Why did you write Sustaining Hope in an Unjust World?

I’ve been thinking about this project off and on for several years. Its originating event, as told in the preface, began over a decade ago with surviving cancer. Since then, I’ve felt that there are no guaranteed victories or successes in life, even if we are faithful.

I extended that insight to my experience with social justice activism. In such work, we often don’t fully achieve our objectives; things may at times even get worse. I wanted to provide a corrective to the rhetoric of inevitable progress, where our society slowly but surely becomes better and better. It’s admittedly an energizing chant during a march, but it doesn’t help you after suffering defeats. This book is for those persons who’ve been in the struggle for a while or are just starting to help us re-imagine our work for the long haul through victories and disappointments, so we can sustain hope.

Your working title for the book was “A Theology for Losers.” What's behind that?

I really like the idea of theology for losers. Losers is admittedly a provocative word. What it implies is a variation on God’s preferential option for the oppressed, those who are seen as losers in our world. By using it in this way, I’m subverting the negative connotation of losers in our dominant society’s eyes. Being a loser is the worst thing in the world: no one wants to be seen as a loser. In my rendering, it becomes almost another Beatitude: “Blessed are the losers.” I also like it because it inverts the prosperity gospel’s notion of divine blessing and success and its monstrous implications.

What’s your advice for people who are trying to make a difference but feel like they’re failing?

We can’t reach the vision of the society we want by ourselves. We can’t personally carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. But if we are part of communities of resistance and resilience, that vision can endure for the long haul. We’re not the first people to feel that things are horrible, and others have endured worse situations. I’m suggesting that we learn from them, take inspiration from their witness, and find strength in one another going forward.

What makes this book relevant today and different from other books on the subject ?

I think many people are struggling to sustain hope in our world right now. In spite of the best efforts of people, many challenges in our society and on our planet are getting worse. I don’t see many efforts to  connect activists’ struggles with process-relational approaches to the Divine. Bringing a practical blending of  process theology with liberative movements for a general audience is something I really think can be helpful  for our communities today. 

If you could give a struggling activist three pieces of advice or one thing they could do today, right now—what would it be?

The most important thing is to find a community of support if you don’t already have one. While this may be a religious congregation, it does not have to necessarily be one. It could be a group of activists that share a similar passion for an issue. What matters is that you don’t try and do this alone. Lone wolves are guaranteed to burn out.

Second, you have to pace yourself. The problems we find in our world did not develop overnight. Sometimes they are the legacy of centuries worth of bad decisions. They will take decades, even generations, to undo. This is a challenge when a crisis is starring us in the face, or we try and hop from crisis to crisis. The forces of oppression want us to feel overwhelmed and give up. Instead, we need a non-anxious urgency, or an impatient patience.

Lastly, I’d say focus where you are passionate and you see a real need. Without both of those together, you’re going to struggle.