A Dangerous Dozen

Canon C. K. Robertson

Description

Sometimes What We Need Most Is What We Fear Most

"Times change and situations seem to change, but there is still a great need for prophets, for God's ambassadors, to stand up and be counted. Who will dare to be Paul the Apostle today, or Dorothy Day, or Francis of Assisi, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Who will dare, when God calls, to say, 'Here I am, Lord. Send me’?"
—from the Foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Meet twelve fascinating—at times, intimidating—Christian change agents who were unafraid to ask what God would have them do in the face of life’s realities—and unafraid to go ahead and do it. Their words and actions challenged the status quo, and in so doing they showed the face of Jesus to the Church and to the world.

Whether calling us to live simply in the name of Jesus, showing the way to genuine peacemaking, or exemplifying the true meaning of courage, the legacies of these blessed troublemakers continue to inspire us today … if we let them.

Paul of Tarsus • Mary Magdalene • Origen of Alexandria • Francis of Assisi • Hildegard of Bingen • Thomas Cranmer • Sojourner Truth • Dorothy Day • Dietrich Bonhoeffer • Janani Luwum • Oscar Romero • K. H. Ting

Foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu ix
Acknowledgments xi
Prologue: The Outlaw xiii

1 Paul of Tarsus: The Catalyst 1
2 Mary Magdalene: The Witness 17
3 Origen of Alexandria: The Innovator 31
4 Francis of Assisi: The Radical 45
5 Hildegard of Bingen: The Visionary 59
6 Thomas Cranmer: The Reformer 72
7 Sojourner Truth: The Liberator 85
8 Dorothy Day: The Activist 95
9 Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Resister 107
10 Janani Luwum: The Revivalist 121
11 Oscar Romero: The Advocate 133
12 K.H.Ting: The Reconstructionist 146

Epilogue 162
Notes 166

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Living
• Inspirational
• Philosophie et théologie
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781594733321
• Langue: English

Extrait

Praise for
A Dangerous Dozen: Twelve Christians Who
Threatened the Status Quo but Taught Us to Live Like Jesus
Surveys the full reach of Christian history and spans the whole globe . A fine gift-a book that is not only fascinating reading but also a spur to bold and faithful action today.
-Prof. Thomas G. Long, Bandy Professor of Preaching,
Candler School of Theology, Emory University
Excellent reminds us that the gospel is a revolutionary challenge to a world that accepts poverty and war as just the way things are. Holds a mirror up to readers, forcing us to recognize the timid compromises we make in order to feel secure and prosperous. The way of Jesus, as Robertson makes clear, is far more challenging-and rewarding!
-Michael Kinnamon, general secretary,
National Council of Churches
An antidote to individualistic piety and the assumption that Christianity is inherently conservative . A much-needed challenge to transform our safe faith into a dangerous, powerful force for good.
-Dr. James F. McGrath, Clarence L. Goodwin
Chair in New Testament Language and Literature,
Department of Philosophy and Religion, Butler University
Robertson gives us a dozen stirring exemplars who have challenged the world s conventional wisdom on behalf of the gospel. Read and learn, and discover your own courage to love as God loves.
-The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori,
presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church; author,
The Heartbeat of God: Finding the Sacred in the Middle of Everything
Engaging and refreshing lifts up special people who model faith in life. Anyone looking to apply Christian faith to the challenges of today will be guided by the stories of these twelve courageous servants of God.
-The Rev. Donald J. McCoid, Ecumenical and Inter-Religious
Relations, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The full force of exemplary lives can be lost on us so easily without the kind of fresh, contemporary portraits we find here. Robertson makes the compelling witness of these saints burn bright in our world.
-Prof. Jon Nilson, Loyola University;
former president, Catholic Theological Society of America
Invites us all to listen to that inner voice that continues to call us all-as ordinary people-to stand up and do extraordinary things for God.
-Fr. Albert Cuti , radio/TV host;
author, Dilemma: A Priest s Struggle with Faith and Love
One need not be a Christian to appreciate that those who inspire are to be cherished wherever and however they manifest . [A] welcome balm at a time when the world too often seems devoid of true spiritual leadership.
-Ira Rifkin, editor, Spiritual Leaders Who Changed the World :
The Essential Handbook to the Past Century of Religion
One part Bible study, several parts history lesson, 100 percent good storytelling provide[s] us a fresh look at folks we thought we knew and introduce[s] us to people we ought to meet-exemplary women and men from many centuries and almost every continent, together reminding us of the breadth of Christian activism.
-Dr. Lucinda Mosher, Senior Fellow, Auburn
Theological Seminary; author, Faith in the Neighborhood
Celebrates the lives of twelve heroes who dared to step into darkness bearing the light of God s love, no matter what the cost. These tales of danger, risk and sacrifice for Jesus s sake are indeed inspiring.
-Michael Rhodes, five-time Emmy award-winning
filmmaker; president, Film Clips, Inc.
A clear and vivid picture of twelve men and women who would not stand still when the world needed to be pushed, or remain silent when power needed to be challenged. My hope is that the questions for reflection at the end of each chapter will help us to rethink our ministry in the service of God s mission in our own time.
-Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate, The Anglican Church of Canada
Clear and very pleasing prose, with a sure and sympathetic command of his subjects, a Lives of the Saints for our times. [This] dangerous dozen and their escapades of faith will instruct and encourage certainly; but beware, for they will also inevitably seduce and charm you as well.
-Phyllis Tickle, popular speaker;
author, The Great Emergence and The Words of Jesus
A Dangerous Dozen :
12 Christians Who Threatened the Status Quo but Taught Us to Live Like Jesus
2011 Quality Paperback Edition, First Printing
2011 by C. K. Robertson
Foreword 2011 by Desmond Tutu
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or reprinted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information regarding permission to reprint material from this book, please write or fax your request to SkyLight Paths Publishing, Permissions Department, at the address / fax number listed below, or e-mail your request to [e-mail] .
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Robertson, C. K. (Charles Kevin), 1964-
A dangerous dozen: 12 Christians who threatened the status quo but taught us to live like Jesus / C. K. Robertson; foreword by Desmond Tutu.-Quality pbk. ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-59473-298-0 (quality pbk. original) 1. Christian biography. 2. Church history. 3. Change-Religious aspects-Christianity. 4. Christian leadership. I. Title. II. Title: 12 Christians who threatened the status quo but taught us to live like Jesus. III. Title: Twelve Christians who threatened the status quo but taught us to live like Jesus.
BR1700.3.R63 2011
270.092 2-dc22
2011000667
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cover Design: Jenny Buono
Text Design: Kristi Menter

