Black Battle, White Knight

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Michael Battle. Black Battle, White Knight

Acknowledgments

INTRODUCTION. Horse with No Name

Biography cum Autobiography

A Complex Self

Why Apocalyptic Four Horsemen?

CHAPTER ONE. Running with the Horses

White Horse

Red Horse

Black Horse

Pale Green Horse

CHAPTER TWO. The White Horse. of Pestilence

The Pestilence of Playboy

The Pestilence of Gay Identity

The Pestilence of Celebrity

The White Horse

CHAPTER THREE. The Red Horse of War

A War against Self and the Other

Burning Cross

Malcolm and Paul Moore

The Red Knight of War

CHAPTER FOUR. The Black Horse of Famine

The Church and Diversity

The Church and Institutionalism

My Need for Malcolm

Malcolm’s Advice

Becoming a Priest

Angst and Religion

Black Horse

CHAPTER FIVE. The Pale Green Horse of Death

Cheating Death

Flirting with Death

The Freedom Ride

Writing and Death

Adiaphora

Mark Thompson

Needed Deaths

Death of the Civil Rights Era

Wisdom Approaching Death

The Pale Green Rider of Death

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Black Battle,

White Knight

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Malcolm’s style of spiritual direction was indeed that of being—being present to the seeker of God. There was no pretense of technique or getting the words exactly right. As I asked my own narcissistic questions about prayer, God, justice, bad religion, and much more in front of Malcolm, narratives and wisdom flowed from Malcolm’s life experience. It was impossible to be self-absorbed while hearing Malcolm’s staccato laugh or to despair while listening to him read one of his provocative poems. After a year of being in spiritual direction had almost passed, I experienced an epiphany. “Malcolm, you need a biography,” I said. We both pondered the thought. A few days later Malcolm writes the following letter:

Dear Michael: Pursuant to our conversation re: a book you might write, I have some thoughts. I don’t “want” or “need” a biography, which seems pretentious and premature. Nobody (including myself) cares about all the intricate details of my life!

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