Inter-Varsity Press

Through the lips of black British Christians, we hear the stories and experiences first hand. Hostility, prejudice and cruelty were not uncommon, but there are also many glimpses of warmth and oneness, welcome and acceptance, as they arrived in a foreign land.

Black people of African origin and descent have lived in Britain for many centuries. By the late 18th Century an increasing number were active Christians. Long before Empire Windrush arrived in Tilbury in mid-1948, black Britons worked as missionaries, evangelists, doctors, ministers and political activists, as well as in non-professional roles.

Many black Britons are little known and largely forgotten. Here they touchingly describe their lives, faith, work, families, their hopes and ambitions, all part of a rich and fascinating seam of British history that has been generally ignored.

This intimate portrait will inform black Christians today of their heritage, while helping white Christians to understand more about the diversity of Britain's cultural background.

Commendations

"I warmly recommend Black Voices as a welcome contribution to the community of literature which has become a part of our educational tool kit in understanding the role of Black men and women who have been invisible inspirations to British life in recent centuries. This book provides an interesting and informative account of the experiences of Black Christians who have settled in Britain. It also goes some way in identifying the warm hospitality shown to many, alongside the more widely known rejection and resistance experienced by other Black Christians in Britain. I warmly recommend it to you." Dr. John Sentamu,

Archbishop of York.

"David and Joel have compiled a very moving anthology of writings by people of African descent who have lived in Britain over the centuries. The book is timely as we all celebrate the bi centennial of the abolition of the slave trade and also consider afresh how Britain is to be a diverse but cohesive society in the 21st century. What David and Joel have done for Black people in Britain needs also to be done for Asian and other communities in this country. Who will take up the challenge?" The Rt. Revd. Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester

"These Black Voices testify to something miraculous. How could those who were enslaved and oppressed by a culture that had signed up to Christianity go on to embrace the Christian faith? These testimonies speak of the capacity of human nature for both vice and virtue. They bear witness to the amazing grace of God. Their voices have been kept silent for too long. On these pages their voices cry and sing, they pray and preach. The cadences are dignified the register is noble and the tone is sombre yet full of hope. Here are true voices of the Kingdom." The Rt. Rev. James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool

"At Last! An anthology mined from the rich heritage of Black British Christian History. Black Voices is a great personal read and is an invaluable resource for further study. I found it stimulating, challenging and informative. Every educator, preacher and Church goer should own a copy." Rev Dr Kate Coleman, President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain