Luther's Small Catechism with African Descent Reflections by Joseph Bocko et al. (review)

Black Lutheran theologians' voices matter to everyone in the Lutheran churches across North America. That is the enduring message of this book. These meditations on Luther's Small Catechism, dedicated to the memory of James Kenneth Echols who wrote the book's Introduction just before his tragic death, stand as lasting testimony to both the collaborators' deep love of Luther's little book and also their contribution as theologians of African descent to his legacy and their churches. This booklet should be in every church library and on every pastor's desk—to say nothing of having a place on the layperson's nightstand—where it can enhance all Lutherans' use of and reflections upon Luther's Small Catechism.

Pastors, laypersons, and theologians of European descent easily make the mistake of imagining that they can read and use the Catechism without any effort at contextualizing its meaning. This hubris ignores the fact that sixteenth-century life in a German-speaking part of the Holy Roman Empire is nothing like twenty-first century life in predominantly white American churches. The authors of these meditations do not make that mistake and can help shake others loose from a too facile reading of Luther's remarkable gift to the church—a gift, in his colleague Justus Jonas's words, worth 6,000 worlds. Listen, for example, to this single sentence on the third article of the Creed (39): "The Holy Spirit blesses us with faith and with diverse gifts for equipping the community of faith for participation in a world of crucifixion."

The reflections on the commandments are sobering expressions of life in America today. Written before the reinvigorated rise of the "Black Lives Matter" movement in 2020, this book points out in no uncertain terms the tremendous cost borne by people of African descent. Thus, the Eighth Commandment encourages truth telling and rejects (27) "thinking you will do more harm than good by telling the truth."

One would imagine that the "Household Chart of Bible Passages" (the "Table of Duties") might pose difficulties for the authors, but the reflection on obedience to the government is a poignant rendition of the limits of such obedience, as reflected in the Augsburg Confession, article sixteen, and using Rosa Parks as a premier example. It concludes: "As the gospel of Christ sets us free from enslavement to sin, it also sets us free to look for ways to make a difference, to be servants of all in works of love, and to set people free with the only freedom that matters—the freedom to care for our neighbor" (85).

The section of Luther's Small Catechism on daily prayer prompts one of the most creative parts of this book, providing not commentary but other prayers from the African and African American traditions, reminiscent of what John Doberstein provided from European sources in his well-known and recently republished Minister's Prayer Book. There are so many remarkable resources available for Christian prayer; this booklet provides a taste of some contributions from people of African descent.

There are some meditations, of course, where I would have said things differently or emphasized different things. For example, it is important to remember that the Lord's Prayer is addressed to God and comes to life best when we treat the petitions not as admonitions to be better but as pleas to God for God's grace in all aspects of our lives. Occasionally, contributors forgot or took for granted that central point. But even in these cases, the end result for this reviewer has been more fervent prayer to God for mercy.

The cover design, inspired by Norman Lewis's March on Washington, is also cause for meditation. When on August 29, 1963, I attended that march as a twelve-year-old, I could scarcely fathom its lasting significance. To be led back into Luther's Small Catechism, which I had the honor of translating for...