Faithful Witness in a Fractured World
Models for an Authentic Christian Life
by Dr. Nicole L. Johnson and Michael T. Snarr
Imprint: Cascade Books
Christians have always looked to models within the Christian faith to guide their lives. At a time when the church is more identifiable by ugly partisan politics--what we call "crappy Christianity"--than by compassionate neighbor love, this book highlights the lives and work of seven individuals who are pursuing their Christian calling in humility and profound love for and service to others, this book highlights the lives and work of seven individuals who are pursuing their Christian calling in humility and profound love for and service to others. Their commitments have led to vocations in working with homeless women, employing refugees, lobbying on Capitol Hill for environmental protection, healing trauma in urban communities, peacemaking in Israel-Palestine, advocating for immigrants, and walking alongside people in addiction recovery. Their individual and collective witness offer compelling examples of authentic Christian life, which is marked in part by active, embodied faith in pursuit of the common good; a broad and inclusive love for all people; rightly ordered political identities and loyalties; and a commitment to work toward holistic redemption of both people and the systems that constitute our life together. In contrast to much of contemporary American Christianity, these models of faith demonstrate that Christians should focus much more on what we are for rather than what we are against.
Nicole (Niki) L. Johnson is Professor of Religious Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. She is the author of Practicing Discipleship: Lived Theologies of Nonviolence in Conversation with the Doctrine of the United Methodist Church (Wipf & Stock, 2009) as well as several articles and chapters at the intersection of religion and society.
Michael T. Snarr is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Honors Program at Wilmington College (Ohio). He has edited several books and served on the boards of various faith-based organizations, including Sugartree Ministries, Friends Committee on National Legislation, and Christian Peacemaker Teams.
“This book winsomely preaches the gospel without ever getting preachy. The authors use a series of contemporary life stories to illustrate what it means to follow Jesus authentically and creatively, and then weave together a description of faith that is simultaneously realistic, encouraging, hopeful, and compelling. This is the best and most refreshing discussion of what it means to be a Christian that I have read in years.”
—Douglas Jacobsen, author of Gracious Christianity: Living the Love We Profess
“In Faithful Witness in a Fractured World, Johnson and Snarr lower the boom on an overheated discourse, making room for secular and religious people alike to think quietly about what faith lived in public means. They give us role models of decent, regular people taking their religious commitments seriously and doing tangible, real world good—not all at once, but bit by bit until kingdom come. This book is an inspiration, an antidote to being overwhelmed, and a reminder of the radical, transformational possibility that comes from doing small things with great love.”
—Eileen Markey, author of A Radical Faith: The Assassination of Sister Maura
“What makes for an authentic Christian life? In this era of huge cultural, political, and social change, this book tells us how not to be a ‘crappy Christian’ and reminds us of the way to live into the Kingdom of God. Michael and Nicole introduce us to seven individuals whose vocations have been shaped by their understanding of Jesus’ call to love our neighbors. This inspiring book shows how this enduring and radical life in Christ offers a way for personal and political transformation.”
—Diane Randall, Executive Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation
“There are dozens of good books challenging us to care more about God's world, to be active, to make a difference. This one, though, is different—spectacularly so! In Faithful Witness in a Fractured World, Johnson and Snarr have given us a remarkably fresh and gracious guide to Christian social action by tracing the lives of a handful of what Shane Claiborne has called ‘ordinary radicals.’ In stories that are wonderfully told and prose that moves from elegant to sharp to cleverly witty, this book invites us all to learn how to be more civically-minded, how to care more for the common good, and how to emulate these friends of theirs who model this messy, glorious adventure of being God's agents of justice and peace. I am confident that there will be readers whose lives will be decisively altered for the better because of reading Faithful Witness. Quit complaining about ‘crappy Christians’—find some friends, read this together, and live into a better story!”
—Byron Borger, Hearts & Minds Bookstore, Dallastown, Pennsylvania
“The dysfunction of our contemporary political scene is so overwhelming that it would be easy for Christians to throw up their hands in despair. But this timely book outlines a more faithful way forward. In the stories of a great cloud of witnesses—past and present, well-known and obscure—Johnson and Snarr find not only reasons for hope but also practical wisdom for the journey. This is an important read not just for individual believers but also for small groups and entire church communities.”
—Heath W. Carter, author of Union Made: Working People and the Rise of Social Christianity in Chicago
“Thoughtful scholars teach us much about meanings in and through our Holy Scriptures, but with big hearts and sweet humor, Michael and Nicole give us a better gift. This book does not so much teach us as show us what Scripture looks like, in real time, in the flesh. The stories and testimonies are close to the ground and the biblical commentary close to the heart of Christ. I'm challenged, convicted, and encouraged. But most of all, I’m grateful for this project and the people of it.”
—Noah Campbell, Associate Rector, St. George’s Episcopal Church, Germantown, Tennessee, and Cofounder of Memphis Tilth
“One of the biggest obstacles to Christ is Christians, who often act very unlike the Christ we worship. Many folks love Jesus but don’t want anything to do with Christianity because of the contradictions and hypocrisy they see in the church. This book forges the way towards a Christianity that acts like Jesus again, a movement that loves like Christ loves. Johnson and Snarr know that our current crisis in America is not just a political one, but it is also a spiritual and moral crisis. At the heart of that crisis is a church that has lost the art of spiritual formation. We’ve focused more on making believers than forming disciples, and when that happens our faith gets in a funk. Here’s a book that can help us get out of the funk we’re in and discover a faith that is worth believing in and dying for. This book is a call to love like Jesus loved, and not let the haters hold us back.”
—Shane Claiborne, author, activist, founder of Red Letter Christians
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