Proverbs of Ashes ─ Violence, Redemptive Suffering, and the Search for What Saves Us

An extraordinary personal and theological examination of what’s wrong with the crucifixion In an emotionally gripping and intellectually rich combination of memoir and theology, Rita Brock and Rebecca Parker show how emphasizing Christ’s obedience to God and sacrifice on the cross sanctions violence, exacerbates its effects, blesses silence about the abuse of human beings, and hinders the process of recovery—giving the fullest and most powerful critique to date of the theology of atonement.

“Poignant and provocative. . . . Brock and Parker have written a book of both sorrow and hope, and a blueprint for deeper thinking about the things that matter most. . . . I will be reflecting on Proverbs of Ashes for many months to come.” —Rosemary Bray McNatt, UU World

“This book will anger some Christians and make others feel vindicated. . . . Parker and Brock unveil their own deep pain and suffering to build the book’s backbone. They blend selfdisclosure with serious theology to underscore their outlook.” —Cecil S. Holmes, Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Provocative. . . . The authors weave theological reflections with deeply moving personal accounts of abuse and trauma, including their own experiences.” —The Other Side

“[Readers] cannot help but be swayed by the book’s searing passion and profoundly literary style (a remarkable achievement in a coauthored work). Brock and Parker have thrown down a gauntlet that cannot be ignored.” —Publishers Weekly

Rita Nakashima Brock is a research associate at the Harvard Divinity School, and author of Journeys by Heart: A Christology of Erotic Power. Rebecca Ann Parker, president of Starr King School for the Ministry at Graduate Theological Union, is an ordained United Methodist minister in dual fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Rita Nakashima Brock is Research Professor of Theology and Culture and Director of the Soul Repair Center at Brite Divinity School, Ft. Worth, Texas. She is author, with Gabriella Lettini, of Soul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War and author, with Rebecca Ann Parker, of Proverbs of Ashes: Violence, Redemptive Suffering, and the Search for What Saves Us and Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire. She lives in Oakland, California.

Rebecca Ann Parker?was President of and Professor of Theology at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California, until 2014, and coauthor of Proverbs of Ashes: Violence, Redemptive Suffering, and the Search for What Saves Us and Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire. An ordained United Methodist minister, Parker has dual fellowship with the United Methodist Church and the Unitarian Universalist Association.?She currently serves on the board of an interfaith think tank focused on progressive religion and politics called Faith Voices for the Common Good.