Book Review of Oneness Embraced: Reconciliation, the Kingdom, and How We are Stronger Together

Evans, Tony. Oneness Embraced: Reconciliation, the Kingdom, and How We are Stronger Together. Moody Publishers; Reprint edition October 6, 2015.

In Oneness Embraced, Dr. Tony Evans argues the church will only be able to “fulfill God’s divine plan of bringing about lasting transformation in a world tainted by sin and its effects” when there is unity in the body across all spectrums. Dr. Evans brings his own experience of being the victim of with racism and bigotry as a young black man growing up in Baltimore during the time of Jim Crow and into government implemented desegregation. Because of his background and experience, Dr. Evans is able to treat those on different sides of the issue with fairness, being able to put the burden of responsibility in both white and black camps.

Furthermore, as the founder and lead pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, TX, over the past several decades, Dr. Evans has been put in a unique position to impact lives across many ethnic and socioeconomic spectrums. His practical experience in dealing with the everyday struggles of the community surrounding his church gives him the requisite insight into how a church can unify different groups of people to carry out kingdom work.

Dr. Evans breaks his book down into three primary sections to bring the reader to an understanding of the need for oneness as well as understanding some of the underlying issues the church faces. Throughout the book he incorporates both Scriptural and historical data to bolster his arguments.

The first section lays the Scriptural foundation for his thesis that it is only through unity and embracing one another the Church corporate will be able to carry out work for the kingdom. However, he does not immediately dive into a survey of biblical reasoning but rather leads into it by “providing the necessary elements to begin to do so by filling the gaps of the black church history.” After dealing with the diverse perspectives of both white and black churches, Evans articulates from Scripture both good and bad examples to show how we can retain our cultural identity while reaching other cultures.

The second section of Oneness Embraced ends up being the longest portion of the book as it presents a more detailed historical view of the black church. The author weaves information from the days of chattel slavery to the modern role of the black preacher as he explains some of the pertinent issues facing multi-ethnic ministries in the current age. It is in this section Evans argues for the consideration we are all of one race and there is a basis for blacks having pride in their heritage as we all stem from the same “origin in Adam and the three sons of Noah (Genesis 9:18-19; Acts 17:26).” There follows a survey of the biblical timeline leading to the conclusion our Messiah was indeed a product of many lines and had “black in His blood,” which destroys any argument for a spiritual separation of ethnicities.

Unlike other approaches where the author might start with his own beginnings, Evans uses the last section of his book to describe his journey in evangelicalism and to close with his discussions of the kingdom agenda. This kingdom agenda, in his eyes, will not be realized until all members of the Church come together as one and act like the church is called to act in God’s word. This closing section focuses in on the oneness of the Church despite all the unique perspectives contained within its multi-ethnic nature.

There are several themes the author addresses throughout this work which add to his overall approach embracing our uniqueness while using those characteristics to have a greater strength together than we would separate. Even though the author sees this ultimate end game as a possibility, he is under no illusions as to the difficulty the Church faces implementing these ideals.

One of the more interesting illustrations Evans uses in Oneness Embraced is the Liberty Bell. Despite its initial purpose, the Liberty Bell suffers a fracture much as the church has suffered. The author admits improvements have been made yet things are still broken like the Liberty Bell. Ours has been an imperfect reconciliation and the divide between our country shows there is still a need for more progress to be made. Until the church deals with its fractures and sets the example as a model for unity, the country will continue to deal with old wounds and a fractured society.

In keeping with his theme of unity, Evans makes clear throughout the book how it will only come “when truth is the absolute standard by which thoughts and actions are aligned.” As the chapter “Bridging the Divide” discusses, the church has been given the impetus for unity and the power of God to maintain it but has failed to preserve it. Disunity only brings defeat and limitations when we fail to realize we can retain our cultural identity while reaching out to other cultures. Evans ties this unity into our country’s situation and makes a passionate argument that without the unity only the church can model, our world will continue to be without hope.

Reading through Oneness Embraced Dr. Evans’ heart and passion for kingdom work become clear. His articulation of Scriptural mandates as he argues “No one is excused for placing culture above Christ, or race above righteousness” identifies him with those who hold for the inerrancy of God’s word and loyalty to its directives.

Because of his theological view, the author can make the point for a whole life, womb to tomb agenda based on “ample biblical support.” The commands of Scripture are put forth to show the reader why only submitting to another kingdom, the plan and program of God, can we find the solution to our problems. It is also clear Dr. Evans feels we’ve let culture delineate what the church is supposed to do rather than letting God reveal this himself through his word.

One of the more fascinating portions of the book came in the second section when he takes on a historical view of the black church. There is no doubt from reading this material significant psychological damage has been done to the black community and the black church through the myth of black inferiority. This mentality on both sides has been reinforced at all levels throughout our nation’s checkered history to include the church, social, and educational systems. This may be a shock to the reader who has not experienced this assault on God’s created beings but it is a critical part of the book to bring someone to understand how important the biblical mandates are concerning unity.

