Call for Submissions: Our God is an Awkward God

Edited by Megan Rohrer 

Our God is an Awkward God: In Celebration of a God as Wonderfully Strange as We Are is an interfaith collection of writings about the full diversity of the imago dei (image of God), or an appropriate way of supporting the diversity of creation as found in non-theistic faith traditions.  A mixture of narrative, poem, art and other reflections, this book will be like an adult, non-fiction version of Are You There God It's Me, Margaret.

Accepted authors will receive a free copy of the book.  Proceeds from the book will benefit Welcome: A Communal Response to Poverty and authors will have access to purchasing books at cost for their own use or sale.

Deadline for consideration for the first edition: Sept 1, 2018.

How to Contribute to Our God is an Awkward God:

• Contributors are strongly encouraged to speak about their own uniqueness or strangeness, rather than writing about the diversity of communities that they are not a part of. 
• Contributors may email pastor@gracesf.com before they begin writing, if they have questions about the subject or appropriateness of submissions, or are interested in thematic suggestions or prompts from sacred texts.  Send a short synopsis of your idea and we'll give you feedback.  
• To Submit: Please send non-fiction contributions that are no more than 20 pages.  Submissions may be scholarly (Chicago formatting please), narrative, interview, poems or art.  For other types of writing please contact the editor about your idea.  Authors may submit more than one submission. Please also include a one paragraph biography in addition to your submission.  All items can be emailed to: pastor@gracesf.com. 
• First drafts are due September 1st, unless special permission is given by the editors.  If possible, we hope to publish this book before November of 2018.

The INTRAfaith Conversation: How Do Christians Talk Among Ourselves About INTERFAITH Matters?: Susan M. Strouse

The INTRAfaith Conversation: How Do Christians Talk Among Ourselves About INTERfaith Matters? by Susan M. Strouse is a guide for individuals and faith communities to explore what it means to be a Christian in a multifaith world.

The Rev. Dr. Susan M. Strouse is currently the pastor at First United Lutheran Church in San Francisco.

In these religiously raucous times, one can be easily confused.  Susan Strouse offers in this readable book, practical ways of dealing with our confusion, while suggesting accessible paths toward the building of authentic interfaith community.  She poses essential intrafaith questions to guide us as we seek to be faithful, hospitable believers. Through stories and theological insights, Strouse lavishes all who seek to live with grace in the current milieu a most meaningful gift. – Kathleen S. Hurty, Ph.D., co-editor of Women, Spirituality and Transformative Leadership: Where Grace Meets Power

An eye-opener that addresses the heart of something vital. Dialogue, respect, compassion are all bound up with each other. If this work is not done, it puts the human species in very grave peril. The book is an urgent and timely presentation for a pluralistic and respectful dialogue between the great wisdom ways of the worlds, with a view to dispelling ignorance and bias and promoting understanding through dialogue. - Roger Creet, member of First United Lutheran Church

                                              

Susan - I found your book enjoyable throughout. Your breakdown of the subject matter and handling each in bite-size pieces is very smart. Your section ending questions are also well-placed. I found myself either agreeing with or learning from everything you wrote. I would recommend the book being used in congregational settings quite highly.” -  The Rev. Brian Stein-Webber, Chief Administrative Officer, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary 

INTERfaith dialogue is challenging enough, but INTRAfaith conversations are even more so.  Rev. Dr. Strouse has given us a much-needed toolbox for engaging respectfully with each other to increase our understanding of the “other”.  Linda Crawford, Executive Director, Interfaith Center at the Presidio, San Francisco, CA

This book is currently available at Amazon Kindle and will be released in paperback at First United Lutheran Church on April 24, 2016.