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

"A thought-provoking look at the intertwining of religion and social control."--Publishers Weekly

● Explains what "empire" is in our modern day
● Gives practical spiritual guidance for resisting empire's daily influence
● Explores how early Christians navigated imperial pressures
● Unpacks how empire influences how we see ourselves and others

Everyone wants to belong.

What does true belonging look like when the society you live in is not something you want to "belong" to?

In Liturgies for Resisting Empire, Cuban American theologian and writer Kat Armas provides a roadmap for Christians seeking a countercultural way of living that prioritizes community and humanity over dominance and power.

Armas combines spiritual practices and biblical theology to help us create authentic belonging to God, ourselves, each other, and creation. She begins by examining how empire affects us daily through its pervasive ideologies and systems of control. Drawing from decolonial and postcolonial biblical interpretation, she explores how the New Testament church resisted Roman imperial power while building communities centered on God's kingdom values rather than worldly dominance.

This book offers hope for Christians struggling to live faithfully within systems of exploitation and oppression. Armas provides practical spiritual disciplines, community-building strategies, and theological frameworks that empower readers to resist empire's dehumanizing effects while cultivating spaces of authentic belonging and liberation.

Discover a spiritual way of life that you actually want to belong to--one liturgy at a time.

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.