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To Michael Rhodes, five-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker, founder of Film Clips, Inc., and dear friend, with thanks for introducing me to some of these dangerous characters.
Contents
Foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Acknowledgments
Prologue: The Outlaw
1 Paul of Tarsus : The Catalyst
2 Mary Magdalene : The Witness
3 Origen of Alexandria : The Innovator
4 Francis of Assisi : The Radical
5 Hildegard of Bingen : The Visionary
6 Thomas Cranmer : The Reformer
7 Sojourner Truth : The Liberator
8 Dorothy Day : The Activist
9 Dietrich Bonhoeffer : The Resister
10 Janani Luwum : The Revivalist
11 Oscar Romero : The Advocate
12 K. H. Ting : The Reconstructionist
Epilogue
Notes
About SkyLight Paths
Copyright
Foreword
T his newest book by Chuck Robertson examines the lives of courageous people who were not always appreciated or even understood when they stood up in the name of Jesus against injustice. The Church has a call to prophetic ministry, but the way of the prophet is often hard. But each of the individuals in these pages was willing to challenge the structures of society and the Church, even on their own when no one else would join them.
In South Africa, I think immediately of that great witness ( martus , or martyr) for our Lord, Dr. Beyers Naude. He was a pastor of the white Dutch Reformed Church, to which most Afrikaners and therefore the apartheid government belonged. This denomination provided that government with a theological justification for the racial injustice of apartheid. For a long time, Naude had gone along with this view. In 1960, the Sharpeville massacre happened, when white police fired on a peaceful demonstration against the pass laws, which severely restricted the movements of blacks. There was an international outcry, and the World Council of Churches convened the Cottesloe Consultation to discuss the fraught situation with South African member churches, which included the white Dutch Reformed Church. This conference resolved that there was no biblical basis for apartheid. The government of Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd, the prime minister, was livid. He insisted that the delegation of the Dutch Reformed Church should repudiate the Cottesloe Declaration. That Church succumbed meekly and even suspended its membership in the World Council of Churches. But not everyone in that delegation meekly succumbed. Dr. Naude stood by the conference and was forced to resign as minister of a very prominent congregation. He left to join the black Dutch Reformed Church, something unheard in race-obsessed South Africa. He was placed under a strict banning order, a form of house arrest, for seven years. He was ostracized and vilified. But he lived to see freedom come in South Africa, when he was vindicated wonderfully. The General Synod of the white Dutch Reformed Church apologized publicly to him and to others of its members who had been repudiated and vilified. When he died, Beyers Naude was buried from the church from which he had been forced to resign.
Times change and situations seem to change, but there is still a great need for prophets, for God s ambassadors, to stand up and be counted. Who will dare to be Paul the Apostle today, or Dorothy Day, or Francis of Assisi, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Who will dare, when God calls, to say, Here I am, Lord, send me ?
The Right Reverend Desmon