Tarry Awhile
Wisdom from Black Spirituality for People of Faith
By Selina Stone
SPCK Publishing, 208 pages, $15.99
This book fulfills the promise of the first part of its title: it provides wisdom from Black spirituality for people of faith, and thus is a welcome resource for many, whether or not Black spirituality is familiar to them. But framing this contribution as a Lent Book seems a bit restrictive, at least at first. Sections of the book are not identified with the days or weeks of Lent. What Selina Stone provides instead is a welcome conversational presentation on many aspects of Black spirituality, reflecting her roots in Caribbean Pentecostalism and her current work as a womanist scholar and activist in Black British Christianity.
Tarrying is only one of many topics that she takes up. She identifies tarrying as a biblical theme and a recommended practice. We wait in faith for the ever-active God to take action in certain ways. This practice appears, implicitly and explicitly, throughout Christianity, especially in forms associated with the African diaspora, in which it is often expressed through the vibrancy of singing or the hushed expectancy of a congregation.
For me one of the jewels of this book is the story of Sam Sharpe, a Jamaican Baptist deacon who was executed by hanging in 1832 for launching a peaceful protest that turned into Jamaica’s largest slave revolt. He was literate, a rarity among his people, and when he read the Bible, he chose to preach the whole message rather than the “Slave’s Bible” designed to keep his people in bondage.
Sharpe organized the Christmas 1831 Labor Strike to protest against poor working conditions and to demand pay. This became a pivotal moment in showing that slavery was no longer economically viable, which assisted efforts in England that finally led to the abolition of slavery in 1838.
Sharpe and his fellow freedom fighters offered their lives for the freedom of their people. Absolutely committed to their Christian faith, they did so with confidence, dignity, and courage in a manner reminiscent of Christ.Thank you, Selena Stone, for introducing me to Sam Sharpe, whom theJamaican government has proclaimed a national hero. Stone is active in academic theology and justice work in Britain. She received her doctorate in theology and religion from the University of Birmingham in 2021.
