11 Books for Preachers in the Purple Zone

You’re a preacher and you know you need to address the assault against humanity and our planet that is being perpetrated by the Trump administration.  But some things are holding you back. Maybe you don’t feel informed enough about certain issues.  Maybe you don’t feel you received enough training in seminary for how to preach a prophetic sermon.  Maybe you’re afraid of the push-back from members of your congregation if you tackle topics that seem too “political.”  Or maybe you just need a shot of homiletical chutzpah.

 

If you’re reading this, consider yourself part of the new Prophetic Preacher of the Month Club. Below are my recommendations for the coming year.  This is an arbitrary list, I know.  And there are many more that could (and should) be included.  But this is a start.  If you read just one book a month, you will increase your effectiveness as a preacher and be doing a great service for those in your congregation who are looking for a sermon that addresses the issues that matter to them, to our communities, to our Earth, and to “the least of these.”

RIGHT NOW

 

Preaching in the Era of Trump; O. Wesley Allen (Chalice Press, 2017)

Preaching in the Era of Trump is like a much needed urgent-care facility for preachers reeling from the election and its aftermath.  Wes Allen offers not only an accurate diagnosis for how our country and the church has found itself in this place of crisis, but prescribes effective strategies for preachers to address the fear, turmoil, prejudices, hatred, and divisiveness of this time, as well as the need for proclaiming prophetic justice.  While never mincing words about the staggering array of evil now before us, Allen also reminds us in this must-have book that the preacher’s task is to address the humanity of our congregations, even while casting out the demonic forces that hold us in thrall.

MARCH

Preaching Fools: The Gospel as a Rhetoric of Folly; Charles L. Campbell and Johann H. Cilliers (Baylor University Press, 2012)

You’ll be reading this book in preparation for Sunday, April 2, the day after April Fool’s.  There will be many times when you feel like an utter fool in the pulpit against the powers of evil-on-steroids that have strengthened with this president. Campbell and Cilliers’ book will not only help you rethink and reframe the homiletical task, it will equip you with stories, images and metaphors for helping your congregation celebrate their role as “fools for Christ,” proclaiming the message of the cross that tells the truth and calls the gospel-reality into existence.

APRIL

Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit; Leah D. Schade (Chalice Press, 2015)

Shameless self-plug here, I know.  But Trump has appointed some of the most heinous climate-denying, anti-environmental, anti-public-health people ever for the positions of leadership in the White House. So preachers need to keep Creation-care front and center for their congregations.  Especially as the world celebrates Earth Day, we need sermons that will prophetically and creatively engage this reality in the face of the climate-change denial exhibited by the incoming administration.  This book will provide theological and scriptural background for greening your preaching, as well as practical tips for becoming an “ecopreacher.”

MAY

Telling the Truth:  PreachingAbout Sexual and Domestic Violence; Edited by John S. McClure and Nancy J. Ramsay (United Church Press, 1998)

With Mother’s Day this month, the focus is on women.  The onslaught against women’s access to reproductive health and their right to choose how to make decisions about the most intimate parts of their bodies is exacerbated by a misogynist president who bragged about sexual assault.  Nearly every congregation in this country has victims, survivors, or perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence in its pews.  This is the book I recommend for preacher who need sage guidance about how to address these issues as a pastor and a preacher.  The collection of 15 essays covers theological and biblical perspectives, provides resources for telling the truth about sexual and domestic violence, gives practical how-to’s for preaching, and includes model sermons.

JUNE

Preaching Justice: Ethnic and Cultural Perspectives; Edited by Christine Smith (Wipf and Stock, 1998)

This is an ideal time to familiarize yourself with the standpoints of “the other.”  Whether you are a white preacher looking for an essay from an African American woman’s perspective (provided by Teresa Fry Brown), or an African American preacher wondering how Korean Americans fare in this country (explained by Eunjoo Mary Kim), or a Latina/o preacher wanting to help your congregation understand the Jewish perspective on justice (shared by Stacy Offner), these and five other essays will expand your preaching horizons.

JULY

Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Ecological-EconomicVocation; Cynthia D. Moe-Lobeda (Augsburg Fortress, 2013)

The summer is a good time for a sermon series on the ways in which systemic evil attacks “the least of these.”  While Moe-Lobeda’s book is not aimed at preachers per se, her approach to the complexity of interrelated structures of evil is very helpful for sermons because she provides case studies that give us glimpses into the lives of real people affected by the decisions we make every day.  The first half of the book will give you incredible insights into the economic and ideological patterns that gave rise to Trumpism in the first place, while the second half of the book provides concrete approaches to galvanizing yourself and your community for resistance.

