Rude Praise

""If preaching feels impossible when grief has no polite language--when rage and protest keep breaking into worship--these sermons are for you. Rude Praise refuses to police language, choosing instead to listen, to name sorrow, and to sit in the darkness without rushing to fix it. In these pages, preaching becomes communal--where God's lament meets ours, and no one is left alone."" --Eliana Ah-Rum Ku, Assistant Professor of Homiletics, Graduate School of Practical Theology, South Korea ""Read these sermons if at times you weep for our current world. Read them to be reminded of what great preaching is: filled with rich biblical and contemporary stories, good humor, and smart theological analysis. But most of all, read them because you need good news. Jason Byassee takes psalms of anger and lament and skillfully wrestles from them the joyous gospel of Jesus Christ and what God is doing today."" --Paul Scott Wilson, Professor Emeritus of Homiletics, University of Toronto ""Once upon a time, our greatest theologians--Augustine, Jerome, Luther--preached often on the Psalms. After a hiatus, they're at it again in this elegant volume. Much to ponder and be blessed by here!"" --James C. Howell, Senior Pastor, Myers Park United Methodist Church, Charlotte ""What an extraordinary volume with its invitation into rude praise--as surprising as it is necessary. God invites us to be absolutely honest in our prayers, and this exceptional group of preachers helps us to wrestle with, and then to accept, God's invitation. As they probe some of the harsh and honest words of the Bible, the words of these sermons give us permission to embrace the biblical tradition of rude praise for ourselves and in our time. With endless reasons for lament and anger, for grief and despair swirling around us, this volume offers a pathway forward in prayer that we all need."" --Kristen Deede Johnson, Principal, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto