Description
“Ending poverty is possible because the Bible tells us so.” This is Jessica William’s central claim in this thorough and thoughtful text, which challenges Christians to embrace the call to ensure that everyone has enough. From reviewing the theological framework to learning from exemplary programs, this book provides actionable inspiration that will move Christians to action. Learn from the experiences of faithful organizers as they share wisdom and strategies to help shape effective ministries that end poverty. Join her in building a movement to fulfill the needs of the many so all may experience abundant life in the here and now.
Reviews
“This is a book about how we understand the Bible, but it's also about how the Bible helps us understand our world. It is about what we do with Scripture, but even more about what Scripture does to us. It is not just about how we read the Word but who we read it with. After all, where we sit determines what we see. Read it... and join the movement that's been resisting empires and tyrants for over 2000 years.”—Shane Claiborne author and activist, co-founder of Red Letter Christians
“This challenging and compelling book focuses on helping faith leaders and congregations transform their concern for the poor into collaborative justice ministries that address the root causes of poverty. Jessica Williams speaks with the authentic and passionate voice of one who has experienced poverty and has the expertise and wisdom that comes from being a pastor, scholar, and poor people’s movement activist. Drawing on the insights gained from studying scripture with the poor and interviewing leaders of poor people's movements, she provides guidance for congregations to join the movement to end poverty. Accessible, compelling, and thought-provoking, this book invites us to new ways of thinking and doing ministry with those who are poor.”—Rev. Ruth Rosell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology Emerita, Central Seminary, Director of the Buttry Center for Peace and Nonviolence
“Conceptually, I’ve long believed it is possible for everyone to have enough. But Enough for All has moved me from possibility to conviction and urgency. Jessica C. Williams offers a prophetic, practical, and prayerful invitation to take Jesus seriously when he speaks of abundant life. This book challenges us to see poverty and read Scripture differently, and to envision what is possible when we pursue abundance together. I look forward to sharing it in seminary classes and Sunday school rooms; prayer gatherings and board meetings; worship services and justice protests.”—Rev. Dr. Angie Barker Jackson, VP Institutional Advancement at Berkeley School of Theology
"Rev. Williams' work directly addresses the tough conditions facing so many of our congregations and communities, in a way that is at once visionary and deeply practical. Through Williams' assessment of the Biblical witness for justice alongside the concrete present-day struggles of poor and working communities, God breathes new life and powerful new possibilities into scriptures we've all read a hundred times before. This book is a must-read for pastors, ministry teams, lay leaders, and all believers seeking hope and guidance as we navigate the crisis of poverty in our own times and places.”—Aaron Scott, author of Bring Back Your People: Ten Ways Regular Folks Can Put a Dent in White Christian Nationalism
"Faith communities will find this book breaks open new possibilities for faithful service in a world broken by poverty and inequality. It is pastoral, prophetic, and somehow still practical in its vision for the church's role in ending poverty."—Colleen Wessel-McCoy, Associate Dean and Assistant Professor of Peace and Justice Studies, Earlham School of Religion, Richmond, Indiana
“In Enough for All: A Biblical Guide to Ending Poverty, Jessica C. Williams makes a powerful and persuasive case that Christians are called not just to serve the poor but to join "the movement to end poverty led by the poor" by addressing its root causes. The book's Biblically rooted message is urgently needed and a must-read for any follower of Jesus.”—Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, President, Sojourners, and author of A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community
The reader will gain a fresh look at an eternal issue as the author explores structural poverty using the lenses of sociological research, historical, theological, and biblical analysis. Take a transformative journey with Dr. Williams and learn how her assumptions and perspectives were challenged through engagement with poor people’s organizations and reading the Bible with the poor. Beginning with the assumption of abundance rather than scarcity, Dr. Williams presents a compelling case that there indeed is “Enough for All.”—Dr. C. Jeff Woods, Associate General Secretary, ABCUSA Office of the General Secretary
Author Bio
Rev. Jessica C. Williams, PhD, is an organizer, educator, and pastor serving as Director of Development and Engagement with the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice, where she helps lead local organizing efforts, fundraising strategy, and educational programs. She also serves as Adjunct Faculty in Practical Theology at Union Theological Seminary (NYC). An American Baptist ordained minister with experience pastoring churches in West Virginia, New York, Iowa, and Kansas, her work brings together organizing, anti-poverty ministries, biblical study, and social transformation to help build a movement to end poverty led by the poor.