Wading in the Water
Thurman Quote: “This is the message of the spiritual. Do not shrink from moving confidently out into the choppy seas. Wade in the water, because God is troubling the water.”
Citation: Deep River and The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death, p. 94.
Description: Thurman talks about the resources of faith and life available through the interpretation of the African American spirituals. Not only do they represent practices of interpretation responsive to the violent and inhumane predicament of American enslavement during their time. For Thurman, they are an opportunity for us to take up the practice of interpretation as faithful response in the contemporary moment.
Reflect on: Interpretation as lapping choppy waters
