A Redemption Song: Illuminations on Black British Pastoral Theology and Culture

Drawing from real-life pastoral examples, socio-political analysis, and the theme of Eucharist as a means to human healing and restoration, A Redemption Song outlines and explores what a black British pastoral theology might look like. A landmark text, it offers critical reflection and practical tool for those working and ministering within multicultural communities, especially those with large African-Caribbean populations.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements vii Introduction ix 1. The Effects of an African Caribbean Heritage: Living as a Problem 1 2. The Middle Passage as Existential Crucifixion 17 3. Body Broken: Eucharistic Violence and the Sam Sharpe Revolt 38 4. Eucharistic Encounters: Towards an African Caribbean Diasporan Pastoral Theology 63 5. Negative Labelling: The Product of an Insecure Mind 91 6. Towards a Theology of Black Men and Radical Self-Love in the UK: Beyond the Exotic and the Grotesque 114 7. Black Theology and the Care of the Soul, Mind and Body: Reading African American Theology from a Black British Perspective 147 8. We are Here – Where Next? 164 Index of Bible References 169 Index of Names and Subjects 170

About the Author :
Delroy Hall is a lecturer in counselling and psychotherapy at Leeds Beckett University,  a counseller for the Black Health Initiative, and a chaplain for Sheffield United Football Club. He was awarded his PhD in theology from Birmingham University in 2013.

Review :
"At long last, after over a decade of prompting, cajoling, and exhorting my friend to write down his wisdom and knowledge, we now finally have this book. I believe that this book will become an essential text for theological educators and pastoral practitioners across the UK. This is a book for which many of us have been waiting. I am delighted. I know that many people will soon agree with me!" 'A brilliant, forthright historically and psychosocially penetrating account of Black people's experience in Britain, A Redemption Song is not just a must read but truly a "must study" for all who recognize the need for the care of all persons in whatever national context they find themselves. Deftly interwoven with Christological and Eucharistic theological themes that engage the horrors of enslavement and the ongoing experience of racism in the United Kingdom, Delroy Hall's Black British Pastoral Theology gives us all pathways to the development of a more honest and just social and political existence.' This is a ground-breaking and much anticipated book within multiple spaces. Dr Hall brings to this reflection deep insights and extensive experiences as a British Black theologian, a psychotherapist, and a pastor and provides one of the first attempts at articulating what a Black British Pastoral Theology might look like. This penetrating work challenges the lack of psychological attention to black experiences within not only theological, but also psychotherapeutic spaces. This is the kind of book that can spark a trajectory for further research and reflection, making conscious and therefore addressing the often veiled processes that hinder Black flourishing.