Lenny Duncan is the unlikeliest of pastors. Formerly incarcerated, he is now a black preacher in the whitest denomination in the United States: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Shifting demographics and shrinking congregations make all the headlines, but Duncan sees something else at work–drawing a direct line between the church’s lack of diversity and the church’s lack of vitality. The problems the ELCA faces are theological, not sociological. But so are the answers.
Part manifesto, part confession, and all love letter, Dear Church offers a bold new vision for the future of Duncan’s denomination and the broader mainline Christian community of faith. Dear Church rejects the narrative of church decline and calls everyone–leaders and laity alike–to the front lines of the church’s renewal through racial equality and justice.
It is time for the church to rise up, dust itself off, and take on forces of this world that act against God: whiteness, misogyny, nationalism, homophobia, and economic injustice. Duncan gives a blueprint for the way forward and urges us to follow in the revolutionary path of Jesus.
Dear Church also features a discussion guide at the back–perfect for church groups, book clubs, and other group discussion.
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Summary
Dear Church was chosen as our latest book club read. It’s part love letter to the church and part clarion call for change within the church on issues surrounding diversity. When I saw that Nadia Bolz-Weber had blurbed the book and that her quote on the front cover was, “I dare you to read this book,” I was immediately intrigued. Having just recently read one of Rev. Bolz-Weber’s books, I knew that if she was endorsing Dear Church, it most likely had to be good and I wasn’t disappointed. I also know now why she said that, because Rev. Duncan’s writing style isn’t unlike hers. It’s filled with bold statements that are meant to get people thinking and hopefully change hearts and minds, but at the same time, it’s a tender love letter that conveys just how much he genuinely loves the church. As flawed as the church may be when it comes to certain aspects, it’s where Rev. Duncan finally found peace and purpose in his life and he just wants to make it better for people like himself.
The book is written specifically to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the denomination to which Rev. Duncan belongs, but honestly I think the message could apply to pretty much every church denomination, as all the ones I’ve been a part of in my lifetime have similar diversity issues. The author contends that this is largely a theological one and not a sociological one. He spends nearly the entire first half of the book discussing how white supremacy has infiltrated many aspects of church life to the point that most white people don’t even realize it. So as a rare person-of-color (POC) clergy within the ELCA, he’s calling them out and challenging them to make changes, even if it means reimagining certain parts of the liturgy or eliminating certain hymns and traditions. If it’s harmful or offensive in any way toward POCs, then it should go. He also discusses what steps the church might make in order to repent, reconcile, and make reparations going forward. Additionally he discusses the dissonance of both himself and Dylann Roof, the white supremacist, mass-shooter who targeted a black church, coming from the same denomination.
Dear Church isn’t just about racial relations and the church, though. As a self-described queer person, Rev. Duncan devotes an entire chapter to the need for the church to be more welcoming of our LGBTQIA siblings. I also especially liked the chapter on toxic masculinity. I appreciated the author’s honesty in admitting that he’s been guilty of this type of behavior in the past, but that he’s now working hard to overcome that and calling on other men to do the same. I think it’s wonderful that he’s taking a stand for women/femmes. He additionally discusses the rise of white nationalism under the current presidential administration. Then he wraps everything up by showing how the church can and should lead the way forward on all these issues.
I very much enjoyed reading Dear Church, and wholeheartedly agree with it’s messages. I sensed Rev. Duncan’s personality shining through his words. At times, I felt like I was in his church, hearing a bold, fiery sermon, and while he doesn’t mince words on the issues covered, his message is one that inspires rather than tearing down. At other times, I felt wrapped in a warm, loving embrace as he unabashedly expresses his love for the church and for God’s people. I hope readers will pick up this book, check their privilege at the door, and take all of his words to heart, while pledging to do better in the future. I know that’s what I’m going to do.
Review provided by The Hope Chest Reviews