The New Testament in Color: A Multi-Ethnic Bible Commentary

EMQ » July – Aug 2025 » Volume 61 Issue 3

Review by Edward L. Smither is dean of the School of Missions and Intercultural Ministry at Columbia International University.

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The New Testament in Color was the vision of African American New Testament scholar Esau McCaulley. Lamenting the lack of Black voices in biblical scholarship, McCaulley also realized that other marginalized voices were also missing from conversations in biblical studies. So he invited Asian American, Hispanic, Native American/First Nations, and also White Americans (particularly women) to contribute to the project that became The New Testament in Color. While celebrating minorities approaching the text from their lived realities, the Scripture remains the central authority – not the interpreter’s context – making this an evangelical work in the North American multi-cultural context.  

The commentary begins with brief chapters on reading Scripture while Black, Asian American, Hispanic, Native American, and White. Most of the work is comprised of short commentaries on each book of the New Testament written by a balance of minority scholars, as well as some White female scholars, and one White male scholar (who served for many years in Latin America). Also, there are four additional articles on mental health, gender, multilingualism, and immigration.

Among the volume’s strengths, the writers reveal the wonderful complexity within North American minority communities. Asian Americans could be first- or second-generation Korean or Chinese, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani), or even Asian Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latin Americans could come from Spanish, African, or indigenous American backgrounds; they could be mestizo or mulatto. This diversity contributes to the richness of biblical insight. Second, the work succeeds in doing what it’s supposed to – inviting minority voices to engage the text of Scripture from their lived realities. For example, Janette Ok, reflects on the experience of Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners through her commentary on 1 Peter. Third, paying careful attention to the footnotes – who our authors were citing as they constructed their commentaries – I was encouraged to see that they engaged diverse authors in developing a multi-cultural commentary. Finally, as a White male American, I resonate with Michael Gorman’s posture of repentance, humility, and unity to read the New Testament “in color.” Indeed, after years of reading Scripture in multicultural environments, only engaging the Bible (in worship, conferences, and conversations) in just my cultural context has become less rich and challenging.

I have just one minor concern with the volume. My understanding from Esau McCaulley and others is that arguably the richest repository of Black church theology is in its sermons and hymns. So I was hoping that the African-American contributors would have cited more sermons and songs. I realize that a New Testament commentary is typically a written project, but I think it could have been strengthened more by interacting with the oral theology of the Black church.

The New Testament in Color is a gift to God’s diverse people in North America and other parts of the world. It will serve as a great resource for pastors in sermon preparation, Bible study leaders, seminary students writing papers, and all believers in personal Bible study.

For Further Reading

Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope by McCaulley, Esau. (IVP Academic, 2020)

Constructing Identity in 1 Peter: Who You Are No Longer by Ok, Janette (T&T Clark, 2021)

Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys: A Native American Expression of the Jesus Way by Twiss, Richard (IVP, 2015)

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EMQ, Volume 61, Issue 3. Copyright © 2025 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.