What, then, for the work of poetry? It's at the very periphery of popular speech, niche even among the arts, yet it's also rooted in the most ancient traditions of oral storytelling, no matter where your ancestors originate from. And, as we were reminded by an audience member at the New Zealand Young Writers Festival in 2020, who are we to say poetry cannot change the world?A poem may not be a binding policy or strategic investment, but poems can still raise movements, and be moving in their own right. And there is no movement in our behaviours and politics without a shift in hearts and minds. Whether the poems you read here are cloaked in ironic apathy or bare their hearts in rousing calls to action, they all arise from a deep sense of care for this living world and the people in it.Our poets are eulogists and visionaries, warriors and worriers. Most of all, they're ordinary people prepared to sit and stare at a blank page, trying to do something with the bloody big troubles looming over our past, present and future.— from the introduction by the editors

The Pushcart Prize–winning poet’s memoir of his criminal youth and years in prison: a “brave and heartbreaking” tale of triumph over brutal adversity (The Nation). Jimmy Santiago Baca’s “astonishing narrative” of his life before, during, and immediately after the years he spent in the maximum-security prison garnered tremendous critical acclaim. An important chronicle that “affirms the triumph of the human spirit,” it went on to win the prestigious 2001 International Prize (Arizona Daily Star). Long considered one of the best poets in America today, Baca was illiterate at the age of twenty-one when he was sentenced to five years in Florence State Prison for selling drugs in Arizona. This raw, unflinching memoir is the remarkable tale of how he emerged after his years in the penitentiary—much of it spent in isolation—with the ability to read and a passion for writing poetry. “Proof there is always hope in even the most desperate lives.” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram “A hell of a book, quite literally. You won’t soon forget it.” —The San Diego U-T “This book will have a permanent place in American letters.” —Jim Harrison, New York Times–bestselling author of A Good Day to Die

Author Anna M. Madsen's book is a fresh and challenging look at the legacy of Martin Luther and the new reformation that is calling people of faith to action today.This book is born out of the conviction that at least two gods are currently competing for our collective trust: nationalism (and its many sub-manifestations) and quietism. Both make a case for and a claim on our allegiance, each by way of different motivations of self and institutional protection. Madsen looks at today's modern context and asks: Where will the church stand in a day that is marked by globalization, polarization, racism, bigotry, and debates about justice for humanity and for the earth itself. While the Reformation church was built on the foundation of justification by grace, Madsen calls people of faith to a new reformation that will focus on standing for justice in the world. Madsen delves into who Jesus was, and how our claim that he died and was raised establishes our faith and impacts the way we live it out. She pays attention to Luther's theology and juxtaposes it with our present context. She explores recent examples of Nazi resistance, liberation theology, black and womanist theology, and feminist theology, each of which come at social justice in their unique ways, with a common conviction that justice work is central to the Christian life. She speaks of how our faith grounding and our faith history weave together and entwine themselves into our present moment, offering both warnings and encouragement. And last, a case is made that justice, anchored in justification, is our new Reformation moment, one not inconsistent with Luther's theology, but weighted differently to address the different weighty concerns of our day. A study guide is included to encourage group conversation and action.

In a nightmarish, post-holocaust world, an ancient evil roams a devastated America, gathering the forces of human greed and madness, searching for a child named Swan who possesses the gift of life.

What stands between us and authoritarianism seems increasingly fragile. Democratic practices are under attack by foreign intrusion into elections; voter suppression restricts citizen participation. Nations are turning to autocratic leaders in the face of rapid social change. Democratic values and open society can only be preserved if citizens can discover and claim their voices. We access society through our organisations, yet the collective voices and irrationalities of these organisations do not currently offer clear pathways for individuals to locate themselves. How can we move through the mounting chaos of our social systems, through our multiple roles in groups and institutions, to find a voice that matters? What kind of perspective will allow institutional leaders to facilitate the discovery of active citizenship and support engagement? This book draws on psychodynamic systems thinking to offer a new understanding of the journey from being an individual to joining society as a citizen. With detailed stories, the steps - and the conscious and unconscious linkages - from being a family member, to entering outside groups, to taking up and making sense of institutional roles, illuminate the process of claiming the citizen role. With the help of leaders who recognise and utilise the dynamics of social systems, there may be hope for us as citizens to use our institutional experiences to discover a place to stand.

The challenge of reading the Old Testament as Christian Scripture is nowhere more evident than in the book of Ezekiel. Its judgmental attitude, harsh words, and bizarre imagery provoke Christian readers who, familiar with the gospel, are unsure of what to do with such a strange book. This volume from the Wycliffe Studies in Gospel, Church, and Culture series offers some Christ-centered reflections on the book of Ezekiel, showing us that, even here, the same God present to us in Jesus Christ can be heard through an attentive listening to what Ezekiel is saying to us. From words of judgement and bizarre imagery of heaven, to redemptive forecasts of a hopeful future, these meditations cover the difficult terrain of Ezekiel’s visions and draw out a life-giving and Christ-centered reading of his strange message.

From the Introduction: The Gift of Faith When I first put my faith in Christ, He gave me a gift of faith. I thought every Christian received the same gift. In that moment, I suddenly believed God could do anything, absolutely anything. I believed the whole Bible was true, from cover to cover. I believed anything God did in the past He could do again. And I believed He could do even greater things than these—even through me. As Jesus said, “Truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these...” (John 14:12). It wasn’t until several years later, when I took a spiritual gifts “inventory,” that I realized God had given me a “gift” of faith, a supernatural gift to believe God can do supernatural things. And it was then that I realized God wanted me to use this gift as He wanted all of us to use our gifts—for building up others in their faith. Or, as the Apostle Paul says, “to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13). But I wondered how to do this. As I asked others, they said that whenever I would tell them my stories of faith—how God had worked in my life—they were encouraged in their faith to believe that God could work in their lives too. Yes! That made sense. When people needed a boost in their faith, I could give them some of mine. Isn’t that the way with all of our gifts? When people need wisdom or money or healing or help or encouragement, we share with them whatever wisdom or money or healing or help or encouragement we have been given (see 1 Corinthians 12-14). So I began that day sharing my stories of faith in a more intentional way—writing them down, sending them out, and telling them to others when they needed a lift. And that’s what I’m doing with this book for you. If you need a boost in your faith, if you need to believe that God can do something impossible for you, if you need to know that God is real, that He loves you, that He is FOR you and has a purpose for your life, then this book is for you. Because, along with hope and love, faith is one of the top three things we all need in life (see 1 Corinthians 13:13). With that as an introduction, I’d like to begin telling you a few of my stories of faith, starting with the day I was born. Well, not that far back! I’ll start with the day I was born again, at age 23, the day I put my faith in Christ—and He put His gift of faith in me. Eric Elder

"Wayne Miller's fourth collection of poems engages with questions of morality without clear answers"--

New entry in the Leaders In Action Series. Offers a spiritual biography of Martin Luther.