C4SO READS

Join us for C4SO Reads for Lent!

The Revelation 7:9 Task Force for Racial Diversity and Inclusion invites you to join them in reading and reflecting on the book Prophetic Lament by Soong Chan Rah during the Lenten season.

One of the Task Force’s 2021 goals is C4SO’s more holistic participation in God’s vision for racial justice. A crucial step in this process is lament, as we recognize all that we have done and left undone to the detriment of this vision. As Soong Chan Rah argues in Prophetic Lament, the US Church is not versed in the language of lament and has too often sought after power and influence instead. Lent carves out space for us to learn a new way, and Rah’s book can serve as an imaginative guide for the journey.

Here’s how to participate: 

  1. Invite your small group, family or friends to read the book together during Lent (starting Feb 17 and concluding the week of March 24). Reading alone is OK too!
  2. Purchase the book from InterVarsity Press and enter discount code 40IVP21 to save 40% off the list price.
  3. Join the C4SO Reads Facebook group and participate in weekly dialogue with the Rev. 7:9 Task Force and others in C4SO about the book (optional).
  4. Each Wednesday during Lent, view a short video reflection posted in the C4SO Reads Facebook group from a member of the Rev. 7:9 Task Force about that week’s reading. These reflections will help guide conversations in your group.
  5. Attend a diocesan-wide Zoom call with the Rev. 7:9 Task Force and Bishop Todd Hunter on Wednesday, March 24, at 7 pm CST, to wrap up the book. Register here.


Reading Schedule

Prophetic Lament has five sections, each named Lamentations 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. Each section has a few chapters.
Week One: Lamentations 1, Intro and Chapters 1-3
Week Two: Lamentations 2, Chapters 4-7
Week Three: Lamentations 3, Chapters 8-10
Week Four: Lamentations  4, Chapters 11-12
Week Five: Lamentations  5, Chapters 13-15, Conclusion

As a result of this Lenten study, the Rev. 7:9 Task Force hopes that you will come away with a better understanding of how the US Church got to where we are today. The Task Force also hopes the C4SO community will learn the language of lament and how it can be a powerful way to bear witness in our current moment.

Questions? Contact the Rev. Sandra Richter.