The prophetic word of Jesus has been captured by white supremacy, imperial power, and nationalism. As progressive Christians, how do we think, move, and organize our way to liberation?
A pastor and activist's guide for progressive people of faith to challenge power structures, build trustworthy community, and nurture an embodied, compassionate faith
In a time of rising white supremacy, political fascism, and deepening divisions, this book offers a radical vision of mutual liberation rooted in embodiment, collective healing, and transformative practice. It begins with a provocative claim: Jesus's message of love and liberation has been captured by white supremacy and co-opted by Empire. And to get out from under these distortions, we can't just think our way free: we need to embody liberation in body, mind, soul, and action.
Drawing on her experience transforming Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, author Rev. Dr. Marcia Mount Shoop, MDiv, PhD, invites readers into a deeply embodied practice that connects back to the liberatory roots of Christianity-a faith that is visceral, relational, alive, and grounded in love and compassion, not just "progressive niceness." Dr. Shoop's approach goes beyond performative justice and feel-good "window dressing" reform, exploring:
- How trauma, interdependence, and ambiguity shape our capacity for change
- What it means to become trauma-wise versus trauma-informed (and why that matters for people of faith)
- What happens when communities build cultures grounded in shared power, truth-telling, love, and repair
- How social change actually lives and breathes in the body
- True stories of mutual aid, dismantling racist church infrastructure, and radical redesigns of sacred spaces
- What liberation can truly look like in practice
- How to understand the potential costs of this work, from what it takes to step up to when it's time to step back
- Practical how-tos for decolonizing sacred and liturgical spaces
Theological and practical, inspiring and embodied, this book is an invitation to decolonize Christianity while reclaiming our bodies and recovering more courageous, faith-rooted ways of being in community. The work of liberation is difficult and long, but it is also a pathway back to our deepest expression of shared humanity and holy imagination.
