A Nazareth Manifesto

"At the interface of critical academic reflection and faithful church theology, we have no better voice than that of Sam Wells. He invites us to rethink, from the ground up, our abiding temptation to condescending 'help and service' to others. He compellingly renders a more excellent way toward the transformative 'with.'"-WALTER BRUEGGEMANN, Columbia Theological Seminary This eloquent and ground-breaking book is nothing less than a call to rethink Christian witness and mission, based on a profound re-telling of our relationship with each other and God. One of the most essential goals of contemporary Christianity is social engagement. In this thought-provoking manifesto, Samuel Wells - a respected priest and renowned Christian ethicist - takes as a starting point a thoughtful and impassioned proposal for re-envisioning Christianity's approach to social engagement away from working "for" the people to being "with" them. Wells argues that we are so focused on doing things for people - and often find ourselves wondering why they appear resistant to or ungrateful for our intervention - that we have lost sight of the importance of being with people and allowing that coexistence to inform how we learn from each other and grow together. Jesus spent 90 percent of his life simply being among the people of Nazareth, sharing their hopes and struggles - and so similar emphasis must be placed on being alongside people in distress and disadvantage rather than hastening to impose solutions. What flows from this is a different way of understanding our relationships with each other and with God. Supported by a range of historical, contemporary, exegetical, and anecdotal illustrations, A Nazareth Manifesto will prove to be a provocative and valuable contribution to the conversation surrounding Christianity's role in confronting the social challenges of today's world.