Mobilizing for the Common Good : The Lived Theology of John M. Perkins

Born into a sharecropping family in New Hebron, Mississippi, in 1930, and only receiving a third-grade education, John M. Perkins has been a pioneering prophetic African American voice for reconciliation and social justice to America's white evangelical churches. Often an unwelcome voice and always a passionate, provocative clarion, Perkins persisted for forty years in bringing about the formation of the Christian Community Development Association--a large network of evangelical churches and community organizations working in America's poorest communities--and inspired the emerging generation of young evangelicals concerned with releasing the Church from its cultural captivity and oppressive materialism. John M. Perkins has received surprisingly little attention from historians of modern American religious history and theologians. Mobilizing for the Common Good is an exploration of the theological significance of John M. Perkins. With contributions from theologians, historians, and activists, this book contends that Perkins ushered in a paradigm shift in twentieth-century evangelical theology that continues to influence Christian community development projects and social justice activists today. Part I. Relocation- Considering The Journey. The Black Apostle To White Evangelicals / Albert G. Miller -- The Church As Family And The Politics Of Food Distribution / Lauren F. Winner -- Brotherhood And Its Limits / Ted Ownby -- A Quiet Revolution And The Culture Wars / Peter Slade -- Part Ii. Redistribution- Challenging The Church. A Prophetic Vision In An Age Of Profit / Paul Louis Metzger -- Between Two Gardens : An Organic Salvation For The Community Development From The Biblical Narrative / Michael Andrew -- Religionless Ecclesiology And The Missional Church / Peter Goodwin Heltzel And Chrstian T. Collins Winn -- Lady, Give Me A Drink : Reading Scripture, Shaping Community Development / Kelly West Figueroa-ray -- Prophetic Ministry, The Prosperity Gospel And Gentrification / Cheryl J. Sanders -- Part Iii. Reconciliation- Continuing The Journey. Communities Of Resurrection And The Transformation Of Bodies / Chris Rice -- Love, Reconciliation, And The Solidarity Of Pain / Mae Elise Cannon -- Only Love Wins : Justice And Public Policy / Lisa Sharon Harper -- Moving Toward The Next Evangelicalism / Soong-chan Rah. Edited By Peter Slade, Charles Marsh, And Peter Goodwin Heltzel. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Born into a sharecropping family in New Hebron, Mississippi, in 1930, and only receiving a third-grade education, John M. Perkins has been a pioneering prophetic African American voice for reconciliation and social justice to America's white evangelical churches. Often an unwelcome voice and always a passionate, provocative clarion, Perkins persisted for forty years in bringing about the formation of the Christian Community Development Association—a large network of evangelical churches and community organizations working in America's poorest communities—and inspired the emerging generation of young evangelicals concerned with releasing the Church from its cultural captivity and oppressive materialism. John M. Perkins has received surprisingly little attention from historians of modern American religious history and theologians. Mobilizing for the Common Good is an exploration of his theological significance. With contributions from theologians, historians, and activists, this book contends that Perkins ushered in a paradigm shift in twentieth-century evangelical theology that continues to influence Christian community development projects and social justice activists today.