Be My Witness

“Once again, Dr. Marvin McMickle has done the Christian church and its leadership a tremendous service in this seminal work, Be My Witness: The Great Commission for Preachers.  All the way from challenging preachers to consider our theology of preaching to avoid dull uninspiring repetitions week after week, to urging us to lift our prophetic voices in the face of social crises, Be My Witness is sure to shake us out of our comfort zone as preachers and challenge us to take bold risks for the cause of Christ and his kingdom.” — Dr. James C. Perkins, President, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

 “I read Be My Witness and was reminded of the central task of preaching, fulfilling the Great Commission. Marvin McMickle has demonstrated once again that he is one of the most important interpreters and chroniclers of preaching in the twenty-first century. I immediately buy his every book and recommend that anyone who loves preaching do the same.” — Frank A. Thomas, Professor of Homiletics, Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana

“Rooted in a biblical and theological vision of preaching, Be My Witness reveals what it means to be a witness for the Lord; thus preaching is more than words but includes deeds, even bending one’s knees on holy ground.  Reading this will make you utter what should be the beginning of all sermon preparation, ‘Come, Holy Spirit’.” — Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery, Dean of Duke Chapel, Associate Professor of Homiletics, Duke University

“Be My Witness is a must-read for every present and future preacher, and its message is as timely as the commission from Christ is timeless.” — Gennifer Brooks, PhD, DMin, Ernest and Bernice Styberg Professor of Preaching, Styberg Preaching Institute Director, and Dean of ACTS DMin. in Preaching Program, Garrett Theological Seminary

Pulpit & Politics

“In Pulpit & Politics, McMickle uses examples of church leaders in politics to explore the history of the separation of church and state. The book provides advice for some of the ways churches can get involved in elections without losing their tax-free status, such as registering voters, driving voters to the polls, hosting a candidate forum, or encouraging early voting. McMickle also includes his personal philosophy of where the line should be drawn, which is an interesting perspective, given his experience in both worlds. The history is a nice overview for readers who might not be familiar with balancing the roles of church and state and where the two should overlap.”— Foreword Reviews, Oct. 2014

“Pulpit & Politics is a welcome contribution to the ongoing debate in the U.S. regarding religious liberty, separation of church and state, and faith-based political activism. This book sets the stage for the emergence of new frontiers of political engagement for black clergy.” — Cheryl J. Sanders, Professor of Christian Ethics, Howard University School of Divinity, and Senior Pastor, Third Street Church of God, Washington, D.C.

“This book is a very important source and call for black church pastors, as well as seminary professors who teach future preachers, to hear the moral imperative and case for political involvement in new and important ways. It is a must read.”—Rev. Sharon Ellis Davis, Adjunct Professor, McCormick Theological Seminary, author of ‘Battered African American Women: A Study in Gender Entrapment’

From Classism to Community

By Dr. Jini M. Kilgore; Foreword by J. Alfred Smith, Sr.

A call for the church to exercise its power to restore, empower, and include the poor and forgotten by prayerfully finding ways to deemphasize social class distinctions.

“Dr. Jini Cockroft has a long history of Christian involvement on behalf of the poor, going back to the time she met Martin Luther King Jr. She has continuously ministered on behalf of those who have suffered inequities based upon socioeconomic status. From Classism to Community offers Cockroft’s wealth of experience, biblical principles, and practical strategies to include, restore, and empower those who have been too often forgotten by the church as well as society.”—Donald Thorsen, Ph.D., Professor of Theology, Azusa Pacific University Seminary

Cockroft offers a historical analysis of the origin of “classism” in the church and its influence in the development of denominations, specifically in the African American church. Referencing the works of scholars, Christian writers, and pastors from a broad spectrum of evangelical witness, alongside of her own, and those on the margins, she urges the church to exercise its power to restore, empower, and include the poor and forgotten by prayerfully finding ways to deemphasize social class distinctions while learning instead to affirm and embrace the concept of the imago dei, the belief that all humans have been made in the image of God.