Overview

Malcolm X threw down the gauntlet on religion and violence. Did Christianity have nothing more to offer, he asked, than spiritual “novocaine,” enabling Black Americans to suffer peacefully? On the face of it, this critique—religion as opiate of the masses—was nothing new, but in other ways Malcolm X’s challenge was strikingly novel. He straightforwardly gave voice to the anger and frustration many Blacks felt over the expectation, in the words of Joseph Washington, Jr., that, unlike white Americans, they were supposed to respond to violence with “superhuman” calm and forgiveness. And unlike other critics of Christianity, Malcolm did not reject the imaginative power of religion to inspire political action. Instead, he told a different story about God’s role in the struggle for justice than the one voiced by major organizations in the civil rights movement.

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9781626985087

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Reviews

By centering Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam, readers can now see the interreligious dimensions of Black Power in the sacred struggle for racial justice. Corbman unearths stunning archival gems, and readers meet an extensive, beloved community populated by activists who cross religious, racial and cultural lines. Divine Rage sends a love letter from Malcolm passed through the hands of so many who have been inspired by his words and committed their lives to the end of White supremacy. A spectacular achievement!--Jeannine Hill Fletcher, author of The Sin of White Supremacy: Christianity, Racism and Religious Diversity in America Marjorie Corbman makes an outstanding contribution to the study of Malcolm X's political and theological legacy. No other book traces Malcolm's impact on the development of the Black Power movement and the emergence of Black Theology quite like Divine Rage. It is a must read for students of twentieth century African-American religious thought!--Mark L. Chapman, Associate Professor, African and African-American Studies, Fordham University. Historically rigorous and interdisciplinary in its approach, Divine Rage, illuminates the ongoing challenge of Malcolm X's legacy to Christianity in the U.S., the call for an end to the idolatry of whiteness and its ritualistic practice of anti-Black violence. By critically reading the heirs of Malcolm X's legacy, Corbman convincingly reveals that the fulfillment of Malcolm X's legacy is not limited to political liberation but also the hard fought spiritual experience of Black joy.--Rufus Burnett, Jr., Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, Fordham University.

"""By centering Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam, readers can now see the interreligious dimensions of Black Power in the sacred struggle for racial justice. Corbman unearths stunning archival gems, and readers meet an extensive, beloved community populated by activists who cross religious, racial and cultural lines. Divine Rage sends a love letter from Malcolm passed through the hands of so many who have been inspired by his words and committed their lives to the end of White supremacy. A spectacular achievement!""--Jeannine Hill Fletcher, author of The Sin of White Supremacy: Christianity, Racism and Religious Diversity in America ""Marjorie Corbman makes an outstanding contribution to the study of Malcolm X's political and theological legacy. No other book traces Malcolm's impact on the development of the Black Power movement and the emergence of Black Theology quite like Divine Rage. It is a must read for students of twentieth century African-American religious thought!""--Mark L. Chapman, Associate Professor, African and African-American Studies, Fordham University. ""Historically rigorous and interdisciplinary in its approach, Divine Rage, illuminates the ongoing challenge of Malcolm X's legacy to Christianity in the U.S., the call for an end to the idolatry of whiteness and its ritualistic practice of anti-Black violence. By critically reading the heirs of Malcolm X's legacy, Corbman convincingly reveals that the fulfillment of Malcolm X's legacy is not limited to political liberation but also the hard fought spiritual experience of Black joy.""--Rufus Burnett, Jr., Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, Fordham University."

Author Information

Marjorie Corbman is an educator and scholar working as an academic director at Mansfield Hall, a residential living-learning community for neurodivergent college students in Burlington, VT. Alumna of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London (MA) and Fordham University (PhD), Corbman was assistant professor in the department of theology and religious studies at Molloy College from 2020 to 2022.

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