Scott Black Johnston is the Senior Pastor of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. He is the coauthor of Theology for Preaching: Authority, Truth and Knowledge of God in a Postmodern Ethos (Abingdon, 1997) and coeditor of Questions Preachers Ask: Essays in Honor of Thomas G. Long (WJK, 2016).
“Johnston has written an excellent, timely, and much-needed book.
In a season of moral confusion, he speaks boldly of virtues. In a
time of bitter division, he speaks tenderly of love. When neighbors
lash out at each other, he speaks compellingly of grace and mutual
regard. This uplifting volume gives reason for hope, like rain to a
parched land. -Thomas G. Long, Bandy Professor Emeritus of
Preaching, Candler School of Theology of Emory University “Rather
than tell you, the reader, what I thought about Elusive Grace, I
would rather tell you how Scott Black Johnston's latest book made
me feel. Honestly, it made me feel encouraged anew to keep trying
to be Christian. It reminded me of God's larger horizon for not
just my own life, but even more importantly, for the life of the
Church and this world. I feel nourished, challenged, joyful,
stretched, and re-committed. I know I will re-read it through the
years, especially on those days when discouragement or fear
threaten to take hold. This book is pure gift.” -Rev. Shannon
Johnson Kershner, Pastor, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago
“Johnston has a pastoral, prophetic voice that is marked by
courage, agility, wisdom, and winsome good humor. In this book he
takes on the tough dilemma so many serious believers face, namely,
how to be a sturdy advocate for social justice while at the same
time being a reconciling presence with one’s adversaries. His book
is a gift of practical, down-to-earth counsel deeply informed by
our best theological tradition, the rich discerning experience of
Johnston’s own life, and his wide reading. Readers will receive
hope-filled guidance for more effective, transformative living amid
our deeply divided society. Johnston is a master at showing how the
truth of the gospel emerges from and turns up in our daily life.”
-Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary “There are some
guides that can only be written by people who truly love justice.
Well-researched facts about the good and the right can ring hollow
if one senses that the writer has no soul commitment to justice.
Johnston has skin in the game; his deep-seated desire for a better
world splashes across each page. His work overflows with hope and
promise for both justice and grace in our time. The book and its
author are gifts that light the pathway forward for our troubled
and hurting world.” -Cleophus J. LaRue, Francis Landey Patton
Professor of Homiletics, Princeton Theological Seminary “Elusive
Grace is the medicine we all need to take right now. It is incisive
in identifying what is truly ailing our nation while offering a way
forward of healing and hope. And like any good doctor, Johnston
doesn't sugar coat the truth but speaks with grace and love. He
reminds people of faith not to despair, but to seize and share that
which is most powerful yet elusive: the grace of God.” -Charlene
Han Powell, Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley,
California “In the chaos of modern life, there are a few voices
that I turn to with regularity for honesty and wisdom; Johnston is
at the top of that list. With a scholar's mind, a pastor's heart, a
prophet's insight, and poet's pen, Johnston speaks to the critical
issues of faith and society. He is honest about how hard things are
and hopeful about how things might become. By the end of this book,
grace, as elusive as it is, feels closer and more reliable.” -Tom
Are Jr, Senior Pastor, Village Church, Prairie Village, Kansas “An
engaging summons to the intersection of faith and contemporary
social concerns! Johnston draws from a deep well of resources —
history, scripture, the arts, congregational ministry and life — to
reflect on this fraught season of incivility. Honestly serious and
winsome, hopeful and grace-filled, he considers how folks might
grow in Christian witness and service with this helpful guide for
discernment and discussion.” -Agnes W. Norfleet, Senior Pastor,
Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church “It is at the same time both
exhilarating and frightening to realize that we are invited by God
to help shape what lies ahead. Johnston understands this, gently
but firmly reminding us that we must allow ourselves to be changed
if we are to be agents of change in these polarized times. We are
called to stop strategizing for survival and instead risk loving
the way Jesus did and taught. ‘You can’t know the truth about
anyone until you love them,’ Johnston says. He walks with us
through the basic yet radical Christian principles that lead to the
deepening of love—a love that can embrace the enemy even while
doing justice; a love that will revive the world.” -Cynthia Rigby,
W. C. Brown Professor of Theology, Austin Presbyterian Theological
Seminary
"Scott Black Johnston offers us an important invitation Elusive
Grace. He brings to the conversation his experience as a pastor and
as a teacher of preaching. We see this throughout the book as he
brings in stories and experiences that highlight the message. It’s
accessible for congregational use. That is by design. It is rooted
in Scripture and theology, but also in real life. It is my hope
that congregations might pick up this book and use the study guide
to have important conversations that could begin the process of
healing the world’s divides by bringing healing to the divides
present in our congregations so that together we might become
agents of justice and voices of healing. Mainline Protestant
churches may never reclaim their former status as the primary
molders of the moral conversations in our nation, but we can be
witnesses to God’s Elusive Grace, and in doing so contribute to the
work of justice in the world." – Word&Way
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