Shoutin' in the Fire: An American Epistle
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- Create Date：2021-10-16 08:51:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Danté Stewart
- ISBN：0593239628
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Summary
A stirring meditation of being Black and learning to love in a loveless， anti-Black world
In Shoutin' in the Fire， Danté Stewart gives breathtaking language to his reckoning with the legacy of white supremacy--both the kind that hangs over our country and the kind that is internalized on a molecular level。 Stewart uses his personal experiences as a vehicle to reclaim and reimagine spiritual virtues like rage， resilience， and remembrance--and explores how these virtues might function as a work of love against an unjust， unloving world。
In 2016， Stewart was a rising leader at the predominantly white evangelical church he and his family were attending in Augusta， Georgia。 Like many young church leaders， Stewart was thrilled at the prospect of growing his voice and influence within the community， and he was excited to break barriers as the church's first Black preacher。 But when Donald Trump began his campaign， so began the unearthing。 Stewart started overhearing talk in the pews--comments ranging from microaggressions to outright hostility toward Black Americans。 As this violence began to reveal itself en masse， Stewart quickly found himself isolated amid a people unraveled; this community of faith became the place where he and his family now found themselves most alone。 This set Stewart on a journey--first out of the white church and then into a liberating pursuit of faith--by looking to the wisdom of the saints that have come before， including James H。 Cone， James Baldwin， and Toni Morrison， and by heeding the paradoxical humility of Jesus himself。
This sharply observed journey is an intimate meditation on coming of age in a time of terror。 Stewart reveals the profound faith he discovered even after experiencing the violence of the American church: a faith that loves Blackness; speaks truth to pain and trauma; and pursues a truer， realer kind of love than the kind we're taught， a love that sets us free。
In Shoutin' in the Fire， Danté Stewart gives breathtaking language to his reckoning with the legacy of white supremacy--both the kind that hangs over our country and the kind that is internalized on a molecular level。 Stewart uses his personal experiences as a vehicle to reclaim and reimagine spiritual virtues like rage， resilience， and remembrance--and explores how these virtues might function as a work of love against an unjust， unloving world。
In 2016， Stewart was a rising leader at the predominantly white evangelical church he and his family were attending in Augusta， Georgia。 Like many young church leaders， Stewart was thrilled at the prospect of growing his voice and influence within the community， and he was excited to break barriers as the church's first Black preacher。 But when Donald Trump began his campaign， so began the unearthing。 Stewart started overhearing talk in the pews--comments ranging from microaggressions to outright hostility toward Black Americans。 As this violence began to reveal itself en masse， Stewart quickly found himself isolated amid a people unraveled; this community of faith became the place where he and his family now found themselves most alone。 This set Stewart on a journey--first out of the white church and then into a liberating pursuit of faith--by looking to the wisdom of the saints that have come before， including James H。 Cone， James Baldwin， and Toni Morrison， and by heeding the paradoxical humility of Jesus himself。
This sharply observed journey is an intimate meditation on coming of age in a time of terror。 Stewart reveals the profound faith he discovered even after experiencing the violence of the American church: a faith that loves Blackness; speaks truth to pain and trauma; and pursues a truer， realer kind of love than the kind we're taught， a love that sets us free。
Reviews
Nicole Wilson
，
A compelling collection of memoir style essays sharing an honest look at race in this season。
Oscreads
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Beautiful and real AF book right here。
Adam Shields
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Summary: A beautiful， poetic memoir of being Black in America。 Without question， this is one of the best memoirs I have ever read。 I know part of my love of it is because Danté Stewart read the audiobook with his beautiful voice。 Shoutin' in the Fire is a book of lyrical， poetic writing， and I can't imagine another narrator could have captured it as well。 The prose reminds me in the very best way of James Baldwin。 I know that will be a standard comparison， not just because of how prominent B Summary: A beautiful， poetic memoir of being Black in America。 Without question， this is one of the best memoirs I have ever read。 I know part of my love of it is because Danté Stewart read the audiobook with his beautiful voice。 Shoutin' in the Fire is a book of lyrical， poetic writing， and I can't imagine another narrator could have captured it as well。 The prose reminds me in the very best way of James Baldwin。 I know that will be a standard comparison， not just because of how prominent Baldwin is but also because of how frequently Stewart references him。 Baldwin is an author for this age， as Eddie Glaude has written。 I don't want to overplay that comparison， their life experiences are so very different， but also they are both Black in America， with a view of both history and the future and with an eye to the church that this country loves to pay lip service to， but not carry through as it should。 I remember thinking to myself， and maybe saying out loud， at some point years ago， early in my awakening to the racial realities of this world， that as much as they are accurate， I wished there were more books by Black authors that were happier， less wrapped up in pain。 The pain is hard to process as a middle-aged white man because it creates an obligation。 Observing pain and not responding is a type of pathology that some are commending these days， as some call for resistance to empathy。 