Virtual Book Club: March 2024

Get mobilized with SCAD and the SC Christian Action Council with our  Virtual Book Club! Our March selection is The Cross and the Lynching Tree by Rev. Dr. James H. Cone. 

Bring your favorite drink as we discuss this incredible book during the Christian liturgial season of Lent. You are not required to read the book for the event and are encourage dto purchase the book at your local bookseller or borrow it from your local library!

Book Summary:

The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this powerful new work, theologian James H. Cone explores these symbols and their interconnection in the history and souls of black folk. Both the cross and the lynching tree represent the worst in human beings and at the same time a thirst for life that refuses to let the worst determine our final meaning. While the lynching tree symbolized white power and black death, the cross symbolizes divine power and black life God overcoming the power of sin and death. For African Americans, the image of Jesus, hung on a tree to die, powerfully grounded their faith that God was with them, even in the suffering of the lynching era.