In a time of deep polarization, many preachers feel caught between the gospel's call to justice and the real risks of congregational conflict, backlash, or even threats. This book offers a practical, theologically grounded, and biblically-based guide for pastors who want to address public concerns with courage, wisdom, and care.
Drawing on research with thousands of clergy and congregation members, personal experience in “purple” congregations, and the insights of leading homileticians, this book equips preachers to bring Scripture, theology, and ethics into meaningful conversation with the urgent issues of our time. Rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all model, it helps pastors assess their own context, understand congregational dynamics, and choose strategies that fit their voice, relationships, and level of risk.
At the heart of the book are three approaches to preaching social issues: Gentle, Invitational, and Robust. Together, they provide flexible pathways for addressing topics such as racism, immigration, climate change, Christian Nationalism, gender justice, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion without abandoning either prophetic courage or pastoral care.
This is a book for preachers who know that silence is not neutral, but who also know that faithful proclamation requires discernment. It offers tools, tactics, case studies, sermon examples, and pastoral wisdom for naming what matters, building bridges where possible, and helping congregations connect faith with the issues that matter.
For any preacher wondering how to speak truthfully, courageously, and constructively in divided times, this book is an essential companion.

About the Author

Leah D. Schade is the associate professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky. An ordained Lutheran minister (ELCA) for more than twenty years, she has pastored three Pennsylvania congregations in suburban, urban, and rural contexts. Her book, Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), explores how clergy and congregations can address controversial social issues using nonpartisan, biblically-centered approaches and deliberative dialogue. She is also the author of Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit, as well as For the Beauty of the Earth, a Creation-centered Lenten devotional. She is co-editor and author with Margaret Bullitt-Jonas of Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), and co-author with Jerry Sumney of Apocalypse When?: A Guide to Interpreting and Preaching Apocalyptic Texts. She is the lead author, with Elizabeth Askew and Jerry Sumney, of Introduction to Preaching: Scripture, Theology, and Sermon Preparation (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023). Rev. Dr. Schade is also the EcoPreacher blogger for Patheos.

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