Shoutin' in the Fire

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This stirring meditation explores the experience of being Black and learning to love in a loveless, anti-Black world. The author offers breathtaking language to confront the legacy of white supremacy, both systemic and internalized. Through personal experiences, he reclaims spiritual virtues like rage, resilience, and remembrance, examining how these can serve as acts of love against an unjust world. In 2016, he was a rising leader at a predominantly white evangelical church in Augusta, Georgia, excited to break barriers as the church's first Black preacher. However, as Donald Trump’s campaign unfolded, he overheard comments in the pews that ranged from microaggressions to outright hostility toward Black Americans. This violence revealed itself en masse, isolating him and his family within a faith community that became increasingly unwelcoming. This experience set him on a journey out of the white church and into a liberating pursuit of faith, drawing wisdom from figures like James H. Cone, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison, while also reflecting on the humility of Jesus. This intimate journey serves as a meditation on coming of age amid terror, revealing a profound faith that embraces Blackness, speaks truth to trauma, and seeks a deeper, liberating love.