Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith
| AUTHOR | Harper, Lisa Sharon; Cannon, Mae Elise; Jackson, Troy |
| PUBLISHER | Zondervan (09/23/2014) |
| PRODUCT TYPE | Paperback (Paperback) |
Many people have become angry and frustrated with organized religion and evangelical Christianity, in particular. Too often the church has proven to be a source of pain rather than a place of hope. Forgive Us acknowledges the legitimacy of much of the anger toward the church. In truth, Christianity in America has significant brokenness in its history that demands recognition and repentance. Only by this path can the church move forward with its message of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.
Forgive Us is thus a call to confession. From Psalm 51 to the teachings of Jesus to the prayers of Nehemiah, confession is the proper biblical response when God's people have injured others and turned their backs on God's ways. In the book of Nehemiah, the author confesses not only his own sins, but also the sins of his ancestors. The history of the American church demands a Nehemiah-style confession both for our deeds and the deeds of those who came before us.
In each chapter of Forgive Us two pastors who are also academically trained historians provide accurate and compelling histories of some of the American church's greatest shortcomings. Theologian Soong-Chan Rah and justice leader Lisa Sharon Harper then share theological reflections along with appropriate words of confession and repentance.
Passionate and purposeful, Forgive Us will challenge evangelical readers and issue a heart-felt request to the surrounding culture for forgiveness and a new beginning.
Many people have become angry and frustrated with organized religion and evangelical Christianity, in particular. Too often the church has proven to be a source of pain rather than a place of hope. Forgive Us acknowledges the legitimacy of much of the anger toward the church. In truth, Christianity in America has significant brokenness in its history that demands recognition and repentance. Only by this path can the church move forward with its message of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.
Forgive Us is thus a call to confession. From Psalm 51 to the teachings of Jesus to the prayers of Nehemiah, confession is the proper biblical response when God's people have injured others and turned their backs on God's ways. In the book of Nehemiah, the author confesses not only his own sins, but also the sins of his ancestors. The history of the American church demands a Nehemiah-style confession both for our deeds and the deeds of those who came before us.
In each chapter of Forgive Us two pastors who are also academically trained historians provide accurate and compelling histories of some of the American church's greatest shortcomings. Theologian Soong-Chan Rah and justice leader Lisa Sharon Harper then share theological reflections along with appropriate words of confession and repentance.
Passionate and purposeful, Forgive Us will challenge evangelical readers and issue a heart-felt request to the surrounding culture for forgiveness and a new beginning.
She has written extensively on tax reform, comprehensive immigration reform, health-care reform, poverty, racial justice, and transformational civic engagement for publications and blogs including "The National Civic Review", "God s Politics" blog, "The Huffington Post", "Urban Faith", "Prism", and "Slant33".
Harper co-founded and co-directed "Envision 2008: The Gospel, Politics, and the Future", a conference on the campus of Princeton University, and later co-chaired "Envision 2011: Caring for the Community of Creation: Environmental Justice, Climate Change, and Prophetic Witness", a symposium in New York City. She was the recipient of Sojourners inaugural Organizers Award and the Harlem Sisters of Wisdom Award. She was celebrated on Rick Warren s website purposedriven.com as one of the inaugural Take Action Heroes, and was recently named fifth among the 13 Religious Women to Watch in 2012 by the Center for American Progress.
She earned her master s in human rights from Columbia University in New York City, currently serves on the board of directors of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good and is a member of Metro Hope Church in New York City, an Evangelical Covenant Church.