The Bible in the Ashes of Social Chaos: An Introduction to Problematic Texts

Daily we witness the spectacle of a country in chaos. Mass shootings, partisan gridlock, the growing wealth divide, gross economic inequities, crumbling institutions, and widespread sexism, racism, and xenophobia reflect a country in serious peril. Cynicism, narcissism, fear, and nihilism hide behind the veneer of success, happiness, and materialism that deludes us about our dire condition. Both America and its dominant religion are in decline and more people are raising serious questions about God, the church, and its sacred text for the role they play in past and present realities unfolding around us. This is especially true in the African American community where there are grassroots movements and emerging leaders questioning traditional beliefs of the Black church. Today, millennials and Gen Z youth question problematic things said in the Bible and why a book with moral contradictions continues to be authoritative. There is a real need to grapple with the Bible’s relevance in the ashes of social chaos. More importantly, there is a need to expand our moral imagination in new ways that can revitalize faith. In The Bible in the Ashes of Social Chaos, Brogdon invites readers to wade into these biblical, theological, and philosophical issues in a way that holds the sacred nature of the biblical text and questioning rooted in faith in a healthy tension. This book will resonate with people in various places in their intellectual and faith journey.

Dr. Lewis Brogdon is a distinguished religious scholar, public intellectual, author, and prophetic voice on issues such as the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., reparations for African Americans, nihilism in Black America, slavery in the Bible, Black religion, and the enduring legacy of racism in the United States. He has been invited to speak at influential platforms including the Permanent Forum for People of African Descent--an advisory body to the United Nations Human Rights Council -- as well as at numerous media outlets, churches, colleges, and community organizations across the country.



Dr. Brogdon has offered prayers at the National Press Club and the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C. and delivered keynote addresses at prominent events such as the 2023 Virginia Counselors' Association annual meeting and Dayton, Ohio's city-wide Martin Luther King Jr. dinner. His international teaching includes lectures on Black Studies in Jerusalem, Haiti, and the Bahamas. He has taught his course on Martin Luther King Jr. at four institutions, including a session with Dr. Cornel West, and has lectured at a range of universities including the University of Central Florida, Abilene Christian University, Louisville Seminary, the Interdenominational Theological Center, Claflin University, Radford University, Campbellsville University, Bluefield University, and North Park Theological Seminary.



Dr. Brogdon currently serves as Associate Professor of Black Church Studies and Executive Director of the Institute for Black Church Studies at BSK Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is also Director of Institutional Effectiveness at Bluefield University in Virginia. A prolific author, his works include Hope on the Brink: Understanding the Emergence of Nihilism in Black America, The Bible in the Ashes of Social Chaos: An Introduction to Problematic Texts, and The Gospel Beyond the Grave: Toward a Black Theology of Hope.