AUGUST

Under the Oak Tree: The Church as a Community of Conversation in a Conflicted and Pluralistic World; Edited by Ronald J. Allen, John S. McClure and O. Wesley Allen Jr. (Cascade Books, 2013)

You’ll be reading this book in preparation for leading a series of conversations in your congregation about some of the “wicked” (i.e. complex) problems our country is facing.  The task of preaching about difficult social justice issues is helped when we have cultivated a culture of dialogue in our congregations.  Under the Oak Tree contains eleven essays to help you think through the concept of conversational practical theology and how to view the tasks of ministry (including preaching, worship, evangelism and interfaith relations) through this lens of conversation.

SEPTEMBER

Prophetic Preaching: A Pastoral Approach; Leonora Tubbs Tisdale (Westminster John Knox Press, 2010)

With the “community of conversation” as your frame of reference, you’ll read Tisdale’s book to give you that infusion of courage for addressing social issues in the pulpit in tandem with the dialogue series you’ll be leading this month.  The author suggests a myriad of reasons why pastors resist preaching about justice issues and offers practical suggestions for ways to be both pastoral and prophetic in their preaching.  This book offers specific strategies to break through resistance as well as a variety of forms to help spark your prophetic imagination.

OCTOBER

Preaching as Weeping, Confession and Resistance: Radical Responses to Radical Evil; Christine M. Smith (Westminster/John Knox, 1992)

The month of October brings out the ghosts and goblins as our culture celebrates Halloween.  Consider a sermon series entitled “Something Wicked This Way Comes” and address the true demons loosed on our society.  Christine Smith’s book gives you the theological and biblical tools to address handicappism, ageism, sexism, heterosexism, white racism and classism.  The last chapter provides some model sermons to prime your preaching pump.

NOVEMBER

Preaching Politics: Proclaiming Jesus in an Age of Money, Power, and Partisanship; Clay Stauffer (Chalice Press, 2015).

November is usually the month when churches launch their stewardship campaigns.  This year as we contend with a president who wouldn’t even be forthcoming about his tax returns or divest himself from his companies, help your congregation understand why Jesus’ teachings speak a necessary ethical corrective.  Stauffer provides a guide for understanding the need and biblical justification for preaching about the politically contentious issues of money, greed, and power within a capitalist society.   With sound exegesis of key teachings of Jesus on money and faith, as well as robust theological engagement with Stanley Hauerwas and Adam Hamilton, this book is useful for both preaching and leading Bible studies.  Stauffer encourages, equips and emboldens preachers to tackle these issues from the study and the pulpit with renewed confidence.

DECEMBER

Living Beyond the “End of the World”: A Spirituality of Hope; Margaret Swedish (Orbis Books, 2008)

If you follow the Revised Common Lectionary, the Advent readings contain the apocalyptic texts of Jesus.  The Bible does not shy away from naming the upheaval in our world, and neither does Swedish.  Yet she challenges us to articulate what kind of human beings we will be as we approach this difficult period in human history, and how we will live into that.  With solid biblical exegesis (especially her treatment of the “loaves and fishes”) your preaching will benefit from the way she clearly presents the values, vision, and spiritual resources that can nurture a new human community even when the evidence points to the world falling apart.
The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary; Lexington, Ky. Contact her at  lschade@lextheo.edu.  And visit The Purple Zone website to learn more.

Clergy Trend-Watch: Top 7 Justice Issues Preachers will be Addressing in the Next 6 Months

Economic issues top list, with racial and ethnic tensions coming in second

March 11, 2017

If you are a Mainline Protestant preacher in the United States, chances are you will be addressing economic issues such as poverty, consumerism, debt or homelessness within the next 6 months.  This is according to a survey of over 1200 clergy conducted by The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade, Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, Ky.  Over half (56.92%) of clergy reported that economic issues would be among the top five topics they intend to address from the pulpit over the next 6 months.  Racial and/or ethnic issues came in second, with 49.28% of pastors saying they plan to speak about this topic in their preaching.

The survey “Preaching about Controversial Issues” is one of the largest surveys on preaching and sermon content ever conducted in the United States.  As part of Schade’s research into how preachers are approaching their sermons during this divisive time in our nation’s history, she designed and conducted a 60-question online survey directed to Mainline Protestant clergy serving congregations in the United States.  The survey ran for six weeks, from mid-January to the end of February.  One of the questions listed 19 choices of topics and asked respondents to pick the top five they intend to preach about in the next 6 months (see charts below for full list).

