Police killings of unarmed Black people have ignited a national and international response unlike any in decades. But differing from their civil rights-oriented predecessors, today’s activists do not think that the institutions and values of liberal democracy can eradicate structural racism. They draw instead on a Black radical tradition that, Terrence L. Johnson argues, derives its force from its unacknowledged ethical and religious dimensions. We Testify with Our Lives traces Black religion’s sustained influence from SNCC to the present, reconstructing a radical lived ethics of freedom and justice. Johnson demonstrates that Black Power fundamentally contests liberalism’s abstract understanding of democracy, calling instead for new embodied frameworks to achieve human flourishing and dignity. Black bodies represent the primary form of resistance against violent and oppressive regimes of white supremacy and exploitation, and the individual and collective struggles of Black life bear witness to the dogged determination to cultivate beauty, rage, and joy. Considering the writings of Audre Lorde, Toni Cade Bambara, Stokely Carmichael, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin, We Testify with Our Lives makes its case through a new narrative of the evolution of Black radicalism from the civil rights movement through the Movement for Black Lives. It forges new insights into Black Power’s vital contributions to debates on ethics, transnational politics, democracy, political solidarity, and freedom—and its potent resources for the ongoing struggle to build democratic possibilities for all.

LOS ANGELES TIMES AND ECPA BESTSELLER • Kerry and Chris Shook’s grandson Jude lived for only one day after he was born. That one day changed the way they live every day. Now they share their lessons of faith and hope. Jude Samuel Shook lived through only one sunset and one sunrise. Just one rotation of the planet . . . and he went home to be with God. Yet the way Jude unwrapped the divine gift of his one day changed the way his grandparents now live every day. A little boy who lived on this earth for just a handful of hard-fought hours caused Kerry and Chris to wonder, How many of our days make a breath of difference to those around us? Their personal journal of loss, longing, and love eventually became known as the Miracle Book, a record of the ways God showed up in the midst of this hard and unexpected heartbreak. From this book, Kerry and Chris have gleaned fourteen life-altering truths, such as: • When Tomorrow Is Too Much, Pray Just for Today, Lord • You Are Dependent on God for Every Breath • Hard Isn’t the Opposite of Good • Fear and Faith Can’t Occupy the Same Space • There Is a Hidden Gift in Every Hurt These lessons have forever changed the way the Shooks approach each new day. And no matter your current situation, they can do the same for you. Join Kerry and Chris Shook on the journey of making every day matter!

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1985, volume 2, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from January 6 through September 22, 1985. In early January Brother Lee returned to Anaheim, California, from Irving, Texas. He visited Irvine, California, on January 5 and then returned to Anaheim before traveling to Taipei, Taiwan, a few days later. He returned to Anaheim near the beginning of March and remained there until the beginning of April, at which time he went again to Taipei for about two months. At the beginning of June he returned to Anaheim and, except for a brief visit to Berkeley, California, at the end of August, he remained in Anaheim until the end of September. The contents of this volume are divided into seven sections, as follows: 1. Seven messages given in Anaheim, California, on January 6 through September 22. These messages are included in this volume under the title Various Lord's Day Meetings in Anaheim. 2. Eight messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on January 22 through 25. These messages were previously published in Chinese and English in a book entitled The Proper Aggressiveness of the Lord's Serving Ones. They are included in this volume under the same title. 3. Eight messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on January 28 through February 1. These messages were previously published in Chinese and English in a book entitled The Fullness of God. They are included in this volume under the same title. 4. Five messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on April 8 through 12. These messages were previously published in Chinese and English in a five-chapter standalone book entitled On Home Meetings. The contents of this book were taken primarily from outlines and handwritten notes. After the publication of this book in 1986, audio recordings were located that provided a fuller record of the content of Brother Lee's speaking. The edited transcripts of these recordings are included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1985, volume 1, as chapters 10 through 14 in the section entitled Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord's Recovery, Book 6: Everyone Functioning for the Increase of the Church. These updated chapters replace the contents in the previously published edition of On Home Meetings. Therefore, the chapters printed in The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1985, volume 1, are not printed in this volume. 5. Twenty messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on April 8 through May 3. These messages were previously published in Chinese and English in a book entitled The Vision, Living, and Work of the Lord's Serving Ones. They are included in this volume under the same title. 6. Fourteen messages given in Taipei and Taichung, Taiwan, and Anaheim, California, on April 16 through July 8. These messages were previously published in Chinese and English in a thirteen-chapter book entitled The Propagation of the Gospel and the Administration of the Church. They are included in this volume under the same title. 7. A message given in Taipei, Taiwan, on April 18. This message was translated from Chinese and is included in this volume under the title Fellowship with Elders and Co-workers in Taipei.

