Tuesdays at 6:00a | Wednesdays at 10:00a | RSVP required via email to
Intern Pr. Maggie and Pr. Peter invite you to join them in reading and discussing the latest book by distinguished North American theologian Dr. Walter Brueggemann titled "Materiality as Resistance." Commentators have called this Brueggemann's personal manifesto and his most important and engaging call to action.
In his brief introduction, Dr. Brueggemann traces the change from the early Christian Church's emphasis and concern about the well-being of the neighbor (materiality) to a focus upon the otherworldliness of its hope—a move toward "soul-making." The book is his effort to reclaim the materiality of the Christian movement, grounded in the conviction that the world is God's creation that God called good, and further, that God chose to become incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth, who was vigorously committed to the well-being of others in this life.
Dr. Brueggemann divides his critique into five areas of modern life: money, food, the body, time, and place. The reading and conversation will undoubtedly be challenging as we grapple with the awareness that the stuff of our lives, right in front of us, is the place where God meets us with mandates to be neighborly, to work for the good of the neighborhood. The author suggests that congregations employ directors of materiality alongside spiritual directors to think Christianly about the material life.
Click here for a 6-minute video introduction to the book with Dr. Brueggemann »
Materiality as Resistance is available at Amazon in Kindle and paperback editions.
Reading and Conversation Schedule for Materiality as Resistance
Tuesdays at 6:00a and Wednesdays at 10:00a
May 4/5
Foreward & Introduction
Chapter 1 - Money
pgs. i-xiv & 1-18
May 11/12
Chapter 2 - Food
pgs. 19-34
May 18/19
Chapter 3 – The Body
pgs. 35-52
May 25/26
Chapter 4 - Time
pgs. 53-70
June 1/2
Chapter 5 - Place
Conclusion
pgs. 71-94
