Lord, Have Mercy: Praying for Justice With Conviction and Humility

Praise for Lord, Have Mercy



"Once in a while, I find a book about prayer that does something fresh. Claire E. Wolfteich provokes us to rethink the very nature of prayer and how it reshapes us as she discusses six examples of modern Christians confronting the complexities of social engagement and how to make responsible choices in favor of justice and human reconciliation."
--Philip Sheldrake, professor, department of theology and religion, University of Durham; author, Spaces for the Sacred

"Wolfteich provides carefully researched case studies from suburban Miami to the turmoil of apartheid South Africa, analyzing the relation of prayer to various human purposes. She guides the reader through the ambiguities of each case, giving no easy answers, teaching by asking questions. But on another, more personal level, the book is an ongoing conversation with the author. Her voice comes through again and again--quiet, intelligent, unpretentious--exposing her own vulnerabilities. We have here a book that is both instructive and moving--a rare thing."
--Peter L. Berger, director, Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs, Boston University

"For Wolfteich, Christian spirituality is 'prayerful engagement--humble, not presumptuous; prophetic, not passive; yet always contemplative in the best sense.' This is the best guide I know for helping Christians understand how prayer, in its many forms, is indispensable to social action."
--Kathleen A. Cahalan, associate professor, practical theology, Saint John's University School of Theology and Seminary

Claire Wolfteich is associate professor of practical theology and spiritual formation at Boston University. Her publications include Navigating New Terrain: Work and Women’s Spiritual Lives and American Catholics Through the Twentieth Century: Spirituality, Lay Experience, and Public Life. She codirects the Center for Practical Theology at Boston University and works with urban pastors throughout the country through the center’s Sustaining Urban Pastoral Excellence Project, to which she brings experience in leading ecumenical small group formation and spiritual renewal. She directs the Pastoral and Spiritual Formation program and the Spiritual Formation and Church Life Project at the university. She has also served as advisor to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops on issues of women and lay spirituality. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and received her B.A. from Yale University.