Beyond Hashtag Activism: Comprehensive Justice in a Complicated Age, By Mae Elise Cannon alt

Beyond Hashtag Activism

Comprehensive Justice in a Complicated Age

by Mae Elise Cannon

Beyond Hashtag Activism
ebook
  • Length: 304 pages
  • Dimensions: 0 × 0 in
  • Published: May 26, 2020
  • Imprint: IVP
  • Item Code: 3644
  • ISBN: 9780830836444

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The world is not as God intends it to be. God's heart is to make things right, and for the world to be just. But complex problems warrant more sustained attention than quick posts on social media. How can we actually make a difference?

Activist Mae Elise Cannon takes us beyond the hashtags to serious engagement with real issues. God calls the church to respond substantively to the needs of the poor, the realities of racial inequity, and the mistreatment of women and the marginalized. We can accomplish change through a range of strategic avenues—spiritually, socially, legally, politically, and economically. And addressing the domestic and international injustices of our day takes us on a journey of spiritual transformation that brings us closer to God and those around us.

Channel your passion to care effectively for your neighbor and the world. This book will help you understand and put into action what it means for the church to be a place of peace, justice, and hope.

"With all that is happening in the world, there has never been a more critical time for this important book! In Beyond Hashtag Activism, Mae Cannon brings her years of experience and expertise to call us beyond concern to an authentic commitment to racial justice, gender equity, and global hope. This book is a very practical resource for anyone who wants to actively participate in God's story of reconciliation and social healing. I highly recommend it!"

Brenda Salter McNeil, author of Roadmap to Reconciliation and A Credible Witness

"Dr. Cannon deftly navigates many big issues—such as poverty, justice, and climate change—and shows the interplay between these complex problems. Often, justice issues are treated in isolation, and people must choose which is the most urgent. But Cannon shows the delicate interplay between various justice issues like poverty, race, climate change, and gender justice. Each chapter provides tangible next steps for Christians who want to put their convictions into meaningful action."

Nikki Toyama-Szeto, executive director of Evangelicals for Social Action at the Sider Center

"In my fifty years of being an activist pastor, this is the best resource I've read to equip individuals and congregations for improved discussion and strategies on important issues. Dr. Cannon is not only a credible theologian, she's a skillful writer who keeps us engaged and learning, even from those with whom we disagree. Kingdom thinking takes in truth from everywhere to make real progress anywhere."

Joel C. Hunter, former senior pastor of Northland, A Church Distributed, and chairman of the Community Resource Network in Central Florida

"I have known Dr. Rev. Mae Elise Cannon a long time, and she is eminently qualified to speak on this important and broad subject matter. Mae has a deep love of Scripture, commitment to the church, and resolution to pursue justice in all arenas. In Beyond Hashtag Activism, Mae carefully explores growing divisions within evangelicalism within the realm of justice, and she develops an interdisciplinary and intersectional approach for exploring justice—at both a global and domestic level. This book will grow your understanding, deepen your resolve, and send you into the world as a more effective ambassador for justice."

Daniel Hill, pastor, author of White Awake and White Lies

"On issues that are diverse and complex and at a time when divisions have never been wider, Mae Elise Cannon provides an incredibly valuable resource to educate, compel, and equip Jesus followers for meaningful social justice advocacy. Mae speaks with authority and authenticity from her years of personal global engagement. I encourage you to listen and learn . . . and then prayerfully commit as God calls you to action."

Santiago "Jimmy" Mellado, president and CEO of Compassion International

"In Beyond Hashtag Activism, the Rev. Dr. Mae Cannon sounds a clarion call to Christians and faith communities to engage in biblically grounded, Christ-centered ministries of justice to address the critical domestic and international crises of our day. This book will both challenge and inspire readers and congregations to act in strategic ways that are effective in taking on the challenges that cause many to feel powerless. Cannon provides ways that we can connect with others who are putting their faith into action and reminds us of the danger of what happens when we fail to act. Beyond Hashtag Activism calls for thoughtful reflection and action and at times calls us to repentance and reparation. This is a resource that should be placed in the hands of every person who asks, 'What can I do?'"

Christopher Pierson, senior pastor of Gary United Methodist Church, Wheaton, Illinois

"Beyond Hashtag Activism is a book for the decade. There are many books on singular issues swirling around today, but Dr. Cannon takes us on a holistic journey of justice woven together with the same thread that reflects the Holy Scriptures. It is a lifestyle not a pick-and-choose. The historical, theological, and biblical depth is profound, coupled with present-day complexities, making it inspirational reading and a resource for personal and global transformation now and in the future."

Jo Anne Lyon, ambassador, general superintendent emerita, The Wesleyan Church

"Mae Cannon is right: this world is not as it should be. In these pages she offers a way forward for moving from the nightmare we both create and perpetuate to God's dream of a better future for us all. Both thoughtful and practical, this is a book well worth reading . . . then reading again."

Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church
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Read an Excerpt

CONTENTS

Introduction

Part 1. Biblical Justice and the Gospel
1. God's Justice and Prophetic Advocacy
2. Politics and the Gospel

Part 2: Poverty
3. Global Poverty
4. Domestic Poverty

Part 3: Race
5. White Supremacy and American Christianity
6. Racial Violence, Police Brutality, and the Age of Incarceration
7. Global Immigration and Battles at the Border
8. Divisions of Race and Ethnicity Around the World

Part 4: Gender
9. #MeToo, Women in the Workplace, and Women in the Church
10. The Liberation of Women Around the World

Part 5: Twenty-First-Century Divides
11. Marriage and Sexuality
12. The Middle East, Israel, and Palestine
13. Religious Freedom

Epilogue: A Recommitment to Biblical Justice and Beloved Community
Acknowledgments
Notes

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Mae Elise Cannon

Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). She is the author of Social Justice Handbook and Just Spirituality, and coeditor of Evangelical Theologies of Liberation and Justice.

Cannon formerly served as the senior director of advocacy and outreach for World Vision US on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, and also as consultant to the Middle East for child advocacy issues for Compassion International in Jerusalem. She has served as the executive pastor of Hillside Covenant Church located in Walnut Creek, California, and as director of development and transformation for extension ministries at Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois.

Cannon holds an MDiv from North Park Theological Seminary, an MBA from North Park University’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management, and an MA in bioethics from Trinity International University. She received her first doctorate in American history with a minor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of California (Davis) and her second doctorate in ministry in spiritual formation from Northern Theological Seminary. Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, CNN, Chicago Tribune, Christianity Today, Leadership Magazine, The Christian Post, Jerusalem Post, EU Parliament Magazine, Huffington Post, and other international media outlets.