R. Scot Miller is a Quaker, and a minister in the Church of the Brethren. A Detroit anarchist who traded angst for a life of faith and farming, he believes that the embodying of gospel ethics is the most credible public witness. His family farms in Hastings, Michigan. He also serves variously as a substance abuse therapist, adjunct professor, and outreach worker. He is a member of Common Spirit Church of the Brethren in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
"Miller presents a truly postmodern, apocalyptic, and uniquely
Christian ethic that defies both conservative and liberal moral
visions--not by virtue of a predictable via media along the
familiar linear trajectory of socio-political US culture, but by
returning the biblical narrative to the center of discourse for
contemporary communities of faith. Eschewing universalized
authority while affirming the centrality of the gospel, this
significant work will challenge anyone who dares to engage its
relentless scrutiny."
--Mark M. Mattison, creator of The Paul Page
"The church has spent much of its history subverting its messianic
origin and its prolific vocation to the totalizing agenda of
liberal democracy. Miller's book exposes this subversion and
articulates an ethic rooted in absurdity--the gospel. Here is a
call to embody salvation, rather than possess or distribute it as
an object of consumer exchange. A community that lives this gospel
absurdity upends the power that crushes creation, with a
powerlessness that gives life."
--David L. Johns, Union College
"The complexities of ethics and ethical engagement remain critical
elements of social (justice) work. As we seek a better grasp it is
important to consider varying perspectives, particularly those of
the historically silenced. In Gospel of the Absurd, Miller executes
this thought process through the lens of core social work thought
leaders and black feminist pioneers to demonstrate 'care ethics' in
a way that centers on the necessity of community. In doing so, he
unabashedly renounces white supremacy by examining experiences of
black suffering as a demonstration to white theologians of what it
truly means to bear the cross."
--Radiah Shabazz, racial justice organizer, On Earth Peace
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