Here are the Top 7 topics Mainline Protestant preachers intend to address in their sermons in the next 6 months:

Economic issues (poverty, consumerism, debt, homelessness)	56.9%
Racial and/or ethnic issues	49.3%
Immigration/Refugees/Migrant workers	43.7%
Food insecurity/hunger	34.2%
Ethnic and/or religious discrimination issues (anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Native American issues, etc.)	33.9%
Equal rights (for women, LGBTQI, racial, religious, etc.)	32.8%
Interfaith relations	26.7%

How does this ranking compare to what preachers chose to address before the 2016 presidential election?

Schade also asked preachers to indicate topics they had mentioned in sermon in the previous 12 months, drawing from a list of 38 issues.  When grouped according to categories, “Economic Issues” and “Racial and/or Ethnic Issues” were also ranked #1 and #2 respectively.  But the issue of “Immigration/refugees/migrant workers” rose to #3 compared to its previous position, while “Food insecurity and hunger” moved down to #4.   “Ethnic and/or religious discrimination issues” rose in importance for pastors to address in the coming six months, while “Equal rights” and “Interfaith relations” remained about the same.

“In many ways it’s not surprising that preachers continue to rank economic issues as their foremost concern,” said Schade, noting that the Gospels mention the subject of money more than any other topic.  “Jesus talked a great deal about how to handle money and possessions. As we’re grappling with the widening gap between the haves and have-nots in this country, it makes sense that preachers are addressing justice issues that have to do with the fair distribution of resources, housing, and the ongoing issue of exploitation of those with limited access to funds,” Schade observed.

She also pointed out that many of the issues listed in the survey intersect and overlap with each other.  “For example, systemic and institutional racism contributes to poverty and hunger among people of color. And climate change impacts the refugee crisis, which is also complexified by Islamophobia and xenophobia,” Schade observed.

What topics scored lowest?

Schade also noted the topics that preachers ranked lowest on their list of priorities to address in the coming six months.  “Disabilities,” “Human trafficking,” “Terrorism,” “War,” and “Criminal justice reform” all ranked below 10% among topics preachers intend to address in their upcoming sermons.  “Ministers have to prioritize, and it’s interesting to see the issues that have moved lower as others come to the forefront in relation to executive orders and policies of the Trump administration,” said Schade.

One of topic that took a notable hit is attention to mental health issues, Schade observed.  “Mental illness was among the top ten in issues addressed in the last 12 months, but now only 17% of pastors plan to address the topic in their sermons over the next six months.  Mental health is related to so many other issues such as addictions, suicide, and domestic violence.  But it’s just not seen as a priority when compared to so many other issues that need urgent attention.”

She also noted one topic that rose in importance for preachers to address:  environmental issues.  “Things like species extinction, pollution, and environmental racism ranked at the bottom of the list of things pastors addressed in the last 12 months – less than ten percent in most cases,” Schade said. “But environmental issues saw a slight bump up to 17%.  This may be due, in part, to the realization that the Trump administration is undermining all aspects of environmental protection, from gutting the EPA, to reversing key environmental regulations, to dismissing the reality and dangers of climate change,” Schade suggested.

Attention to Bible and lectionary readings are key

Schade stressed that many respondents took care to note that their sermon subjects are not necessarily driven by current events, but by the lectionary readings assigned for the day.  “Many preachers follow the Revised Common Lectionary and will only preach about a specific topic if it is applicable to the biblical text,” Schade noted.  For example, one respondent wrote:

My preaching does not address specific issues. I talk a lot about the Biblical importance of justice and care of the poor, stressing human dignity and our responsibility to be good stewards of all that God entrusts to us. I try to give people tools to do their own assessment of the issues that they are concerned about.

Other respondents noted that they do not decide what they will preach about until that week, but will often mention current issues as they pertain to the biblical text.

Ultimately, preachers keep their focus on the scriptures, Schade concluded.  As one respondent said, “The top topic I intend to preach on is the gospel reading of the day. If it leads me to preach on any of these [issues] (and often it does), I will go there.”

For more information, contact:

The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade, Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship

Lexington Theological Seminary; Lexington, Ky.

lschade@lextheo.edu; Cell:  610-420-6861

And visit her website, https://www.thepurplezone.net/ for more information.

