Bishop Henry McNeal Turner

Bishop Henry McNeal Turner: Apostle of Liberation

This authoritative biography chronicles Bishop Henry McNeal Turner (1834-1915), one of America's most prophetic 19th-century voices. Meticulously researched through primary sources and ecclesiastical archives, it reveals the profound theological vision of this pioneering Black liberation theologian.

As the first African American military chaplain (1863) and Georgia legislator (1868-1870), Turner witnessed both the promise and betrayal of Reconstruction. His controversial expulsion from the legislature shaped his theological evolution.

The book examines Turner's revolutionary theology, including his 1898 proclamation that "God is a Negro"-a profound challenge to European concepts of divinity that affirmed Black humanity's intrinsic dignity during an era of racial terrorism. His ecclesiological vision balanced hierarchical authority with democratic participation, while his concept of sensus fidelium anticipated Vatican II reforms by nearly a century.

Through four journeys to Africa (1880-1908), Turner developed a "theology of place" interpreting the African American experience through biblical paradigms of exodus and return. His sophisticated hermeneutics recognized interpretive authority within oppressed communities, anticipating formal liberation theology by decades.

For scholars, pastors, and Catholics seeking the theological foundations of racial justice, this thoroughly documented work presents Turner as a prophetic voice whose insights on divine justice, human dignity, and sacred resistance remain urgently relevant today.