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61 pages

English

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Religion, politics, and money. Three things you're never supposed to discuss in polite company. But what if you're a pastor? Forget red state/blue state divisions, what happens when your church members disagree about politics? In this age of prosperity preaching, how do you preach, "You cannot serve God and money?" Clay Stauffer addresses the challenges that preachers face when serving a politically diverse congregation in Preaching Politics. Money, materialism, and their effects on modern-day faith and spirituality are viewed through the teachings of Jesus, as well as the work of Methodist minister Adam Hamilton and Duke University ethicist Stanley Hauerwas.

Sujets

Philosophie et théologie

Political science of religion

Christianity

Informations

Publié par	Chalice Press
Date de parution	01 mars 2016
Nombre de lectures	2
EAN13	9780827231351
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0950€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Proclaiming Jesus
in an Age of Money,
Power, and Partisanship

Clay Stauffer

To my loving wife, Megan, and my children, Montgomery and Clayton, who are growing up in a constantly changing world that finds itself more and more polarized. As Karl Barth said, “May you approach each day with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.”

Copyright ©2016 by Clay Stauffer.
All rights reserved. For permission to reuse content, please contact Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, www.copyright.com .
Bible quotations, unless otherwise marked, are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Cover design: Jesse Turri

www.chalicepress.com

Print: 9780827231344 EPUB: 9780827231351 EPDF: 9780827231368

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Stauffer, Clay, 1980- author.
Title: Preaching politics : proclaiming Jesus in an age of money, power, and partisanship / by Clay Stauffer.
Description: First [edition]. | St. Louis : Chalice Press, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015048596 (print) | LCCN 2015043537 (ebook) | ISBN 9780827231351 (epub) | ISBN 9780827231368 (epdf) | ISBN 9780827231344 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Preaching. | Christianity and politics.
Classification: LCC BV4235.P7 (print) | LCC BV4235.P7 S73 2016 (ebook) | DDC 251—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015048596

Printed in the United States of America

“ Preaching Politics is a compelling narrative that astutely examines the nexus between religion and politics, and the modern dilemmas faced today by the Christian church and people of faith. Clay Stauffer is a friend and Tennessee native who artfully draws from his own personal experiences to inform how our lives can continue to benefit and grow from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
— Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist, M.D., (R)

“Clay is a good man and a great preacher. He wrestles with the same issues as his large congregation, and helps them understand each other and, more importantly, Jesus. Preaching Politics gives everyone helpful advice for coping with many of the problems of today’s world. Clay is married to a physician, but he, too, is a healer.”
— U.S. Representative Jim Cooper (D)

“Clay Stauffer is not afraid to take on the tough issues! Thankfully, he approaches these issues with a spirit of grace and a willingness to listen. The New Testament encourages us to ‘speak the truth with love.’ Clay’s new book attempts to do just that.”
— Governor Bill Haslam (R)

“Clay Stauffer’s amazing book does two things to this wealthy septuagenarian: It brings me to my knees in prayer and challenges me to open my wallet and my life for spiritual warfare to a dying world.”
— Cal Turner, Jr., former Chairman and CEO, Dollar General

“Clay Stauffer brings a welcome voice of moderation to charged debates in American religion and politics. In the role of preacher to a widely diverse community, he urges us to let Jesus’ words be the point of reference. Seeking a place of unity, he nevertheless dares to wade into one of the trickiest areas of all—money and possessions—and gives us all something to think about.”
— Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Author of Whole: A Call to Unity in Our Fragmented World

“Preaching when done with reverence and authenticity is a sweet and brutal dance. When one dares wrestle with the issues of the day the dance is guaranteed to throw the preacher and/or congregant off balance. Clay Stauffer’s publication offers the reader a methodology of sacred balance to navigate the undercurrents of political ideas and prophetic witness. As a professor and pastor I hear the cries of students who desire to engage the world, but are afraid because of an insular tradition or general lack of exposure. This book provides a powerful witness and needed contribution to a discipline of study desperate for prophetic voices.”
— Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago

“The preaching task may be harder than it has ever been, and the temptation to make the task easier by avoiding topics listeners find uncomfortable is very much with us. It is this temptation Clay Stauffer faces in his important book. Preachers will see themselves and their churches on every page, and will find Stauffer an excellent conversation partner as they too face the ‘preaching dilemma’ together.”
— William Brosend, The School of Theology, Sewanee, and Author of The Preaching of Jesus and James and Jude

“Clay Stauffer is a pastor who knows what it’s like firsthand to struggle with contemporary American sins, particularly the sin of our materialism. Like any good pastor Clay tries to listen to his congregation, listening also to some of the leading Christian thinkers. As he listens, he attempts to hear commonalities, opportunities for confluence of seemingly competing opinions, and in all things to build up the church as the Body of Christ with a responsibility to witness to God’s beloved but rebellious world. I learned from Clay’s book and commend it to churches struggling with fidelity to Christ in our American context.”
— Will Willimon, Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry, Duke Divinity School, and United Methodist Bishop, retired

“Stauffer provides a helpful 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.”
— Leah D. Schade, Author of Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit

“Clay Stauffer takes a thoughtful approach to dealing with difficult political issues facing the church in an increasingly polarized and materialistic society. From his pulpit in a politically diverse and affluent congregation, Clay deals with these issues firsthand. While this book will be a guide for pastors, it is just as relevant for those of us who sit in the pews.”
— William F. Carpenter III, Chairman and CEO, LifePoint Health.
“It is a mistake to think Jesus was not political. He led a movement of reform, preaching about the problems of empire, casting a vision of a healed and whole society in which those on the margins are seen and heard as leaders—one in which the hungry are fed, the destitute redeemed, and the strangers welcomed. The gospel is radical political business. Here is a book for our time, a time in which prophetic preaching must capture the imaginations and hearts of those in the pew to live God’s dream. Clay Stauffer uses the teachings of Jesus, and the work of Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton and Duke ethicist Stanley Hauerwas to encourage preaching for the polis—for the people—as he provides help for the visionary preacher in all of us.”
— Jacqui Lewis, Senior Minister, Middle Collegiate Church, and host, Just Faith at ShiftMSNBC

Refusing to Play It Safe

Shortly before this book went to press, I sat down at a coffee shop close to my church with a seasoned politician whom I respect despite the fact that we don’t always see eye to eye on every issue. He is older than I am and has seen more than his share of stump speeches, sermons, elections, political pandering, and partisan games. He also seems to respect me regardless of my relative youth and our differences on politics, faith, social policy, and the like. But we each share a love of this great nation, our home state of Tennessee, and the city of Nashville. And we each love our coffee, prepared differently, of course. On this occasion we had another civil conversation—one that included the purpose and intent of this book.
“Clay, I don’t know why you would want to write a book about preaching politics,” he said. “I’ve always considered what you do to be above the political fray, a much more noble profession than mine. Why would you want to dive into the swamp? It doesn’t seem necessary. I just don’t want you to regret this later in your life.”
His observation caught me off guard at 6:45 in the morning. I was still waking up. And to be honest, what he said rattled me. Why do I want to talk about the potential pitfalls of preaching politics? Why do I want to “dirty myself” in the realm of politicians who have low-digit approval ratings? Why would I want to open Pandora’s Box and unleash the howls of those who say politics has no place in the pulpit? Shouldn’t ministers of the gospel play it safe and stay as far away from politics as possible? Aren’t millennials staying away from the church because they believe it is too political? Haven’t preachers on both ends of the spectrum managed to offend enough people and do enough damage already?
My response to these questions has its roots in the denominational ethos that I grew up in and in which I now m