March Book Review – Soul Care in African American Practice by Barbara Peacock
My interest in this book on soul care began when Christianity Today gave it an Award of Merit for books on spiritual formation in 2021.
As an Asian American the topic is of special interest to me, especially since my spiritual and theological formation has taken place mostly in majority culture contexts. While the book did not align with my initial expectations, Peacock gave me something far richer than I could have hoped.
Given the table of contents I expected each chapter to offer either a sketch of the leader mentioned in its title or a description of the practice listed in the subtitle. For example, chapter 3 is entitled “Mrs. Rosa Parks: Meditation and Contemplation.”
What I discovered, however, was a profound reflection on the leader and the practice that was neither biographical nor academic but genuinely conversational.
I felt as though I were having coffee with the author while she shared what inspired her about each of her ten subjects and how their example shaped her practice of spiritual direction.
Every page teems with wisdom, experience, and hope for the care of your soul.
Peacock’s description of the Black church experience through the lens of these leaders adds dimension to my understanding.
There is no hard line between personal piety and social justice, as in many white American churches. No, the one fuels the other, and the absence of the latter makes the former all the more necessary.
Furthermore in the face of contemporary individualism Peacock tethers the Black experience to the spirituality of their foremothers and forefathers and urges this generation to follow in their footsteps.
Her concluding call to all people to “disentangle themselves from the concerns of society, from technology, and from anyone or anything that gets in the way of them having an intimate relationship with God” is hopeful, inspiring, and motivating.
Most poignant to me was the section at the end of each chapter entitled “Reflection and Practice.”
The meditation on biblical passages opened new windows for me to see God at work in fresh ways.
Her repeated use of Selah helped me slow down, breathe, and pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is saying.
Her written prayers made it easy for me to pray with her.
Above all her subsections on “Hearing from God” were profoundly moving. Tears came to my eyes as I heard the Holy Spirit whispering these loving words over my soul. The “Reflection and Practice” sections alone are worth the price of the book.
I wonder if a more aggressive editor may have helped iron out some wrinkles, e.g., in places where the narrative seems to run in reverse. I admit, though, that such revision might dampen the conversational nature of the book, which is a strength.
Furthermore I wish the author had refrained from using the phrase “black, white, brown, red, or yellow,” as the latter two are offensive to many Native Americans and Asian Americans.
All in all, however, I receive Soul Care in African American Practice as a precious gift, for what I learned about the Black experience in America and how the author directed me to listen for the still, small voice.