Howard Thurman: The Mystic as Prophet
Howard Thurman: The Mystic as Prophet, by Luther E. Smith, Jr., is the most comprehensive and in depth analysis on Howard Thurman.  This book becomes the primary documentary history of a seminal African-American religious thinker of the twentieth century.  It is my intention to use this volume as a supplementary textbook for introduction to religion classes.--Dr Lawrence Edward Carter Sr.,--Dean, Martin Luther King Jr., International Chapel Morehouse College, Atlanta, GeorgiaLuther Smith's book is the seminal study that has enlightened and influenced all later scholarship on the thought and significance of Howard Thurman in American religious, cultural, social, and political life.  Recognizing and articulating the prophetic character of Thurman's life and works, Smith reveals with superb skill and perspicuity the previously unacknowledged genius of a man whose quiet journey on the American intellectual, religious, philosophical, and social scene profoundly touched and influenced a myriad of lives and situations.  We owe a debt to Luther Smith, who first brought this great human being to the attention of American religious scholarship, and whose work on Thurman remains unsurpassed in substance, depth, insight, and vision.--Dr. Mozella G. Mitchell, Associate Professor of Religion, University of South Florida, Tampa, FloridaDr. Smith's analysis is vital to a clear understanding of Howard Thurman's theological development and thought.  Effectively and sensitively written, the book leads the reader to struggle with Dr. Thurman's ideas.  That is both superlative scholarship and writing.--Rev. Marvin Chandler, Retired Pastor, the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples; San Francisco, CaliforniaThere are none more familiar with the life and thought of Howard Thurman than Luther E. Smith, Jr. This book has set the standard for understanding and interpreting the seminal ideas of Dr. Thurman as both mystic and prophet.  Smith's own masterful arrangement of chapters and themes brings us into the direct light of Thurman's most cherished concerns for freedom, community, and our inherent experience of the Divine Presence. Dr. William D. Apel, Professor of Religion and Department Head, Religious Studies, Linfield College; McMinnville, Oregon