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Being White: Finding Our Place in a Multiethnic World, By Paula Harris and Doug Schaupp

Being White

Finding Our Place in a Multiethnic World

by Paula Harris and Doug Schaupp

Being White
Paperback
$21.99
  • Length: 192 pages
  • Dimensions: 5.5 × 8.25 in
  • Published: September 06, 2004
  • Imprint: IVP
  • ISBN: 9780830832477
Other Formats:

What does it mean to be white?When you encounter people from other races or ethnicities, you may become suddenly aware that being white means something. Those from other backgrounds may respond to you differently or suspiciously. You may feel ambivalence about your identity as a white person. Or you may feel frustrated when a friend of another ethnicity shakes his head and says, "You just don't get it because you're white."

  • So, what does it mean to be white?
  • How can you overcome the mistakes of the past?
  • How can you build authentic relationships with people from other races and ethnicities?

In this groundbreaking book, Paula Harris and Doug Schaupp present a Christian model of what it means to be white. They wrestle through the history of how those in the majority have oppressed minority cultures, but they also show that whites also have a cultural and ethnic identity with its own distinctive traits and contributions. They demonstrate that white people have a key role to play in the work of racial reconciliation and the forging of a more just society. Filled with real-life stories, life-transforming insights and practical guidance, this book is for you if you are aware of racial inequalitybut have wondered, So what do I do? Discover here a vision for just communities where whites can partner with and empower those of other ethnicities.

REVIEWS

"God led me into a life of displacement about twenty years ago when, together with my family, I came to the U.S.A. for graduate studies. I wish this book had been written two decades ago. I would have recommended it to all my white friends among whom I have lived and worked since then. Being White is both disarming and empowering. Paula and Doug have expounded the Scriptures and applied them to the issues of racial injustice and racial reconciliation in a way that is compelling. They have placed their lives in the hands of the crucified One and showed us that in the cross we can all be reconciled."David Zac Niringiye, Regional Director, Church Missions Society, Africa
"Being White is a book that everyone should read. It's a book that whites in particular need to read to have a better understanding of the struggles of minorities."John Perkins, Founder, John Perkins Foundation
"Not only does Doug have a brilliant mind but a profoundly spiritual heart as well. This book captures the essence of God's kingdom and his call to each of us to live 'displaced' lives."Mark Pickerill, Senior Pastor, Christian Assembly Church, Los Angeles, California
"As I read Paula and Doug's thoughtful and provocative book I discerned the presence of yet a third voice, for the very Spirit of God had begun to speak to me through their personal and deep insights. Few Christian 'issue books' integrate as beautifully and thoughtfully the contemporary with the biblical--and the tightly woven movement back and forth was seamless. Paul and Doug live the reality of the book in their personal, family, work and church realms, and this carries the ring of authenticity. I needed this book."William D. Taylor, Executive Director, Missions Commission, World Evangelical Alliance
"In their book Being White, Harris and Schaupp have done a superb job of integrating creatively their personal stories with scriptural truths to convey very powerful lessons. This is a practical 'how to' book which should be not only readbut seriously studied by individuals, small groups, churches and other gatherings. It deals not only with the pain of the past and challenges of the present but also provides hope and encouragement for the future for all--folks from the powerful andpowerless, haves and have-nots, and majority and minority communities. It provides very thoughtful practical suggestions and steps for the journey of ethnic reconciliation. I recommend it to all fellow travelers who, even though at different stagesin their journey, are interested in following Christ's way to bring shalom into human relations in a fragmented world."Samuel Barkat, Provost, Nyack College, Former Vice President and Director of Multiethnic Ministries, InterVarsity Chrisitian Fellowship
"Paula Harris is a woman of God, and this is a book after God's own heart. It is a book I needed to read personally. People who need to read this may never do so if you and I don't give them a copy. So let's be proactive about this incredibly important book."George Verwer, Founder, Operation Mobilization
"If we are going to make a difference in the mosaic of the world we live in, we must value and move toward culture encounters. Doug and Paula's insightful book is a wonderful guide."Shane Deike, National Campus Director, Ethnic Student Ministries, Campus Crusade for Christ
"I am delighted to see how Paula Harris and Doug Schaupp have written a book that presents the white person's journey into a multiethnic community. This book helps all people understand that every group has its own journey into another culture. It presents the perspective that God is working, for it is his heavenly vision, to deliver us from our monocultural world and mold us into multiethnic people."Diana E. Barrera, Executive Director, Comhina
"Paula Harris and Doug Schaupp are onto something big. Their personal experiences in cross-ethnic relationships have led them to discover a major paradigm for how God shapes people to understand and experience others who differ from themselves racially and culturally. They have identified five stages involved in the important process of learning to adjust to others in our multiethnic world. Their concept of displacement and how it works is worth the price of the book. I am going to highly recommend this book to all my fellow professors who are teaching any kind of course dealing with crosscultural relationships. This book is a winner. God has shaped me personally as I interacted with it."J. Robert Clinton, Professor of Leadership, School of World Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary
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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments
Why This Book? A Road Map for the Journey (Paula and Doug)
Stage 1: Encounter
1. Stumbling into Encounter (Doug)
2. Giving Your Heart Away (Paula)
Making Encounter Real
Stage 2: Friendship
3. Making and Keeping Friendships with People of Color (Paula)
4. Going Deeper in Crosscultural Friendships: Conflict Resolution Strengthens the Bond (Doug)
Making Friendship Real
Stage 3: Displacement
5. What Does the Bible Say About Displacement? (Doug)
6. Can White Boys Hoop? (Doug)
7. The Point of No Return (Doug)
8. Being Colorblind: Kindergarten or College? (Doug)
Making Displacement Real
Stage 4: White Identity
9. Living in the Truth About White History and Racism (Paula)
10. Open the Parachute (Doug)
11. Who Are We? Who Do They Say We Are? (Paula)
Making Antiracism Real
12. Can God Redeem White Culture? (Doug)
13. Finding Our White Identity in Christ (Doug)
Making White Identity Real

Stage 5: The Just Community
14. I Want a Friend, She Wants Justice (Paula)
15. Responsibility Is Not a Four-Letter Word (Doug)
16. Betraying White Privilege, Plundering White Power (Paula)
Making the Just Community Real
Conclusion: The Way, the Truth and the Life (Paula)
Notes
Bibliography

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ABOUT Paula Harris

Paula Harris

Paula A. Harris is currently serving as the priest at Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Mukwonago, Wisconsin. She also speaks and writes on missiology, missionary recruitment, postmodernism and racial issues. She is the author of "Listeningto Mission that Rises from Community and Spirituality" in Global Missiology for the 21st Century and is a contributor to the book Postmission.

ABOUT Doug Schaupp

Doug Schaupp

Doug Schaupp is associate director of evangelism for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He is based in Los Angeles and is the coauthor of Being White and I Once Was Lost.

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