Liturgies for Resisting Empire - by Kat Armas (Paperback)

About the Book

A Cuban American writer breaks down the images and idols of empire, showing how the early Christians, and readers today, can resist the lies of empire by building communities of belonging and liberation.

Book Synopsis

Everyone wants to belong.

But what does belonging--to God, ourselves, and each other--look like in the context of living within an empire and its ideologies?

In Liturgies for Resisting Empire, Cuban American writer Kat Armas explores this question both for the New Testament church and for us today.

Armas starts by introducing the idea of empire and how deeply it affects everyone, every day. She then explores what it means to belong to God, not empire, by looking at the ways the early church wrestled with this. Through de- and post-colonial interpretations of Scripture, she examines empires throughout history, offering readers a path toward liberation from systems of exploitation and guidance for building communities that value people over power.

Armas gives readers a sense of hope and belonging in their daily lives--belonging to ourselves, God, each other, and the earth--in ways that resist the lies of empire. Each chapter begins with a brief liturgy.

From the Back Cover

Breaking Free from Empire in Our Daily Lives

Everyone wants to belong. But what does belonging--to God, ourselves, and each other--look like in the context of living within an empire and its ideologies?

In Liturgies for Resisting Empire, Cuban American writer Kat Armas breaks down the images and idols of empire. She reveals how early Christians resisted the lies of empire by building communities of belonging and liberation that valued people over power, and she shows us how we can do the same today.

"A powerful roadmap for decolonizing faith and life. With prose that is both poetic and prophetic, Kat skillfully leads us through accessible liturgies that offer practical ways to resist empire's grip on our bodies, communities, and spirits. I especially loved how Liturgies for Resisting Empire offers a healing vision of belonging where Indigenous wisdom is honored and true kinship becomes possible in harmony with the whole community of creation."
--Randy Woodley, author of Journey to Eloheh and Becoming Rooted

Praise for Kat Armas

"Armas is the theologian we need."
--Emily P. Freeman, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Next Right Thing

"Armas's words dance and sing in ways that made me rethink what it means to dance and sing and write as a theologian."
--Danté Stewart, writer and speaker

"Armas makes her mark as one of the most brilliant biblical scholars of her generation."
--Karen González, theologian, immigration advocate, and author of The God Who Sees

About the Author

Kat Armas (MDiv, MAT, Fuller Theological Seminary) is a Cuban American writer and podcaster and the recipient of Fuller Seminary's Frederick Buechner Award for Excellence in Writing. She is pursuing a ThM at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Armas is the author of two books, Abuelita Faith and Sacred Belonging. She lives outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her family.