The Time Is Now
A Call to Uncommon Courage
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A beloved nun and social activist offers a soul-stirring guide for all who feel disillusioned and dissatisfied with the power-hungry institutions and systems of this world
“A cri de coeur against the status quo and for a bold spirituality to fight injustice.”—The New York Times
In The Time Is Now, Sister Joan Chittister—a rabble-rousing force of nature for social justice and fervent proponent of personal faith and spiritual fulfillment—draws on the wisdom of prophets, both ancient and modern, to help us confront the societal forces that oppress and silence the sacred voices among us.
Pairing scriptural insights with narratives of the truth-tellers that came before us, Sister Joan offers a compelling vision for readers to combat complacency and to propel ourselves toward creating a world of justice, freedom, peace, and empowerment.
For the weary, the cranky, and the fearful, this energizing message invites us to participate in a vision for a world greater than the one we find ourselves in today. This is spirituality in action; this is practical and powerful activism for our times.
Praise for The Time Is Now
“For decades Chittister has been a prolific author and advocate for women and social justice inside and outside the realm of the Catholic Church. Here she shares her perspective on the current state of equity, social justice, and the environment and calls on all Christians to explore the traits of prophets, many of which they can find within themselves . . . offering motivation as well as ways to accomplish change.”—Booklist
“A series of short essays to encourage and refresh the spirit of activists . . . applicable to both progressive and conservative Christians. Will appeal to spiritual readers seeking an encouraging book for social justice advocacy.”—Library Journal (starred review)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Benedictine nun and activist Chittister (The Gift of Years) offers a pulpit-thumping call to assume a stance and voice of prophetic spirituality to resist oppression and injustice. The idea is as old as the Hebrew Bible, Chittister writes, with its great prophets castigating a corrupt nation. She refers to Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and others from the biblical tradition, but also widens her lens to include such modern thinkers as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr. While Chittister's intent is admirable, her execution is undercooked. Unfortunately, too much of her argument gets bogged down in generalities ("We watch bureaucrats in big cars pretending to be important. We see resident critics come and go"), and the prose can be florid ("The hopes of the human heart once aflame were impossible to extinguish"). Chittister so frequently drags in a thought or injunction from a panoply of leaders and inspirational figures Helen Keller, John F. Kennedy, Mary Pickford, and John A. Shedd among them that the effect becomes one of a motivational pastiche rather than a powerful prod. This will be a disappointment to fans of Chittister's more rigorous work.
