In America’s diverse cultural landscape, ethnic and racial differences have been the source of great tension. Race is a crucial factor shaping our life experiences. It can determine our political affiliations, the people we befriend, the place we choose to live, and the church we attend. It’s only natural. But God has called His people to turn from their old nature and pursue His ways. In light of this, where does race fit in the Christian life?

MORE CHRISTIAN THAN AFRICAN-AMERICAN is author Kimberly Cash Tate’s truthful, courageous account of the spiritual journey that completely transformed her sense of identity. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, she was raised in the comfort and security of a thriving black culture. After attending the University of Maryland and earning a law degree from George Washington University, she had every intention of enjoying a lucrative career in the comfortable blackness of D.C. Instead, Tate’s world was shattered when the bear job market offered no jobs from D.C. firms.

Ultimately, Tate found God --- and herself --- in the last place she would have chosen to go. The man she loved received a promising job offer in Madison, Wisconsin. With no career possibilities in D.C., Tate accepted a clerkship in Madison. Feeling lost, alone, and completely disconnected from the black culture that had been the center of her life, she began attending church just to maintain her sanity. Soon she gave her life to Christ. Over the next several years, through Christian mentors and her own study of Scripture, Tate became convinced that she was looking at the world through the wrong lens.

“For twenty-seven years I lived, moved, and had my being in blackness. And after I became a Christian, I still lived, moved, and had my being in blackness. But God let me know that He had saved me, raised me, and seated me in heavenly places (Eph. 2:4-6),” Tate says. “I needed to live, move, and have my being in Christ. That’s where the power was. That’s where the strength was. That’s where the blessings were. Why walk in an earthly identity when I could walk in a higher one, one that had been reserved for me before the foundation of the world, one that was eternal? When I began to understand this truth, my walk with God soared beyond measure.”

This revelation became the jumping off point for MORE CHRISTIAN THAN AFRICAN-AMERICAN. Ten years ago, when Tate felt God directing her to write the first edition of the book, a wave of trepidation swept over her. “I knew this would not be a popular message,” she recalls. “I was supposed to show pride in my blackness, not speak of its earthly --- and thus limited --- nature. I could already hear the voices of condemnation. But I also heard a couple of questions in my soul. Do you seek to please God or men? Will you walk in fear or in the power of the Holy Spirit?” Though she did receive some criticism, positive feedback rolled in from the many readers who had been inspired by her message. In the past ten years, the groundswell of support in the black Christian community has grown. With the recent release of her first fiction novel, Heavenly Places, more people are aware of her passion to share this message with a greater audience.

Tate’s persuasive presentation of the “more Christian” message makes full use of her relational nature, the skills she acquired as a litigator, and her ability to communicate a great story. Obviously, the book speaks directly to the black Christian community. But the “more Christian” message is a universal one. This book will cause any reader to ask some penetrating questions: Where is my identity found? In my race? In my gender? In my country? In my political affiliation?

“As my faith has matured over these last ten years, I have grown more convinced of the truth of this message,” Tate says. “We are defined by who God says we are --- and God doesn’t see color.”