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Question:  Pick the TOP FIVE of the following topics that you INTEND to address or incorporate into your preaching WITHIN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS.*

 

* The margin of error for the survey is +/- 3.2 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence. In addition to sampling error, survey may also be subject to error or bias due to question wording, context and order effects.  Survey was designed and conducted using SurveyMonkey.com.

Why the Ten Commandments Authorize Prophetic Preaching

A Sermon on the Ten Commandments in Luther’s Catechism

The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade

I just finished collecting the results of a research questionnaire asking pastors how – and even if – they are approaching controversial justice issues in the pulpit.  I had over 1200 respondents, and I’ve been reading through some of the comments.  A few of pastors state unequivocally that the church should never address any issues that have to do with the public interest, and especially not preachers in the pulpit.  I’ve heard similar comments from parishioners who strongly believe that our churches should only focus on spiritual things like forgiveness, and being a good person, and having a strong faith.  So there is a question about whether the Bible and the church are for individual morality, or whether they also have something to say about issues being debated in the public square – what some might call “politics.” 

A sermon on the Ten Commandments as explained in the Lutheran Catechism has to ask that question as well, because it was one that Martin Luther himself addressed.  Are the Commandments meant to be applied just at the personal and interpersonal level, or do they have wider application and ramifications for government, businesses, institutions, and society at large? In order to answer that question, we have to look at two things: 1) the context out of which the Commandments were given, and 2) the way in which Luther answered the question.

But first, let me start with a little story, and I want you to see how many commandments are referenced in the story. (Let’s go over them – Honor God; don’t take God’s name in vain; honor the Sabbath; honor your parents; don’t murder; don’t steal; don’t commit adultery; don’t bear false witness; don’t covet).  Here’s the story:

Imagine a husband and wife decide to adopt a little boy.  They welcome him into their home, provide him with a room, clothes, food, and the basics for all he needs.  But, sadly, the father dies, and the wife marries a different man.  One day the boy’s new father offers to play a board game with him.  As they’re playing, the little boy notices that his new father is secretly switching cards in order to win the game.  What do you think the little boy says?  That’s not fair!  You’re cheating!

And the father says:  “Don’t you ever talk to me that way again!  God made me the father.  I make the rules. And by god, you will do as I say.  And you will be silent and you will be obedient.  You’re here at my pleasure, and if you cross me, you will regret the day.”

The little boy is stunned.  And that day marks a change in the house.  The boy is made to do all the housework while his parents order him around to the point where he feels like a slave.  He is fed only bread and water while they dine on opulent food.  Once when he looks longingly at their food and reaches out to get a little for himself because he is so hungry, he is beaten and then locked in a closet because his parents say that he has stolen from them.  They call him awful names and constantly accuse him of lying.  But what hurts the most is that they will not allow him to go to church anymore, which he used to do before he was adopted.  And they threaten him that if he ever tells anyone about what goes on inside the house, or if he tries to escape, they will torture and kill him. 

So how many of the commandments did you hear referenced in that little story?  All but one – there’s no adultery in this story.  There was bearing false witness, taking God’s name in vain, idolatry, stealing, breaking the Sabbath, the question of honoring parents, coveting, and the threat of murder.  But it was the parents breaking the commandments, wasn’t it?

Now imagine if we transposed the elements of this story to a national level.  Because this is what happened to the people of Israel.  Remember at the end of Genesis the Israelites were, in a sense, adopted by the nation of Egypt.  Because of the famine in their land, they sought refuge and relief in another place (like the boy in the story) and Joseph was able to secure his family and tribe in Pharaoh’s land. At first they were welcomed and were provided land, food and all the basics they needed.

But after that Pharaoh died, a new one who was a tyrant eventually came to power, and things changed.  He enslaved the Israelites, forcing them into hard labor making the pyramids and serving the Egyptians’ every need.  So they not only stole the Israelite’s freedom, they stole the people’s labor.  If ever the Israelites tried to get what they needed to survive (like that little boy), they were accused of stealing and severely punished or incarcerated for breaking the rules.  The Israelites were denigrated by the Egyptians – called terrible names and made to feel like nothing more than work animals, so in fact their own humanity was stolen from them.

But what hurt the most was that they were not allowed even a day’s rest and time to worship God.  Pharaoh was god, and they were to worship and serve only him. So any attempt to speak out against the Pharaoh or the system that had enslaved them resulted in their being tortured and killed.  In fact, Pharaoh even ordered the state-sanctioned murder of their baby boys in order to instill fear, and to remove the possible threat of young men rising up against him.

