In this no non-sense book, reliable spiritual guide, Will Willimon, invites readers to consider the gospel command to love (and not merely tolerate) those considered to be “Other” or outside mainstream Christian culture. Rooted in the faith of Israel and the Christian story and vision, Willimon brings a Wesleyan perspective to bear on what may be the hardest thing for people of faith to do: keeping and loving the "Other" as they are - without any need for them to become like us. Emphasizing biblical teaching to receive Others for who they are and their differences as gifts and mysteries bearing the grace of God, Willimon also offers a strong critique of the privileged who all too often rush to speak of reconciliation and evade the injustice of huge inequalities faced by foreigners and strangers - as well as the antagonism the stranger experiences. He identifies concrete, everyday ways persons are formed in welcoming others without annihilating their differences. Rooted in the New Testament understanding of Gentile outsiders grafted into the covenant community, Willimon invites readers to an on-the-ground faith that remembers the God who comes to us again and again through so-called outsiders, strangers, immigrants, and those without status. Beyond welcome, Christians must become “other” to the world, shaking off the dominant culture’s identity and privilege through practices of listening, humility, and understanding. “I love Will Willimon, and I love this book. Will writes with prophetic sarcasm, a touch of humor, plenty of self-effacement, and a pastor’s heart. And his words will make you laugh, cringe, cry, confess, and repent. This is a very timely book. I urge you, prospective reader, as you read this blurb on the back cover: buy and read it! You’ll be grateful you did.” —Adam Hamilton, senior pastor, The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, KS; author of Half Truths “This gutsy, biblically rich, theologically searing book by Willimon gigs everybody’s sacred cow. Not only is the one whom Christ loves Other but God is Other. The ground beneath us shakes the walls that divide us. If you are holed-up happy with people who look like you, don’t read this thing. It will screw up your world.” —Tex Sample, Robert B. and Kathleen Rogers Professor Emeritus of Church and Society, Saint Paul School of Theology, Leawood, KS “Timely and prophetic, Willimon’s call to love the Other will quickly take hold of your soul, changing your preaching and your life. This book is not just a reminder of our Christian calling to welcome the Other but a call to conversion, a new way of seeing the neighbor and a new way of being in the world God desperately loves.” —Karoline M. Lewis, Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN “Bishop Willimon’s new book should come with a warning: Do not read unless you are ready to be changed and want to change the world!” —O. Wesley Allen Jr., Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX Now with a New Introduction!

Historicizing Fear is a historical interrogation of the use of fear as a tool to vilify and persecute groups and individuals from a global perspective, offering an unflinching look at racism, fearful framing, oppression, and marginalization across human history.The book examines fear and Othering from a historical context, providing a better understanding of how power and oppression is used in the present day. Contributors ground their work in the theory of Othering—the reductive action of labeling a person as someone who belongs to a subordinate social category defined as the Other—in relation to historical events, demonstrating that fear of the Other is universal, timeless, and interconnected. Chapters address the music of neo-Nazi white power groups, fear perpetuated through the social construct of black masculinity in a racially hegemonic society, the terror and racial cleansing in early twentieth-century Arkansas, the fear of drug-addicted Vietnam War veterans, the creation of fear by the Tang Dynasty, and more. Timely, provocative, and rigorously researched, Historicizing Fear shows how the Othering of members of different ethnic groups has been used to propagate fear and social tension, justify state violence, and prevent groups or individuals from gaining equality. Broadening the context of how fear of the Other can be used as a propaganda tool, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of history, anthropology, political science, popular culture, critical race issues, social justice, and ethnic studies, as well as the general reader concerned with the fearful framing prevalent in politics. Contributors: Quaylan Allen, Melanie Armstrong, Brecht De Smet, Kirsten Dyck, Adam C. Fong, Jeff Johnson, Łukasz Kamieński, Guy Lancaster, Henry Santos Metcalf, Julie M. Powell, Jelle Versieren

This "fight or flight" manual for life (the fake one you live on the internet and the one you actually live) will help you power through your worst days so you can enjoy the good ones. “I’m not here asking you to fix yourself. There’s nothing wrong with you, okay? I know that how my day goes depends on whether I wake up full of hope or despair. It’s not about what’s happening, it’s about my relationship to what’s happening, you know?” –Grace Miceli, from How to Deal Dealing with ourselves requires . . . a lot. On the good days, it takes patience and humor; on the bad, it can devolve into online shopping sprees, over-analyzing the punctuation from every text message you receive or baking 4 dozen cookies—for ourselves. In this relatable and hilarious collection of comic strips, modern day motivational posters, and illustrated lists and diary entries, illustrator Grace Miceli explores how our comfort zones may be a trap, how to stay when you want to run away, and where to find light when everything feels dark—beyond the glow of your phone. This sharply observed book is a "fight or flight" manual for life (the fake one you live on the internet and the one you actually live), a weird but honest road map from a friend who wants to make it just that much easier for you to navigate your own journey.

