Books By Black Atheists

Contrary to popular belief, there have been several books published by African American atheists over the past decade.  Despite the growing number of African American atheists, and stock calls for “diversity” within the movement, scholarship by black authors and academics has received little critical visibility or popular support from secular/atheist/humanist communities.

New and old offerings from prolific Rice University scholar Anthony Pinn and Sikivu Hutchinson:

The End of God Talk: An African American Humanist Theology, By Anthony Pinn (2012)

Pinn challenges the long held assumption that African American theology is solely theist, arguing that this assumption has stunted African American theological discourse and excluded a rapidly growing segment of the African American population – non-theists. Rejecting the assumption of theism as the African American orientation, Pinn poses a crucial question: What is a non-theistic theology?

Moral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics, and the Values Wars, By Sikivu Hutchinson (2011)

Moral Combat provides a provocative analysis of the political and religious battle for America’s soul. It examines the hijacking of civil rights by Christian fascism; the humanist imperative of feminism and social justice; the connection between K-12 education and humanism; and the insidious backlash of Tea Party-style religious fundamentalism against progressive social welfare public policy. Moral Combat also reveals how atheists of color are challenging the whiteness of “New Atheism” and its singular emphasis on science at the expense of social and economic justice. In Moral Combat, Sikivu Hutchinson highlights the cultural influence of African American humanist and atheist social thought in America. She places this tradition within the broader context of public morality and offers a far-reaching vision for critically conscious humanism.