Gospel of the Absurd: Assemblies of Interpretation Embodiment and Faithfulness

Gospel of the Absurd is a project that originates in the anarchic experiences of a crack cocaine addict who was knocked off his high horse by an experience of Jesus. Having spent years as an enemy of the faith R. Scot Miller came back to faith with the passion of a new convert infused with a subversives heart for turning the world upside down. In the process of stumbling every bit as much as he learned to walk in the light Miller begins to understand that the subversive claims of the gospel of Jesus as the Christ are not only the most meaningful response to the absurdity of the world but that such absurdity demands a community of action that makes the subversive Christ the credible response to a culture and Christendom run amok with power and greed. Gospel of the Absurd is about an ethic informed by an absurd claim--that being the claim that voluntary sacrifice of privilege is the proper response to human brokenness and the systems of domination that have lured the church into apostasy. Miller then explores whether the church by prioritizing care ethics over legislative or coercive justice is the salvific experience Jesus is calling us to engage in. Miller presents a truly postmodern apocalyptic and uniquely Christian ethic that defies both conservative and liberal moral visions--not by virtue of a predictablevia mediaalong the familiar linear trajectory of socio-political US culture but by returning the biblical narrative to the center of discourse for contemporary communities of faith. Eschewing universalized authority while affirming the centrality of the gospel this significant work will challenge anyone who dares to engage its relentless scrutiny. --Mark M. Mattison creator of The Paul Page The church has spent much of its history subverting its messianic origin and its prolific vocation to the totalizing agenda of liberal democracy. Millers book exposes this subversion and articulates an ethic rooted in absurdity--the gospel. Here is a call to embody salvation rather than possess or distribute it as an object of consumer exchange. A community that lives this gospel absurdity upends the power that crushes creation with a powerlessness that gives life. --David L. Johns Union College The complexities of ethics and ethical engagement remain critical elements of social (justice) work. As we seek a better grasp it is important to consider varying perspectives particularly those of the historically silenced. InGospel of the Absurd Miller executes this thought process through the lens of core social work thought leaders and black feminist pioneers to demonstrate care ethics in a way that centers on the necessity of community. In doing so he unabashedly renounces white supremacy by examining experiences of black suffering as a demonstration to white theologians of what it truly means to bear the cross. --Radiah Shabazz racial justice organizer On Earth Peace R. Scot Miller is a Quaker and a minister in the Church of the Brethren. A Detroit anarchist who traded angst for a life of faith and farming he believes that the embodying of gospel ethics is the most credible public witness. His family farms in Hastings Michigan. He also serves variously as a substance abuse therapist adjunct professor and outreach worker. He is a member of Common Spirit Church of the Brethren in Grand Rapids Michigan.