The God Who Riots

”‘The God of the Bible chooses the side of the oppressed,” suggests [Damon] Garcia, a former youth minister, in his impassioned debut. Garcia details his efforts to reconcile his progressive values with the political conservatism of the Christian church, and argues that the New Testament calls Christians to radical action… Garcia thoughtfully examines such topics as wealth inequality, LGBTQ rights, and colonialism through a Christian lens, advocating for prison abolition by chronicling the history of white supremacy in the U.S. and expounding on Jesus’s promise that the ‘last will be first and the first will be last.’” –Publishers Weekly

Exposing the tensions that grip evangelical churches in the US, The God Who Riots is a gripping example of liberation theology; it calls for church reforms, and for Christians to stand with the poor and the oppressed. –Foreword Reviews

“Drawing on intellectual and activist traditions ranging from liberation theology to police abolition, Garcia lays out a spiritual framework for practicing Christianity in a truly transformative way.” –Booklist

“Damon Garcia is a narrative theologian who has spent the past few years listening to the people protesting for liberation in the United States. His insights into scripture are profound and desperately needed. In a time of enormous social upheaval, we need voices like Garcia who are prepared to embrace a world where the formerly poor and powerless lead the way to a more just world. This is a must-read for any pastor or minister who hopes to hear the message of the unheard in our society.” –D.L. Mayfield, author of The Myth of the American Dream and Unruly Saint: Dorothy Day’s Radical Vision and Its Challenge for Our Times

“The God of Christians has been many different things to many people. Often used to justify injustice and abuse, this God has left a sour taste in the mouths of the most marginalized amongst us. But there is also The God Who Riots, the God who Damon speaks in this book, a God who invites us to disrupt systems and create heaven on earth.” –Jo Luehmann, host of The Living Room with Jo Luehmann and author of the Decolonizing Traditional Christianity devotional

“Following Jesus is costly, and our work today is to count the cost of what it really means to follow a Brown Palestinian Jew. Living in Babylon and resisting the acceleration of the empire religion of white ChristoFascism, we must seek to get our hands dirty with the everyday and riot alongside God who cares first for the underside of history.” –Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, PhD, author of Body Becoming and Activist Theology

“In an age of capitalism crises and encroaching climate catastrophe, the work of a genuinely liberatory theology has never been more urgent. Damon Garcia’s work provides a much-needed vision of the real good news that lies at the heart of the gospel.” –Jon Greenaway, writer and academic, @thelitcritguy

“Damon equips us with the kind of theological paradigm needed to sustain an authentic faith in these times. His words are relevant and accessible to the privileged, the marginalized, and everyone in between. His offering is truly a welcome addition to the canon of liberation theology.” –Rev. Aurelia Davila Pratt, author of A Brown Girl’s Epiphany

“Damon Garcia shares the real radical message of Jesus–a message where love and liberation are as bright as a burning prison. Wherever you are on your faith journey–whether you’re new to Christianity, deconstructing, or a lifelong Christian–this book is for those who want to follow the true radical Jesus.” –Mason Mennenga, YouTuber and podcast host of A People’s Theology

Damon Garcia is a public theologian, writer, video essayist, and author of The God Who Riots: Taking Back the Radical Jesus. He discovered his passion for ministering to spiritual misfits and radicals through evangelical youth and young adult ministry in evangelical spaces. This passion led him out of Evangelicalism and into post-Christian spaces, where he continues to develop a liberative Christianity for a disillusioned generation through video essays and dialogue. Garcia’s work is inspired by liberation theology and anti-capitalist politics as he helps people unsettle and untangle oppressive ideologies. He lives in Santa Maria, California.

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