Judson Press title sounds clarion call to preach economic justice

VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 5/15/18)—The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, but it is plagued by economic inequality—which too often affects people of African descent. In “Reconciliation & Reparation: Preaching Economic Justice,” author Joseph Evans issues a clarion call to church leaders to disturb the status quo through a species of biblical preaching that envisions economic justice as the ethical imperative for the 21st century.

Evans speaks out of the prophetic tradition of W.E.B. DuBois—redefining racial reconciliation as economic reparation, a rebalancing of the scales of justice toward the interests of those whom society would marginalize.

“I highly recommend ‘Reconciliation and Reparation’ because the church must be the reconciling community, taking the initiative in bringing persons and nations everywhere to the table to talk to each other about the issues of justice,” says J. Alfred Smith Sr., pastor emeritus, Allen Temple Baptist Church, Oakland, Calif., and professor emeritus, American Baptist Seminary of the West, Berkeley, Calif.

Adds Curtiss Paul DeYoung, CEO, Minnesota Council of Churches: “This most pivotal, timely and brilliant book announces an evolution in how reconciliation must be understood, preached and practiced. This is a must-read for preachers, seminarians and all faith leaders because the United States and the world desperately need a generation that proclaims and embodies the healing power of reconciliation and reparations.”

Grounded in solid scholarship, this book arms preachers and seminarians with fresh insight to deliver socially relevant and prophetically compelling messages about this critical issue facing us today.

Evans is dean of the Morehouse School of Religion and member of the homiletics faculty at the Interdenominational Theological Center, both Atlanta. He is author of “Lifting the Veil Over Eurocentrism: The Du Boisian Hermeneutic of Double Consciousness” (Africa World Press, 2014).

Gardner Taylor once described Evans as one of the “brilliant preachers of his generation.” Wyatt Tee Walker said, “He is a master craftsman…extremely adept in his understanding of how to prepare and deliver the prophetic sermon.”

Founded in 1824, Judson Press is a publishing ministry of American Baptist Home Mission Societies, American Baptist Churches USA. It is committed to producing Christ-centered leadership resources for the transformation of individuals, congregations, communities and cultures.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.

 American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.