"Many white Christians across America are waking up to the fact that something is seriously wrong--but often this is where we get stuck." Confronted by the deep-rooted racial injustice in our society, many white Christians instinctively scramble to add diversity to their churches and ministries. But is diversity really the answer to the widespread racial dysfunction we see in the church? In this simple but powerful book, Pastor David Swanson contends that discipleship, not diversity, lies at the heart of our white churches' racial brokenness. Before white churches can pursue diversity, he argues, we must first take steps to address the faulty discipleship that has led to our segregation in the first place. Drawing on the work of philosopher James K. A. Smith and others, Swanson proposes that we rethink our churches' habits, or liturgies, and imagine together holistic, communal discipleship practices that can reform us as members of Christ's diverse body.

Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity

Politics & Social Sciences

Swanson, David W.

Sociology

<div> Two of the world's greatest crises, systemic racism and environmental destruction, share the same origin story. The two are rooted in economic forces that exploit and oppress both people and land. Pastor David Swanson shows how we have failed our God-given duty as caretakers of creation and how that failure has resulted in the exploitation of people and the extraction of natural resources. Racial and ecological injustice share the same root cause--greed--that turns people and the natural world into commodities that are only valued for their utility. Yet Christians have the capacity to live in a way that nurtures racial and environmental justice simultaneously, honoring people and places in dynamic relationship with our Creator God. Swanson shows how we can become communities of caretakers, the way to restore our relationship with creation and each other, and the holistic justice that can result. </div>

Plundered: The Tangled Roots of Racial and Environmental Injustice

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

As a child, he was shy and seemingly invisible. Yet, David Swanson's life has proved highly exceptional, thanks to a fire in the belly and a determination to defy expectations. Pathologically shy and fearful of interaction with other children, Swanson knew from a young age that he wanted to live a life that would shed this invisibility as a child. The Light Seller is the story of the author's self-promise to show the world that everyone has resources, even the over-looked kid at the back of the classroom with a modest grade point average. Encouraged to be independent from a young age, Swanson worked on a farm in Europe as a teenager, hitch-hiked the country as a college student, and at 33, started a high-tech company that has improved the health of millions of people. Along the way, he traveled the world, did live theater, ran for the state legislature, and learned much about human kind. Sometimes bitter, sometimes funny, occasionally sad, the story should give comfort to anyone who has ever felt diminished in the face of those more adept at drawing attention to themselves.

The Light Seller: A Memoir

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Mission Point Press

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Books by Swanson, David W.