It took me time to learn and process not just that pain and trauma need recounting， but that the history of race in America means no story can be told by Black authors that does not have pain somewhere in the lens， even if not in the direct words。 It took me much longer to see that the very act of writing was an act of hope。 I didn't understand the complaints of Ta'Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me being hopeless。 Coates is not hopeless， as I think this video with Thabiti Anyabwile shows。 But the hope does not always have to be centered if the presenting problem denies reality。 The other comparison I feel when I read Shoutin' in the Fire is with Esau McCaulley's Reading While Black。 Both books have a chapter on rage， and in both cases， I think the chapter is likely the most powerful in the book。 That rage is not a denial of hope; both explicitly point to hope in other places and even in their rage。 Both reference James Baldwin's famous quote about rage that often is shortened to only the first sentence。 But the more extended quote is essential: To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost， almost all of the time — and in one's work。 And part of the rage is this: It isn't only what is happening to you。 But it's what's happening all around you and all of the time in the face of the most extraordinary and criminal indifference， indifference of most white people in this country， and their ignorance。 Now， since this is so， it's a great temptation to simplify the issues under the illusion that if you simplify them enough， people will recognize them。 I think this illusion is very dangerous because， in fact， it isn't the way it works。 A complex thing can't be made simple。 You simply have to try to deal with it in all its complexity and hope to get that complexity across。 Stewart makes the statement that echoes James Baldwin and James Cone and Howard Thurman， and many others; he comments that he thought that telling people the reality of what it means to be Black in America would cause white people， especially white Christians， to change。 But each of them has to grapple with the fact that simple information is not enough。 Cultural change is more complex than simple information， especially when resistance to identifying that change is necessary or even that culture comes into play。 Books like Shoutin' in the Fire are a gift to white people such as myself。 They should be fuel to create understanding， empathy， and motivation to change institutions， especially Christian ones， that are resistant to change。 Instead， mostly what we have is discussions of methodology， not discussions of the actual problem。 Danté Stewart presents the evidence of his own life， the harm he has felt， the fear he has for his family， especially his children， in the future。 To be allowed to read books， especially beautifully written books like this one， is a gift that more need to take up。 。。。more
Amy
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Poetic。 Narrative。 Vulnerable。 Heartbreaking。 Hopeful。 I highly recommend this to white Christians and pastors， but please understand that it is not primarily for us。 It does not center us。 There are places that may be difficult， but honestly even in the difficult places it is so very gracious。 The recounting of trauma is an honor we have not earned。 We need to learn to sit silently with it and let it soften our hearts and inform our way。 If we are ever to love our neighbors， we have to learn to Poetic。 Narrative。 Vulnerable。 Heartbreaking。 Hopeful。 I highly recommend this to white Christians and pastors， but please understand that it is not primarily for us。 It does not center us。 There are places that may be difficult， but honestly even in the difficult places it is so very gracious。 The recounting of trauma is an honor we have not earned。 We need to learn to sit silently with it and let it soften our hearts and inform our way。 If we are ever to love our neighbors， we have to learn to see them。 To believe their testimony。 To value their stories， their culture， their expressions of faith， their thriving， their joy， their bodies as God does。 Anti-Black is anti-God。 。。。more
Jennifer Wilson
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Dante's lived experiences are obviously very different from my own， which is why it is so important to listen closely to his stories， his pain， his hopes， and his revelations。 But this is more than just that。 Shoutin' in the Fire is a beautifully written memoir， lyrical and poetic， and full of joy and truth。 Dante's lived experiences are obviously very different from my own， which is why it is so important to listen closely to his stories， his pain， his hopes， and his revelations。 But this is more than just that。 Shoutin' in the Fire is a beautifully written memoir， lyrical and poetic， and full of joy and truth。 。。。more
Anna
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A prophet and poet of the highest order。 Will be revisiting this one。
Alicia （PrettyBrownEyeReader）
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This was another anticipated release for me。 I first heard of the author via social media。 I saw several people reposting his tweets and as the publication date of the book approached I was curious to check it out。The book is an epistle that chronicles the author’s experience of being Black in majority White American Christian spaces。 The author expresses the conflict he felt during times of racial protest and White backlash while he worked in ministry。 To navigate his rising internal conflict， This was another anticipated release for me。 I first heard of the author via social media。 I saw several people reposting his tweets and as the publication date of the book approached I was curious to check it out。The book is an epistle that chronicles the author’s experience of being Black in majority White American Christian spaces。 The author expresses the conflict he felt during times of racial protest and White backlash while he worked in ministry。 To navigate his rising internal conflict， the author heavily reads Black authors， poets， thinkers and theologians。 He quotes these readings frequently throughout the book。 The epistle flows like a stream of consciousness， the thoughts and recollections are not linear and move between different points in the author’s life。This book will appeal to many audiences: those who are interested in Black literature of any kind， those who want to understand the role white supremacy plays in American Christianity， those raised in the Black rural South， lovers of memoirs。I was given the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley。 。。。more
