling of these books here, categorized by the ethnic group(s) the reading focuses on, in the hopes that it might assist you in learning more about yourself and others:

African Americans

• A Cry Of Hope, A Call To Action: Unleashing the Next Generation of Black Christian Leaders by Charles Gilmer

• Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America by Michael O. Emerson & Christian Smith

• Free at Last?: The Gospel in the African-American Experience by Carl F. Ellis, Jr.

Asian Americans

• Following Jesus Without Dishonoring Your Parents by Jeanette Yep, Peter Cha, Paul Tokunaga and Greg Jao

• Invitation to Lead: Guidance for Emerging Asian American Leaders by Paul Tokunaga

Hispanics & Latinos

• Being Latino in Christ: Finding Wholeness in Your Ethnic Identity by Orlando Crespo

• The Hispanic Challenge: Opportunities Confronting the Church by Manuel Ortiz 

Native Americans

• One Church, Many Tribes : Following Jesus the Way God Made You by Richard Twiss

• Living in Color: Embracing God's Passion for Ethnic Diversity by Randy Woodley

European Americans

• Being White: Finding Our Place in a Multiethnic World by Paula Harris

Internationals

• The World at Your Door: Reaching International Students in Your Home, Church, and School by Tom Phillips, Bob Norsworthy and Terry Whalin

General Cultural Understanding

• Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility by Duane Elmer

• Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church by Soong-Chan Rah

• The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity by Soong-Chan Rah

• The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb: A Spirituality for Leadership in a Multicultural Community by Eric H. F. Law

While not exhaustive by any means, I hope this listing of books will prove to be a fruitful resource to you as you seek to gain a greater understanding of the richness of cultures that God has given us in His wisdom and love. If you have any additional books that you have found helpful in your journey, please list them in the comments section and I may add them to this listing.