WESTMONT, IL— InterVarsity Press is pleased to announce that The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege by Ken Wytsma earned a spot inPublishers Weekly’s list of top one hundred books of 2017 as one of the five best religion titles of the year.
“Such an unexpected blessing!” Wytsma said.
Al Hsu, senior editor for IVP said, “I’m thrilled that Ken’s book has received this recognition. His keen insight is just what our conflicted society needs. Congrats, Ken!”
In this timely book Wytsma unpacks what we need to know to be grounded in conversations about today’s race-related issues. He also helps us come to a deeper understanding of both the origins of these issues and the reconciling role we are called to play.
The June 2017 Publishers Weekly starred review of The Myth of Equality said: “Wytsma (Pursuing Justice), lead pastor of Antioch Church in Bend, Ore., and president of Kilns College, has a gift for persuasive argument, well displayed in his deployment of history, biblical theology, and current affairs to demonstrate the subtle and unsubtle ways that white dominance shapes American culture and conversations about race. He does so from the perspective of a passionately committed evangelical Christian calling prophetically for justice for those who have been consistently disadvantaged by a system and culture built on ‘a white normative standard’ that shapes perceptions and judgments. Wytsma makes his points without accusation, the better to address an audience of white readers who may be unaccustomed to looking beneath the surface of attitudes about race or unaware of the history of Jim Crow laws and other forces that have driven racial segregation. His tour of the post-Reconstruction history of race is a neat synthesis of history. Slavery was formally ended, but disenfranchisement (“Black Codes” in the South, redlining in housing, and other forms of social control) perpetuated inequality. This book should be a wake-up call to Christian communities nationwide.”
Wytsma said, “I’m hoping that The Myth of Equality can serve as an introduction for people who feel that something is wrong, are looking for a way to understand some of the roots, or are looking for language to make sense of their experience.”
Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology at Yale University said, “The Myth of Equality is written so skillfully that it’s easy to miss how much it accomplishes . . . I have no doubt that some readers will be angered by the claim that they participate in and benefit from structures of racism and white privilege, well supported though that claim is. I predict that there will be more who are convinced and inspired by the patient, passionate, and nondefensive way in which Wytsma makes his case. It’s a book that someone had to write.”
Founded in 1947 as an extension of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, InterVarsity Press serves those in the university, the church and the world by publishing thoughtful Christian books that equip and encourage people to follow Jesus as Savior and Lord in all of life. For more information, visit ivpress.com.
Media Contact: Krista Clayton
630.734.4013 kclayton@ivpress.com