Traci Thomas
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I like what Stewart is talking about and find his life story to be interesting。 The question of being Black Christian and American is worthy。 The book gets redundant a bit and parts are over written。
Raymond
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Review first posted here: https://medium。com/ballasts-for-the-m。。。Once upon a time Danté Stewart was in the Sunken Place。 How so， you ask？ The culprit was Stewart’s experiences in white evangelical church spaces where he was made to feel like he was not like other Black people， that he was the exception。 As a result， he ran away from his Blackness and the Black church traditions and practices of his youth。 In his own words he became “anti-Black”， but he didn’t stay in that state for long。 The ki Review first posted here: https://medium。com/ballasts-for-the-m。。。Once upon a time Danté Stewart was in the Sunken Place。 How so， you ask？ The culprit was Stewart’s experiences in white evangelical church spaces where he was made to feel like he was not like other Black people， that he was the exception。 As a result， he ran away from his Blackness and the Black church traditions and practices of his youth。 In his own words he became “anti-Black”， but he didn’t stay in that state for long。 The killings of unarmed Black people at the hands of police in the mid 2010s was when he woke up， when he reached his breaking point。 Shoutin’ In The Fire: An American Epistle is Stewart’s Leave LOUD story， it is in the tradition of James Baldwin， Ta-Nehisi Coates， Austin Channing Brown， and other writers and theologians of Black liberation。Stewart has written a beautiful， descriptive， personal， and unapologetic memoir about his transformation。 In this book， Stewart calls out the sins of white supremacy that are in the American church and society at large today and how the wages of these sins can produce a spiritual death in Black people。 Stewart’s redemption begins after experiences with Black death and also with his exposure to Black writings from Baldwin， Dr。 Martin Luther King Jr。， Dr。 James Cone， and others。 These writings from the ancestors helped him as he transitioned to his own writing， tackling the issues of racism， white supremacy， and anti-Blackness。This memoir has so much power behind it。 There are passages in it that you will read and in response you will have no choice but to say in the Black church tradition “my， my， my”。 Stewart has a Word for Black people in Shoutin’ in the Fire。 He is trying to help set people free。 The question is， are we ready？ Read it and find out！Thanks to NetGalley， Convergent Books， and Danté Stewart， for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 This book will be released on October 12， 2021。 。。。more
Charlotte
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Stewart writes with eloquence and precision， choosing the perfect metaphors and words to carry his raw truth right into the reader's heart。 I used to be a white woman in the same sorts of evangelical churches he describes being a Black man in; uncomfortably， I recognized myself and my friends and ministers in the stories he tells。 This book will challenge white Christians to interrogate their white supremacist notions of a belonging that "transcends" or "doesn't see" color。 But don't approach th Stewart writes with eloquence and precision， choosing the perfect metaphors and words to carry his raw truth right into the reader's heart。 I used to be a white woman in the same sorts of evangelical churches he describes being a Black man in; uncomfortably， I recognized myself and my friends and ministers in the stories he tells。 This book will challenge white Christians to interrogate their white supremacist notions of a belonging that "transcends" or "doesn't see" color。 But don't approach the book as an instrument in an anti-racism project。 Instead， read with an open heart and allow yourself to follow and to honor Stewart's journey of becoming more fully himself in a world that would try to keep him small。 。。。more
Jennifer Schultz
，
Read if you: Want a powerful and revealing memoir of a man's journey through Black Pentecostal， white evangelical， and back through the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement。 Librarians/booksellers: Definitely purchase if social justice titles with a Christian angle are popular/needed。 Many thanks to Convergent Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 Read if you: Want a powerful and revealing memoir of a man's journey through Black Pentecostal， white evangelical， and back through the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement。 Librarians/booksellers: Definitely purchase if social justice titles with a Christian angle are popular/needed。 Many thanks to Convergent Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Meaghan Babin
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This book is extremely powerful and important。 In the age of Black Lives Matter， Shoutin' in the Fire really delves into what it means to be black in America。 This book really handles the pain and struggle of daily racism and the strength of will that it takes to move forward despite all of these things。 I think that this book should be read by as many people as possible。 This book is extremely powerful and important。 In the age of Black Lives Matter， Shoutin' in the Fire really delves into what it means to be black in America。 This book really handles the pain and struggle of daily racism and the strength of will that it takes to move forward despite all of these things。 I think that this book should be read by as many people as possible。 。。。more
Trish Ryan
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