A revolutionary guide to acknowledging fear and developing the tools we need to build a healthy relationship with this confusing emotion—and use it as a positive force in our lives. We all feel fear. Yet we are often taught to ignore it, overcome it, push past it. But to what benefit? This is the essential question that guides Kristen Ulmer’s remarkable exploration of our most misunderstood emotion in The Art of Fear. Once recognized as the best extreme skier in the world (an honor she held for twelve years), Ulmer knows fear well. In this conversation-changing book, she argues that fear is not here to cause us problems—and that in fact, the only true issue we face with fear is our misguided reaction to it (not the fear itself). Rebuilding our experience with fear from the ground up, Ulmer starts by exploring why we’ve come to view it as a negative. From here, she unpacks fear and shows it to be just one of 10,000 voices that make up our reality, here to help us come alive alongside joy, love, and gratitude. Introducing a mindfulness tool called “Shift,” Ulmer teaches readers how to experience fear in a simpler, more authentic way, transforming our relationship with this emotion from that of a draining battle into one that’s in line with our true nature. Influenced by Ulmer’s own complicated relationship with fear and her over 15 years as a mindset facilitator, The Art of Fear will reconstruct the way we react to and experience fear—empowering us to easily and permanently address the underlying cause of our fear-based problems, and setting us on course to live a happier, more expansive future.

It seems laughably inadequate to call Julia Fehrenbacher s On the Other Side of Fear a collection of poetry. It is that, of course graceful, lyrical, wise poems about life, love, doubt, faith and the sweet, simple anatomy of a moment. But it s more than that. On the Other Side of Fear is an invitation to shed the weight of your past, get naked and real and wide-eyed awake to the undeniable poetry of it all. Reading Julia is like waking up to find your dream is still there, all around you, unabashedly grand and utterly obtainable. Her poems resonate with a precise, astonishing power, and each piece of Julia s art is like a breath of rarified air. On the Other Side of Fear feels like coming home to the home you always wish you had, to the home you deserve, to the home you ve been carrying around inside you without ever realizing it was there, accessible and welcoming, the whole time. Read these poems and fall in love with your beautiful, imperfect self; in Julia s words, slow way down/ get close and closer/ listen like crazy to your life. Judy Clement Wall, writer at AhumanThing.net

Brock Heasley was twelve. The cost of terrible violence was more than just unknown to him--it was negligible. Besides, he never doubted his father would live. He could put footballs into orbit, just like Superman. That was the peak. The comedown was finding out his dad was human after all, sending Brock on a journey of self-discovery and forcing him to question everything he was raised to believe. Then, when tragedy strikes again years later and his father is murdered, Brock's faith and capacity to forgive are put to the ultimate test.

A guide to confronting and managing fear explores the question of when to put fears aside and push on, the value of some fears, sharing fears with loved ones, and the relief of disclosing fear

This five-week DVD/video based small group study (DVD and Leader Guide) companion to the book, Fear of the Other: No Fear in Love invites readers to consider the Gospel command to love (and not merely tolerate) those considered to be “Other” or outside mainstream Christian culture. This Leader Guide and the DVD (9781501857249), sold seperately, are required for the small group study. Rooted in the faith of Israel and the Christian story and vision, Willimon – in an onscreen conversation with Delia Catalina Ramirez, brings a non-technical, Wesleyan perspective to bear on what may be the hardest thing for people of faith to do: keeping and loving the Other as Other. Emphasizing the biblical mandate to receive Others in their particularity and difference as gifts and mysteries bearing the grace of God, this study also offers a strong critique of the privileged who all too often rush to language of reconciliation and evade the huge inequalities surrounding conversations and practices dealing with xenophobia and injustice. Rooted in the New Testament understanding of Gentile outsiders grafted into the covenant community, this study invites readers to an on-the ground faith that hearkens to a soliciting and revealing God – the God who comes to us again and again through so-called outsiders, strangers, immigrants, and those without status. The 5 video conversations between Will Willimon and Delia Ramirez focus on each of the five chapters of Fear of the Other: Session 1: Saved by the Other Session 2: The Other, My Enemy Session 3: Learning to Fear Like Christians Session 4: Loving the Other in Church Session 5: Jesus, the Other

Providing an intimate and timely view of Merton, this book traces the theme of peace and nonviolence in Merton's life and writings, drawing in particular on extensive correspondence with Jim Forest, a Merton biographer.