It was because of this national system of oppression and violence that God sent Moses to liberate the people of Israel.  And after the plagues, after the dramatic escape through the Sea of Reeds, they finally arrive at God’s holy mountain where Moses is given the Ten Commandments.  It was upon this set of guiding principles and expectations that the newly freed Israelites founded their new identity as God’s people.

Now when we read the Ten Commandments today, most people only think of them as a set of rules for the conduct between individuals.  But these commandments were a direct result of a nation and its leaders exploiting people, stealing their freedom, stealing their labor, punishing anyone who dared speak out against them, and demanding obedience as if the ruler himself were God. Pharaoh and the Egyptians squelched any effort of the people to practice their faith, and committed genocide against the people by murdering their children.

So God is very clear that the Hebrew people freed from slavery are to build their nation on rules and expectations that everyone must abide by – including and especially the ones who are charged with leadership, the ones who are charged with the care and education of children, and anyone who has authority and power, whether it’s a parent, or a tribal leader.

Luther explains this in his Large Catechism when he discusses the Fourth Commandment to honor your father and mother.  For Luther, this commandment is not limited to parents by blood, but extends to all who have responsibility for the care and governance of others.  This includes teachers, employers, and government leaders.  Luther is clear that we are to show honor, be obedient, and respect those who have charge over us.  But here’s the thing – Luther also says that this commandment carries equal expectations for those in power.  He says:

In addition, it would also be well to preach to parents [and, by extension, those who have the role of leader]* on the nature of their responsibility, how they should treat those whom they have been appointed to rule. . . For God does not want scoundrels or tyrants in this office of authority . . . They should keep in mind that they owe obedience to God, and that, above all, they should earnestly and faithfully discharge the duties of their office, not only to provide for the material support of their children, servants, subjects, etc., but especially to bring them up to the praise and honor of God.  Therefore do not imagine that the parental office [or the senatorial office, or the CEO office, or even the presidential office]* is a matter of your pleasure and whim.  It is a strict commandment and injunction of God, who holds you accountable for it. (LC, 409). [Sections in brackets are this author’s.]

But then Luther goes on to say, “the real trouble is that no one perceives or pays attention to this.  Everyone acts as if God gave us children for our pleasure and amusement, gave us servants merely to put them to work like cows or donkeys, and gave us subjects to treat as we please, as if it were no concern of ours what they learn or how they live.  No one is willing to see that this is the command of the divine Majesty, who will solemnly call us to account and punish us for its neglect,” (LC 409 – 410).

This was exactly the case for those with power and authority in Israel who did not always carry out their duties in accordance with these commandments.  And so God sent prophets from time to time to point out where there were discrepancies between the actions of the leaders and the commandments of God.

Always the prophets spoke on behalf of those most vulnerable – widows and children, the poor, the foreigner, the resident alien, and those with no power in a system that was becoming just like the oppressive nation of Egypt that had enslaved all of them generations ago.

Of course the leaders hated when the prophets spoke. Read about Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Micah.  Read about John the Baptist and Jesus in the Gospels.   They were all told by the leaders, and even by their fellow citizens, to sit down and keep their mouths shut.  But no matter how they were pressured or threatened, and no matter how much they suffered, they would not back down from critiquing the leaders, and the systems of government, and the religious hierarchies, and any aspect of society that was exploiting the vulnerable.  They never backed down from holding them accountable to God’s commands.

This year we mark the 500^th anniversary of another prophet’s work – a young upstart monk named Martin Luther who saw the truth about how the religious leaders, in cahoots with the government, were breaking God’s commandments left and right and putting incredible burdens on people, while they sinned and abused their power with impunity.  And so Luther, like the prophets of God who came before him, took a very strong and very public stand.

Just writing the Catechism was a radical act for its day.  Most of us were taught to think about the Catechism as a morality document.  How many of you went to Catechism classes, or sent your kids to Confirmation classes?  You probably thought that you were sending them to learn the basics of the faith and to instill in them moral values to make them good people.  And that is certainly part of what Luther intended.

But there is a revolutionary aspect to the Catechism that people often forget or want to gloss over.  You see, educating people about what God expects not only for them, but for their religious and secular leaders – this is a form of resistance to tyranny.  Because an educated population is a population that is not so easily controlled.  That’s why they tried so hard to shut Luther up with court trials and excommunication.  They were worried that pretty soon not just this one monk, but everyone will start rising up against tyranny.  And, indeed, that’s what happened.

