Preaching and Social Issues - by Leah D Schade (Paperback)

About the Book

Equips preachers to craft sermons that help congregations talk about topics of public concern based on a strong biblical foundation, solid theological claims, and prudent sermonic strategies.

Book Synopsis

In a time of deep polarization, many preachers feel caught between the gospel's call to justice and the real risks of congregational conflict, backlash, or even threats. This book offers a practical, theologically grounded, and biblically-based guide for pastors who want to address public concerns with courage, wisdom, and care.
Drawing on research with thousands of clergy and congregation members, personal experience in "purple" congregations, and the insights of leading homileticians, this book equips preachers to bring Scripture, theology, and ethics into meaningful conversation with the urgent issues of our time. Rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all model, it helps pastors assess their own context, understand congregational dynamics, and choose strategies that fit their voice, relationships, and level of risk.
At the heart of the book are three approaches to preaching social issues: Gentle, Invitational, and Robust. Together, they provide flexible pathways for addressing topics such as racism, immigration, climate change, Christian Nationalism, gender justice, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion without abandoning either prophetic courage or pastoral care.
This is a book for preachers who know that silence is not neutral, but who also know that faithful proclamation requires discernment. It offers tools, tactics, case studies, sermon examples, and pastoral wisdom for naming what matters, building bridges where possible, and helping congregations connect faith with the issues that matter.
For any preacher wondering how to speak truthfully, courageously, and constructively in divided times, this book is an essential companion.

Review Quotes

"Given the current political and social climates and the theological, political, cultural, and social diversity that exists in most congregations, this book has much to offer. Preaching and Social Issues suggests a model for proclamation that is unapologetically socially conscious and prophetic while at the same time lovingly pastoral." --Homiletic: The Journal of the Academy of Homiletcs

"There are few voices with the moral clarity, spiritual depth, and profound insight of Leah Schade. Preaching and Social Issues is a must read for any who desires to speak to the prophetic urgency of our times." --Frank L. Thomas, Nettie Sweeney and Hugh Th. Miller Professor of Homiletics at Christian Theological Seminary

"Drawing from solid research, rich examples, and relevant sources across a variety of disciplines, Leah Schade offers a welcome set of tools and strategies for preaching about social justice across a wide range of congregational settings-as well as different preachers' own strengths and vulnerabilities. This wise and practical book should be at every preacher's right hand as we craft sermons that will speak the gospel wherever we are called to serve!" --The Rev. Pamela Cooper-White, CB Johnson Professor Emerita of Psychology and Religion, Union Theological Seminary, New York

"Many ingredients go into effective preaching on social issues: analyzing the issue, engaging in situational and congregational study, reading biblical and theological resources, deciding what ethical and homiletical approach to take, and consulting the helpful wisdom and model sermons of those who have gone before us. Leah Schade helps the reader gather all these ingredients in one accessible place. Preaching and Social Issues is a timely, wise, and immensely helpful book!" --John S. McClure, Charles G. Finney Professor of Preaching and Worship, Vanderbilt Divinity School

"Gospel-talk about social issues by pastors of congregations in a polarizing society requires consideration, study, and skill. Rev. Dr. Leah Schade presents Gentle, Invitational, and Robust options that allow preachers to bring a Christian heart and mind to the intersection of any congregation with society. Schade offers data about congregational life and shares the work of several scholars of social gospel preaching. I advise readers to put on an ecumenical hat and take time for careful study." --Rev. Gregory Heille, Aquinas Institute of Theology, editor of Preaching Racial Justice

About the Author

The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is the associate professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky. An ordained Lutheran minister (ELCA) for more than twenty years, she has pastored three Pennsylvania congregations in suburban, urban, and rural contexts. Her Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide explores how clergy and congregations can address controversial social issues using nonpartisan, biblically-centered approaches and deliberative dialogue. She is also the author of Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit, as well as For the Beauty of the Earth, a Creation-centered Lenten devotional. She is co-editor and author with Margaret Bullitt-Jonas of Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis, and co-author with Jerry Sumney of Apocalypse When?: A Guide to Interpreting and Preaching Apocalyptic Texts. She is the lead author, with Elizabeth Askew and Jerry Sumney, of Introduction to Preaching: Scripture, Theology, and Sermon Preparation. Rev. Dr. Schade is also the EcoPreacher blogger for Patheos.