A Rhythm of Hate
Anthony Costello on a Prayer for Hatred & the Final Solution
In a recently published collection of devotional prayers, A Rhythm of Prayer (Convergent Books, 2021), composed mainly by progressive Christian women, there appears a prayer by psychologist and "public theologian" Chanequa Walker-Barnes that calls out to God for help in becoming more hateful toward white people. Walker-Barnes's prayer, like many postmodern expressions of personal sentiment, has stirred controversy. But what makes her prayer different from other controversial expressive acts (for example, Lil Nas X's song "Montero") is that this one, titled "Prayer of a Weary Black Woman," is apparently directed to the God of the Bible, whom Walker-Barnes asks to place hatred inside her. Her prayer begins:
Dear God,
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
Anthony Costello holds a BA in German from the University of Notre Dame and Master's degrees in Christian Apologetics and Theology from the Talbot School of Theology/Biola University. A former Catholic, now Evangelical, he served five-and-a-half years in the U.S. Army, with one deployment to Afghanistan.
more on culture from the online archives
34.1—January/February 2021
What the World Needs Now It Hardly Knows by Anthony Esolen
31.2—March/April 2018
The Transmission of Christianity Is Not a New Task by Nathanael Devlin
18.2—March 2005
On Conservatism as Vexation, Vanity & Near Impossibility by Graeme Hunter
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
Support Touchstone
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
• Not a subscriber or wish to renew your subscription? Subscribe to Touchstone today for full online access. Over 30 years of publishing!
personal subscriptions
Purchase Print &
Online Subscription
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives including pdf downloads for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
gift subscriptions
GIVE Print &
Online Subscription
Give six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for the reduced rate of $29.95. That's only $2.50 per month!
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
kindle subscription
OR get a subscription to Touchstone to read on your Kindle for only $1.99 per month! (This option is KINDLE ONLY and does not include either print or online.)
Your subscription goes a long way to ensure that Touchstone is able to continue its mission of publishing quality Christian articles and commentary.
more from the online archives
33.3—May/June 2020
Human & Divine Societies Require Careful Thought & Discourse by Anthony Esolen
32.1—January/February 2019
Answers Secular & Religious by Allan C. Carlson
20.8—October 2007
The Deep & Abiding Biblical Roots of Western Liberal Education by David Lyle Jeffrey
