Dr. Albert Mohler gives a positive review of Bill Cosby’s latest book, Come On People: On the Path from Victims to Victors
“In 1950, five out of every six black children were born into a two-parent home. Today, that number is less than two out of six. In poor communities, that number is lower still. There are whole blocks with scarcely a married couple, whole blocks without responsible males to watch out for wayward boys, whole neighborhoods in which little girls and boys come of age without seeing up close a committed partnership and perhaps never having attended a wedding.”
Mohler notes that “Christians will want to take many of the arguments beyond where Cosby and Poussaint leave them, but all will recognize the courage represented by this brave book.”
It is imperative that African-American men take responsibility for their academic, professional, and social future, and for the well-being of their families, moving beyond a culture of victim-hood so often promoted in the mainstream media. It is equally imperative that they move beyond the self-saturated image of independent, commitment-less, womanizing male animals promoted by an economically powerful rap music industry for commercial gain. Given the importance of these matters, I welcome this new book.
However, I need to add a caveat. I attended a Bill Cosby comedy performance about ten years ago. Having grown up enjoying The Cosby Show as a relatively clean, amusing 30-minute homework break, I was surprised and disappointed at the raunchy, sexually-oriented humor Cosby frequently employed. While his routine did not exhibit gratuitous profanity (like Eddie Murphy, for example), it effectively undermined many of the lessons this most recent book tries to communicate. Given Dr. Mohler’s commendation, I hope Mr. Cosby’s speaking engagements these days display greater wisdom and discernment.