Revive Us Again

A collection of sermons and speeches that lay out a groundbreaking vision for intersectional organizing, paired with inspirational and practical essays from activists in today’s Poor People’s Campaign The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II has been called “the closest person we have to Martin Luther King Jr. in our midst” (Cornel West) and “one of the most gifted organizers and orators in the country today” (Ari Berman). In this age of political division and civic unrest, Rev. Barber’s message is more necessary than ever. This volume features Rev. Barber’s most stirring sermons and speeches, with response essays by prominent public intellectuals, activists, and faith leaders. Drawing from the history of social movements in the US, especially the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign, Rev. Barber and the contributors to this volume speak to the most pressing issues of our time, including Black Lives Matter, the fight for a $15 minimum wage, the struggle to protect voting rights, the march for women’s rights, and the movement to overcome poverty and unite the dispossessed across all dividing lines. Grounded in the fundamental biblical theme of poor and oppressed people taking action together, the book suggests ways to effectively build a fusion movement to make America fair and just for everyone.

ldquo;Often, Barber’s stirring rhetoric—his use of anaphora, his skillful interweaving of academic research with folksy quotes from his grandmother—radiates off the page . . . . Inspiring.”
—Kirkus Reviews

Autorentext

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II is the president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, cochair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, and pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, North Carolina. A visiting professor of public theology and activism, Rev. Dr. Barber is also the author of The Third Reconstruction.

Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis is founder and codirector of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice and coordinator of the Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, Theoharis is a popular speaker, teacher, and activist, and has published numerous books and articles including Always With Us?: What Jesus Really Said About the Poor.

Rev. Dr. Richard H. Lowery is President of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, Affiliate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Christian Theological Seminary, and Adjunct Professor at Lexington Theological Seminary. Rick is a popular speaker and preacher and is the author of a number of articles, chapters, and books focused on biblical theology and ethics related to themes of social-economic and ecological justice, including Sabbath and Jubilee (Chalice Press, 2000).

Inhalt
INTRODUCTION
Preaching and Prophetic Witness in the Public Square
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

PART ONE: Biblical and Theological Foundations for a Moral Movement

CHAPTER ONE
The Prophetic Word Is Political
The Reverend Dr. Rick Lowery

CHAPTER TWO
Blessed Are the Rejected for They Shall Lead the Revival
The Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis

CHAPTER THREE
Organizing and Shaping a Moral Vision for Justice in the Public Square
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

PART TWO: Vision and Action

CHAPTER FOUR
When the Stones Come Together
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

RESPONSE
The Door to Life’s Defining Moments
The Reverend Dr. Nancy Petty

CHAPTER FIVE
Moral March on Raleigh
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

RESPONSE
We Are Not Afraid
Al McSurely

CHAPTER SIX
The Call to Be Positioned as Powerful Prisoners of Prophetic Hope
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

RESPONSE
Blues, Gospel, and Jazz Visions for God’s Own Prisoner of Hope
Dr. Timothy Tyson

CHAPTER SEVEN
Moral Action on Climate Change
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

RESPONSE
Rekindle in Us a Fire: William Barber’s Moral Call to Climate Action
Karenna Gore

CHAPTER EIGHT
I Wish You a Mourning Christmas
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

RESPONSE
A Call to Mourning: Wish and Warning
The Reverend Dr. James Forbes Jr.

CHAPTER NINE
The Danger of Misdiagnosing Terrorism
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

RESPONSE
Growing a Local Peace Economy
Jodie Evans

CHAPTER TEN
You Have a Right to Fight for a Living Wage
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

RESPONSE
Fighting Together for $15 and Union
Mary Kay Henry

CHAPTER ELEVEN
Bothered and Baptized by the Blood
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

RESPONSE
Cheating to Win Elections Is a Sin
Penda D. Hair

CHAPTER TWELVE
Standing Down Is Not an Option
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

RESPONSE
A Moral Agenda for Mercy and Justice
The Reverend Dr. Katharine Rhodes Henderson

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Need to Know Who We Are in Times Like These
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

RESPONSE
Lyrical Connections: The Music and Message of the Movement
Yara Allen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
We Shall Not Be Moved!
The Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

RESPONSE
Listening to the Heart and Hurt of the People
Charmeine Fletcher

Acknowledgments