Preaching as Resistance: Voices of Hope, Justice, and Solidarity

edited by Phil Snider Book Preview 30 new sermons to empower your prophetic voice for solidarity and justice. As nationalism, patriarchy, and alt-right fear-mongering threaten our troubled nation, the pulpit has again become a subversive space of sacred resistance. In this provocative and powerful collection of sermons from diverse pastors across America, hear the brave and urgent voice of Christians calling for radical change rooted in love, solidarity, and justice. Preaching as Resistance resists, confronts, and troubles the dangerous structures of authoritarianism and oppression crashing in from all sides – and proclaims the transformation, possibility, and hope stirring in the gospel of Christ.  BOOK EXTRA: FREE 10 Unfortunate Myths about Preaching Resistance flyer! ”Why We’re Publishing Preaching as Resistance” by Chalice Press President Brad Lyons As nationalism, patriarchy, and alt-right fear-mongering threaten our troubled nation, the pulpit has again become a subversive space of sacred resistance. In this provocative and powerful collection of sermons from diverse pastors across America, hear the brave and urgent voice of Christians calling for radical change rooted in love, solidarity, and justice. Preaching as Resistance resists, confronts, and troubles the dangerous structures of authoritarianism and oppression crashing in from all sides – and proclaims the transformation, possibility, and hope stirring in the gospel of Christ.  From big-steeple churches in big cities to rural congregations in red states, preaching as resistance is practiced in a wide variety of social contexts and preaching styles, inspiring and equipping listeners to respond to the call of justice. Ideal for pastors and church leaders, Preaching as Resistance also provides the opportunity to experience hopeful, welcoming Christian voices rooted in the gospel values of love, solidarity, and justice. In these challenging times when Christianity is so often misrepresented, misunderstood, and misused for unjust agendas, take heart and find your own voice in this collection of resistance sermons from everyday pastors across the country.  Contributors: Emily Bowen-Marler Amy Butler Jeff Chu Aric Clark Wil Gafney Sarah Trone Garriott Richard Gehring Molly Housh Gordon Cassandra Gould Robyn Henderson-Espinoza Anna Holloway Jesse Jackson Sandhya Jha Jin S. Kim Kenji Kuramitsu José F. Morales Gary Peluso-Verdend Alton B. Pollard III Micki Pulleyking Susan Russell Leah D. Schade Darryl Schafer Austin Crenshaw Shelley David Swinton Laura Jean Truman Richard Voelz Alexis James Waggoner Lori Walke Michael W. Waters Erin Wathen Layton E. Williams Brian Zahnd EPUB and EPDF versions available in October from your preferred e-book vendor. Endorsements "New and Noteworthy: December 2018," Sojourners magazine "While these sermons vary in hermeneutics, exegesis, homiletics, theology, and social location, they consistently demonstrate an apt word for politically tense situations.The sermons exemplify being proactive rather than reactive. Reactive sermons will not be able to keep up with the constant barrage of accessible bad news. Yet through an ongoing diet of catechetical preaching that undergirds resistance to the powers, preachers will shape the practical wisdom and communal discernment of the congregation. Whether or not you embrace the politics and theological commitments of the preachers, the collection can serve as case studies of hermeneutics in practice and concretizations that promote action. I recommend Preaching As Resistance for its models of apt words, but also as an encouragement to preachers who need both the reassurance and permission to speak in a way that promotes hope, unity, peace, and solidarity." ―Homiletic: The Journal of the Academy of Homiletics Vol. 44, No. 1 (2019) “Read, rise up, and resist!”―Carol Howard Merritt “This is exactly the book that preachers need at this critical moment in our history."― Derek Penwell “Our churches are dying because our preachings focus on proclaiming correct doctrines and dogmas. Phil Snider has assembled a talented array of ministers committed to instead preach praxis - acts of resistance to transform the church into a community which does good news rather than simply provide lip service.”―Miguel A. De La Torre, Iliff University, author of Liberating Sexuality and co-author of The US Handbook of Latina/Latino Theologies “Preaching as Resistance is more than a tool for pastors and a beacon of hope for activists and laypeople. It is more than a crystalized moment in time that tells the story of faithful responses to the white supremacist rally in Charlotte; the Pulse shooting; the #MeToo movement. It is about more than how to speak words themselves—it is about how we might speak, and then turn those words into action. More than anything else Preaching as Resistance is a brick in the foundation of justice we must build and maintain in each and every church community.”―Austen Hartke, author of Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians "America is in a political crisis with many non-privileged peoples (and indeed the planet itself) at serious risk to economic, psychological, social, and physical harm. Preachers who refuse to be silent in the face of such threats will find in the sermons in Preaching as Resistance models that would make Reinhold Niebuhr proud for the way that 'comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.'” ―O. Wesley Allen, Jr., Perkins School of Theology, author of Preaching in the Era of Trump "Can preaching really change the world? Bringing together preachers and teachers who are activists and organizers—a compelling combination also found in the ministry of Jesus—this volume embodies some of the deep transformations that we need in these trying times."― Joerg Rieger, Vanderbilt University, co-author of Unified We Are a Force "To read Preaching As Resistance is to be taught by a diverse group of saints, prophets, preachers, teachers, friends. If you are already part of a community of faithful resistance, this book will strengthen you for the work ahead. If you have found such community hard to come by, this book will remind you that you are not alone, but surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Either way, it is not just a book; it is balm. Read it and be encouraged."―Sarah Morice Brubaker, Phillips Theological Seminary