Empowerment Ethics for a Liberated People

Book excerpt: Cheryl Sanders here sharpens the agenda of black liberation by offering both a fresh reading of historical black religion and a distinctive approach to Christian ethics. Arguing that the experience of oppression has been the catalyst for black moral life and thought, Sanders traces several paths or approaches that African American Christians have taken in moving from victimization to moral agency: testimony, protest, uplift, cooperation, achievement, remoralization, and ministry. Informative and engaging, earnest and constructive, Sanders's book envisions a new way of empowering people to take responsibility for their moral and spiritual development.