As we prepare each year to celebrate the Incarnation, the Advent season reminds us that we live in an interim period between the First and Second Comings of Jesus Christ. In this book of twelve riveting sermons on a variety of Advent themes (all based on texts from Cycle B of the Revised Common Lectionary), Michael Ruffin explores the challenges of Christian living in this time between the First and Second Advents -- particularly the tension between the modes of patience and action. Though we await Jesus' return with hopeful anticipation, Advent waiting is active waiting. Ruffin's messages invite readers to share in the richly rewarding life of faith, while providing abundant comfort and inspiration for those who endeavor to live as disciples of Jesus in the modern world. Preachers looking for an imaginative illustration or observation to stimulate their sermons will find ample material in this book. But this is much more than just a reference for ministers preparing to preach during Advent -- it's also an excellent resource for spiritual reflections reminding us that the good news in these days between the Advents is that Jesus Christ is Immanuel, God with us. Possessed by an abiding love for the Lord Christ, Michael Ruffin approaches a season that he loves with his scholarly skills of exegesis, his insight into contemporary life issues, his common sense, and his disarming humor, crafting a collection of sermons that will bless the reader, inspire the preacher, and remind us all of the renewal that Advent brings. James C. Elder Jr. Pastor, First Baptist Church Fitzgerald, Georgia Michael L. Ruffin is the pastor of The First Baptist Church in Fitzgerald, Georgia. He is a graduate of Mercer University (B.A.) and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div., Ph.D.).

Our Lives Matter uses the tenor of the 2014 national protests that emerged as a response to excessive police force against Black people to frame the book as following the discursive tradition of liberation theologies broadly speaking and womanist theology specifically. Using a womanist methodological approach, Pamela R. Lightsey helps readers explore the impact of oppression against Black LBTQ women while introducing them to the emergent intellectual movement known as queer theology. The author privileges their narratives and experiences as she reviews several doctrines and dogma of the Christian church. Theological reflection on contemporary debates such as same-sex marriage and ordination rights make this book a valuable resource to clergy, students of theology, LGBTQ persons and allies. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1993, volume 2, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from May 28 through December 17, 1993. During the first eight months of 1993 Brother Lee was in Anaheim, California. At the beginning of September he visited Seattle, Washington, for one week, after which he returned to Anaheim and remained there until the end of the year. The contents of this volume are divided into nine sections, as follows: 1. Seven messages given in Anaheim, California, on May 28 through 30. These messages were previously published, along with the speaking of forty-six brothers from throughout Southern California, in a book entitled 1993 Blending Conference Messages concerning the Lord's Recovery and Our Present Need and are included in this volume under the same title. Only the outlines of the conference and the portions spoken by Brother Lee are included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee. 2. A message given in Anaheim, California, on May 28. This message is included in this volume as chapter 1 of the previous section entitled 1993 Blending Conference Messages concerning the Lord's Recovery and Our Present Need. Portions of this message were combined with other various writings by Brother Lee concerning the Triune God, and the compilation was previously published in a book entitled The Crucial Points of the Major Items of the Lord's Recovery Today. The contents of this book are included in this volume under the same title. 3. A message given in Anaheim, California, on July 3. This message was divided into two chapters and is included in this volume under the title Remaining in Life and Keeping the One Accord. 4. Four messages given in Anaheim, California, on August 13 through 15. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Problems Causing the Turmoils in the Church Life and are included in this volume under the same title. 5. Fifteen messages given in Anaheim, California, on August 28 through December 17. These messages were previously published in a fourteen-chapter book entitled The Spirit with Our Spirit and are included in this volume under the same title. 6. Fourteen messages given in Anaheim, California, on September 1 through December 15. These messages were previously published in a thirteen-chapter book entitled The Training and the Practice of the Vital Groups and are included in this volume under the same title. 7. Six messages given in Seattle, Washington, on September 3 through 6. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Organic Union in God's Relationship with Man and are included in this volume under the same title. 8. A message given in Seattle, Washington, on September 6. This message is included in this volume under the title Knowing and Experiencing the Organic Union in God's Relationship with Man. 9. Six messages given in Anaheim, California, on November 25 through 28. These messages were previously published in a seven-chapter book entitled The Issue of the Dispensing of the Processed Trinity and the Transmitting of the Transcending Christ and are included in this volume under the same title.