Outlandish
An Unlikely Messiah, a Messy Ministry, and the Call to Mobilize
Derek Penwell
9780827231689
192 pages
Chalice Press
Overview
Discover the improbable methods and ministry of a radical and revolutionary Jesus.
Jesus did everything wrong: Poor judgment picking a team of disciples. Ministering to the wrong people. Angering the wrong people. Having outrageous expectations of his followers. Questionable teaching methods. Allowing others to have unrealistic opinions about his mission. A humiliating end followed by an improbable surprise ending. And then, somehow, inspiring millions to attempt to change the world in his name.
Outlandish: An Unlikely Messiah, a Messy Ministry, and the Call to Mobilize shows how Jesus's ministry flew in the face of conventional wisdom, a ministry that would be described as misguided, mistaken, and miserable - and succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Then, fast-forwarding two thousand years, learn how that kind of ministry is sorely needed today and the political, social, and organizational lessons to be learned from Jesus's radically different ministry.
Author Bio
Derek Penwell is an author, speaker, pastor, and activist. He is the senior pastor of Douglass Boulevard Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky and a former lecturer at the University of Louisville in Religious Studies and Humanities.
Derek has a Ph.D. in humanities from the University of Louisville, and is the author of articles ranging from church history to aesthetic theory and the tragic emotions. He is also the author of The Mainliner's Survival Guide to the Post-Denominational World, from Chalice Press, about how mainline denominations can avoid despair in an uncertain world. His newest book, Outlandish: An Unlikely Messiah, a Messy Ministry, and the Call to Mobilize (Chalice Press, 2019), focuses on understanding the political nature of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection as a model for forming communities of resistance capable of challenging oppression in the pursuit of peace and justice.
He is an activist and advocate on local, state, and national levels on issues of racial justice, LGBTQ fairness, interfaith engagement, and immigrant and refugee rights.