Dr. Evans also takes on the horrible teaching of the curse of Ham. Using only a small space of his work, Evans decimates the logic to this falsehood and shows that the only way it is propped up is through adherents, not through fact. Although he does not take on all false doctrine about blacks, the point is made clear through this treatment of the curse of Ham how bad doctrine and misuse of Scripture have contributed to the ethnic fractures in our churches and society.

Although an even smaller portion of his work covers evolution, it is significant he takes on the teachings of Darwin and how they have been used to keep people of color marginalized. The import of addressing this is because so many church leaders have compromised on the legitimacy of the first 11 chapters of Genesis and have ceded the high ground to those who would deny the special creation work of God as described in those passages. When the church cedes the origin of the gospel, the fall of man, it cedes the heart of the gospel, Jesus’ substitutionary atonement on the cross.

Notwhithstanding his criticism of Darwin and evolutionary thinking, he seems to support a long age earth view, a view Darwin supported, by quoting from The Black Presence in the Bible and other sources who advocate for an earth millions of years old. The old age earth perspective is especially problematic when he uses a quote about the origin of black people from the Nile Valley. It seems to leave out the consideration that a global, cataclysmic flood as described in Genesis would have completely changed the face of the earth and even if humanity has been around as supposed by some in the scientific community, any evidence for their existence would be greatly displaced from its origin.

More positively, to bolster his stance for black pride, Evans details several biblical characters who were known to be, or were likely, black skinned. Some of the names he lists would likely surprise both white and black church members as they are rarely discussed as being any ethnicity and Evans implies most would assume them to be light skinned individuals.

Dr. Evans also deals with liberation theology in this work, specifically that theology espoused by those like theologian James Cone. Liberation theology is a delicate area to take on considering how it can sometimes lead to intense emotional reactions by those who discuss the different perspectives to it. However, it is an important topic to tackle when dealing with the multi-ethnic aspect of ministry. Without understanding the roots of today’s black church, it will be difficult for those who come from an Anglo perspective to relate to the black church.

One of the most beneficial aspects of Oneness Embraced is that it openly deals with problems created by both the white and black church perspectives. Although historically conservative theologically, the black church was turned away from attending conservative seminaries in its infancy. It was the opening of doors in the more liberal theological seminaries that began the process of bringing liberal doctrine and teaching to the black church. Dr. Evans rightly argues that the conservative white church shoulders the blame for a problem many complain about today, liberal theology within black church circles.

In the closing section of this book, Evans attempts to bring the reader to understand how we as the Church have “failed to function from a kingdom perspective” (242) and the damage that has done to the kingdom cause and society in general. He uses his final chapters as a clarion call for the church to wake up to the realities it faces, both white and black, and remember what our goal is supposed to be.

He rightfully criticizes both whites and blacks for fomenting the divisions within our ranks. Although the white power structure has done much to control and mitigate black advancement in many areas, Evans also points out the black community’s failure to step up despite any oppressive environment around them. Both white and black Christians have access to what the world needs so we should focus our energy to “intentionally embrace, apply, and reflect the kingdom.” If we believe in the future rule of Christ and the changes it will bring, we should also work to bring about changes in our current structures of society.

Using his status as a self-described black evangelical, Dr. Evans has painted a picture of how his thinking formed by the convergence of white evangelicalism and black power/revolution thinking. Therefore, he has worked to remain true to the tenets of Scripture while seeing the need for social justice in the world. It is not just a social justice that reacts to the environment and the cultural mind of today but is rooted and grounded in biblical truth.

Oneness Embraced is a work that takes on one of the more sensitive subjects in the church today and does it with respect and refreshing honesty. Evans is open and clear regarding the problems we face in multi-ethnic ministry, laying the blame at the feet of all groups. He recognizes the far-reaching impact of sin on the human heart, bringing division and conflict where there should be none, the church of Jesus Christ.

One of the strengths of this book is its treatment of the historical background of the black church. Although dividing the church into white and black can be disruptive, there is a reality of difference that must be understood. Evans’ treatment of this historical narrative and its origin in the West African culture were illuminating. Anyone who would do a serious study which touches on the different theological approaches between the ethnic groups would greatly benefit from Evans’ work.

Although the overall direction of the book is instructive and beneficial in discussing multi-ethnic ministry, he fails to address a great issue still dividing the races, even within the church, and that is the significant difference in political affiliations and support. This is not to say he doesn’t broach politics, but he fails to count for the division emanating from the extensive black church support of a party who supports abortion on demand and same sex marriage, two major issues in opposition to Scripture.

This failure is magnified when he even addresses the self-made “genocide” within the black community from abortions. Evans seems to skirt around the problem in how different sides see these moral issues and how best to address the differences. A question might arise as to how do those who see Scriptural condemnation of ending the life of unborn children properly minister to those who feel a cultural connection to liberal policies that condone and even promote the practice?

Lastly, it would be interesting to see how this book might be different if it were written more recently or updated after the 2016 election cycle. The cries of racism and bigotry may appear to some as having increased since the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency and a casual observer to the news cycle of the day could argue division has grown between many whites and blacks, even in the church, because of the election. This issue lends itself to further study a book written pre-2016 can’t address.