Grace is a Pre-Existing Condition got some recent attention by way of a great review in Read the Spirit Magazine. Here’s editor David Crumm on why churches need this book:
David Finnegan-Hosey’s new book should be in the hands of clergy and small-group leaders in congregations nationwide, right now. There is not a more timely—and uniquely focused—book for congregations this spring. [Finnegan-Hosey] is known nationwide as an advocate specifically for the millions who have fallen through the fragile mental healthcare safety net—but he is well aware that spiraling medical debt will spring up in many families, this year, for a wide range of conditions.
Many congregations observe this coming Sunday as Ascension Sunday, recalling those stories in scripture in which Jesus, having spent time with his closest friends and followers after his resurrection, disappears from their earthly view. In the letter to the Ephesians, this Ascension is interpreted as God’s elevation of Christ above the powers – the language which biblical authors use to grapple with the reality of unhealthy systems, and with the way that God’s grace made manifest in Jesus Christ challenges, upends, and ultimately heals these systems. What does this have to do with mental health? The vulnerability needed for authentic storytelling is hard to muster up when the powers seem to be on the prowl, waiting to strike.
And finally, join me for an online book discussion on Wednesday, May 27, at 7:30pm Eastern, hosted by a coalition of congregations working to end medical debt in the DC-area. You can learn more and RSVP on the Facebook event:
