Living Faith

Exploring Some of the Critical Issues and Challenges of Our Day Theologically

We live in an age with great challenges and opportunities. As followers of the Way of Jesus, it’s important for us to think theologically about all of them. What do we believe, how are we called to live, and why? Each session will have ground rules so we can respectfully listen to what I hope will be conversations with different insights and points of view. Having respectful conversations with others who see things differently from us is something critically important faith communities like St. Matthew’s can model.

The next installment is a discussion of Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

On Sunday, November 21 at 4:00 pm, everyone interested is invited to join Blair Pogue and Elaine Tarone on Zoom for a discussion of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. In the book Princeton sociologist and MacArthur Genius Award recipient Matthew Desmond follows eight families in Milwaukee as they struggle to keep a roof over their heads. The author deepens our understanding of poverty and economic exploitation while also providing ideas for solving one of twenty-first-century America’s most devastating and intractable problems. As one reviewer wrote, “Evicted is astonishing—a masterpiece of writing and research that fills a tremendous gap in our understanding of poverty. Taking us into some of America’s poorest neighborhoods, Desmond illustrates how eviction leads to a cascade of events, often triggered by something as simple as a child throwing a snowball at a car, that can trap families in a cycle of poverty for years.” The gathering will begin with a short presentation including theological reflection, and then transition to small group discussion. You are encouraged to order and read this important book by November 21!

Please contact Lars at lars@stmatthewsmn.org for the link.

Later installments include:

January 23: Angela Williams Gorrell, Always On: Practicing Faith in a New Media Landscape

February 20: book TBA

April 24: book TBA