Mary Joe Leddy lives with refugees at Romero House, a temporary shelter like no other. She invites us to see them with the eyes of Christ and begin to know our true selves.

The awareness that the churches shaped out of the European Reformations are in an advanced process of unraveling is becoming increasingly sensed by many. This book proposes a way of addressing this unraveling based on the experiences and knowledge of people who have always had to struggle with the unraveling of their own communities and worlds. It takes us outside the circular conversations of the Euro-tribal churches into dialogue with people who have been marginalized to see how they have learned to reenter their formative stories to discover ways of remaking themselves in the unraveling. The book then turns these discoveries into ways the churches can engage their own massive unraveling.

Nerney guides the reader on a narrative journey through and toward compassion for our fellow human beings, emphasizing connectedness rather than perceived differences. Intended to impel action, this book will be a valuable resource for social activists, parish groups, and spiritual seekers looking for new ways to appreciate and deepen their faith.

We live in precarious times and are seeking to make a lasting impact through immediate solutions. But in our haste we often make decisions to fix problems and persons, forgetting that we are not called to fix but rather to reconcile. In this wide-ranging collection of essays we explore what it might look like if we were to live in the world first with the purpose of reconciling and then allow that vision to guide our actions. Each essay engages with reconciliation in different contexts, providing meaningful and potentially transformative insights that will lead the reader to more faithful lives and activities. The essays are not filled with theoretical reflections but with hard-earned wisdom from proven thinkers, practitioners, and innovators.

This book migrates through continents, regions, nations, and villages, in order to tell the stories of diverse kinds of nomadic dwellers. It departs from Africa, en routes itself toward Asia, Oceania, Europe, and culminates in the Americas, with the territories of Latin America, Canada, and the United States. The volume travels through worn out pathways of migration that continue to be threaded upon today, and theologically reflects on a wide range of migratory aims that result also in diverse forms of indigenization of Christianity. Among the main issues being considered are: How have globalization and migration affected the theological self-understanding of Christianity? In light of globalization and migration, how is the evangelizing mission of Christianity to be understood and carried out? What ecclesiastical reforms if any are required to enable the church to meet present-day challenges?

Born in Winnipeg in 1927, Lois Wilson was the first female moderator of the United Church of Canada, the first female president of the Canadian Council of Churches, and the first woman and first Canadian president of the North American region of the World Council of Churches. A respected human rights defender and activist for peace and social justice around the world, she was appointed by successive Canadian governments to head missions in Korea, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Sudan, among others, over her long and distinguished career. For the Sake of the Common Good is a tribute to the life and work of this remarkable Canadian. It brings together contributions from internationally recognized figures such as Louise Arbour, Lloyd Axworthy, and Irwin Cotler; national leaders such as Bill Blaikie, Alia Hogben, Mary Jo Leddy, Stan McKay, and Michael Blair; and local heroes such as Alexa Gilmour and Brent Hawkes, who have been influenced by Lois Wilson’s practical Christianity, progressive values, and commitment to ending oppression in all forms. Their essays urge us to think about the many ways we can work toward the common good: by welcoming refugees, developing ecologically sustainable ways of life, repairing relations with Indigenous Peoples, protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ people and all who are oppressed, defending political prisoners, and respecting religious rights and the place of faith in public life. In such ways, we can restore right relations with the Earth and with each other. For the Sake of the Common Good gratefully acknowledges Lois Wilson’s inspiring legacy while taking on the important task of continuing her work.