The Edward Wimberly Reader: A Black Pastoral Theology

The Civil Rights era was a time of national examination and a moment of great ferment within black churches. Their ministries required new expressions of pastoral theology and care. Soon after the emergence of Black Theology as an academic discourse, distinctively African American approaches to pastoral theology and care were articulated within theological education.

Since 1979, Edward Powell Wimberly has been a distinguished and influential voice in the field of pastoral theology and care, especially in African American contexts. Wimberly's career has been dedicated to communicating the love of God for all people in the aftermath of America's original sin--racism. The Edward Wimberly Reader hosts a selection of Wimberly's most vital writings, beginning the important work of expanding the historical record in the field of pastoral theology and care to include the role of African American scholars. Wimberly's various works reflect his social and political engagements, spanning the arenas of congregation and community with a prophetic public theology. At the same time, Wimberly's constructive presentations of African American pastoral care inform pastoral theology methodologies through contextual and narrative approaches to counseling and restorative care practices.

An essential collection for students and academics alike, The Edward Wimberly Reader communicates the convictions of a deeply faithful scholar, practitioner, and teacher who changed the conversation by stressing the importance of race, culture, and economics within contexts of pastoral care. Wimberly's corpus offers a faith-inspired vision of a more holistic and life-giving social order, where discrimination is redressed and communities of mutual concern support the flourishing of all.

Mary Clark Moschella is Roger J. Squire Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling in the School of Divinity at Yale University.

Lee H. Butler, Jr. is Distinguished Service Professor of Theology and Psychology at Chicago Theological Seminary.