God's Holy Darkness

by Sharei Green, Beckah Selnick, Nikki Faison (Illustrator)

Overview

In God's Holy Darkness, Sharei Green and Beckah Selnick deconstruct anti-Blackness in Christian theology by celebrating instances in the story of God's people when darkness, blackness, and night are beautiful, good, and holy. From the darkness at the beginning of creation to the blackness of the sky on the day when Christ's birth was announced to the shepherds, children learn that blackness is something to celebrate as an important element of the life of faith. Lush and vibrant illustrations by artist Nikki Faison underscore the mystery and beauty of these wondrous acts of God's holy darkness.

Perfect for reading and anti-racist reflection in worship, as an affirmation and celebration with children, and at home with caregivers, God's Holy Darkness is a gift to cherish.

God's Holy Darkness is a Junior Library Guild Selection. Junior Library Guild is a curated subscription service for libraries featuring books recommended by expert librarians for building an excellent collection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506482415
Publisher:	1517 Media
Publication date:	07/12/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	672,919
Product dimensions:	10.25(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Lexile:	AD880L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Sharei Green is pursuing a Masters of Divinity as a seminarian at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Sharei has a strong commitment to community healing and sabbath, especially in BIPOC communities. You can find her writings online at Living Lutheran, Gather Magazine, and?Café Magazine.

Beckah Selnick is a writer focusing on storytelling for digital formats. She is the host and creator of PK/PK Podcast. Beckah is living at the intersection of faith, funny, and feminism in Portland, Oregon.

Nikki Faison is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America serving as the Program Director for African Descent Ministries. Nikki is the creator of MONadvocacy, a racial justice resource grounded in play. She is passionate about queer Black liberation, cultivating diverse leadership in faith spaces, and the art of creation. She resides in the Chicagoland area with her spouse, daughter, and two cats; Penne Pablo and Rigatoni Braxton.

Editorial Reviews

"This book states very clearly what it is and what it hopes to be used for; it enlarges an existing discussion and turns tropes around to include everyone and everything." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

07/01/2022

K-Gr 3—With a wish to "combat colorism in Christianity," the creators of this book note in the opening pages that "Darkness and blackness and night are too often compared to lightness and whiteness and day and found deficient, but let us name the beauty and goodness and holiness of darkness and blackness and night." In this, the book transcends some of its religious parameters and will work in any context where false equivalents are drawn between dark as "less than" and negative, with white set as the preference. The authors point, through Bible verse to the creation that came from sacred darkness, to the stars in a black sky that show evidence of a heaven and more, and yet the lessons never feel forced. The illustrations veer between abstract and literal, creating conversation starters for classrooms where Christian content is not treated as hallowed text, but as one interpretation of the many stories people tell. VERDICT For collections that already include similar material, this book states very clearly what it is and what it hopes to be used for; it enlarges an existing discussion and turns tropes around to include everyone and everything.—Kimberly Olson Fakih

School Library Journal