A Longing to Belong

Reflections on Faith, Identity, and Race

De: Michelle Lee-Barnewall

Narrado por: Caroline McLaughlin

Growing up in the only Korean family in a Minnesota town, Michelle Lee-Barnewall has felt the pain of racial discrimination and the resulting identity confusion that follows. Through the telling of her personal story, she seeks to transcend the current divide between those who emphasize social justice concerns and those who believe these concerns compromise the core of the gospel.

A Longing to Belong integrates a biblical worldview and personal experience on the topic of race and race relations. Lee-Barnewall writes as both a New Testament scholar and an Asian American who has personally experienced what it means to be racially marginalized, seeking to filter those experiences through the lens of the New Testament and what it has to say to us today about our Christian calling and our identity in Christ as a member of his body.

A Longing to Belong spurs listeners to consider what it means to live as racially distinctive people in a fallen world that abounds in misunderstanding and pain and is in desperate need of the gospel of grace, especially as manifested in the redeemed Christian community. This memoir extends the discussion beyond academic discussion of race relations and personal narratives by demonstrating how theology and experience are necessarily intertwined and mutually contribute to our understanding of race and our relationships with each other. Rather than arguing for one "side," Lee-Barnewall shares examples rooted in her own experience in light of an overarching kingdom theology.

©2023 Michelle Lee-Barnewall (P)2023 Zondervan

A vulnerable and raw look at racism and identity through a biblical lens

This book is a breath of fresh air and I highly recommend. The author tells her story of growing up “different” from her peers. In a world full of divisiveness, this book tackles the pains of racism and the wrestle to belong, before ultimately tying it back to the most important perspective of all: what does God say about all of this?