In today’s churches, many people still feel uncomfortable when they hear a prophetic sermon.  Some people insist it’s not appropriate to talk about public issues in the pulpit.  But the prophets and Luther would tell us this – for the person who is living with oppression, for the person who is being targeted and exploited by those who are abusing their power, for the Israelites, for the poor, for the foreigner, for that little boy in that house with the abusive father – they are praying for someone to speak out on their behalf.  What is law for some is absolute gospel for another who is longing for a representative of God to see them, recognize their pain, and call to account those who are holding them captive, and then working to set them free.

You see, Luther saw the commandments as “God’s word for diagnosis, God’s X-ray, to show us our sin, our sickness,” (Schroeder, 41).  If you go to the doctor for a check-up, and the doctor announces that something is wrong, you could get mad at the doctor.  You could even seek out a second opinion.  But wouldn’t you want to know the truth so that you could take the steps to address the problem?

I would caution that we not try to domesticate the Ten Commandments.  If pastors and their parishioners refuse to apply the commandments to the justice issues of their day, if clergy are expected to never engage or critique those in power, then they become nothing more than “chaplains of empire,” instead of being ministers of God’s prophetic gospel.

A few days ago, a friend of mine sent me a picture of a group of men in Germany – the land of Luther – standing at attention saluting with the sieg heil.  And they were all wearing pastor’s robes and clergy collars.   And it made me ask myself – will I be a chaplain of empire or a preacher of the gospel?

Because, you see, within the law of the commandments is actually the gospel – the good news of new life that is possible when we address what is wrong – both within ourselves and within our society – and take steps to change it.  The Ten Commandments are given to us because of God’s Divine love and care for everyone.  They exist to protect relationships: relationships between parents and children, between family members, between friends, between citizens and their elected leaders, between CEOs and their employees, between human beings and the very planet itself.

God cares enough about us to care about our relationships. And that’s why we have the Commandments.  Thanks be to God!  That is good news indeed!

Leah Schade is the author of the book Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015). She is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky, and an ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Sources:

“Discipleship and Spirituality According to Luther’s Catechisms,” Edward H. Schroeder, Together by Grace: Introducing the Lutherans, edited by Kathryn A. Kleinhans (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2016).

“The Large Catechism: The Ten Commandments”; The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Lutheran Church, Edited by Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2000).

 

Welcome to The Purple Zone!

Welcome to The Purple Zone! In a society increasingly polarized and averse to respectful dialogue, our churches reflect the wide range of viewpoints across the Red/Blue divide that can entangle pastors and parishioners within divisive controversy.  And yet the prophetic and Gospel witness of the Bible compels us to address contemporary justice issues.  There is much at stake:  incredible amounts of wealth, questions of power and equality, the ecological conditions that support life itself, and the very real persons affected by these issues all have a stake in our conversations, decisions, policies and actions.  How do we listen to each other across hostile divides of red/blue politics, race, class, gender and sexuality, geography, culture, and religion?  How is God speaking to us through these difficult conversations?

I am the Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade, your guide in The Purple Zone.  A seminary professor of preaching and worship, a researcher exploring how pastors handle controversial issues, and an ELCA ordained clergyperson with 16 years of experience in parish ministry in diverse cultures and contexts, I am exploring ways that pastors can preach and do ministry that is true to their gospel calling, while recognizing the many risks involved in courageous preaching and ministry.  How can we be both pastoral and prophetic? This is one of the driving questions of my work.  The challenge of addressing controversial justice issues from the pulpit is fraught with risks, but also offers opportunities for proclaiming the gospel and building community in profound and contextual ways.

This work is also for Christians in congregations looking to develop strategies for initiating and navigating conversations around “hot topics” while maintaining relationships and emphasizing God’s creative, hope-filled and redeeming activity in our world.  I am particularly interested in exploring how the process of deliberative dialogue can be useful for moving us beyond “fake news” (aka “viral deception”) and “alternative facts” to a place where we can respect each other’s humanity while moving toward reconciliation and rebuilding, while  – most importantly – protecting those most vulnerable in these conversations.

This blog will offer articles informed by my research in which I surveyed 1200 Mainline Protestant pastors in the United States about how they are approaching controversial justice issues in the pulpit.  I will also be sharing reflections based on my experiences listening to pastors, parishioners and ecclesial leaders, as well as book reviews, lists of resources, and any other tips and tactics to help us move and minister within The Purple Zone.

Visit https://www.thepurplezone.net/ to learn more.  And stay tuned for more posts!