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The Very Good Gospel





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God once declared everything in the world “very good”. Imagine.

A Vision of Hope for a Broken World

Shalom is what God declared. Shalom is what the Kingdom of God looks like.
Shalom is when all people have enough.
It’s when families are healed.
It’s when churches, schools, and public policies protect human dignity.
Shalom is when the image of God is recognized, protected and cultivated in every single human.
Shalom is our calling as followers of Jesus’s gospel. It is the vision God set forth in the Garden and the restoration God desires for every broken relationship.
Shalom is what our souls long for.
Shalom is the “very good” in the gospel.

What can we do to build shalom between nations, in our communities, and in our own lives? Through a careful exploration of biblical text, particularly the first three chapters of Genesis, in The Very Good Gospel Lisa Sharon Harper shows us what “very good” can look like today—in real time.

Because despite our anxious minds, despite division and threats of violence, God’s vision remains: Wholeness for a fragmented world. Peace for a hurting soul. Shalom.

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Endorsements

“This is a welcome read that invites a rethinking of faith and life that is much too much dumbed down to thin. Our preoccupation with “diet and exercise” might be good for thinning our bodies to health. But such thinning of faith is a recipe for chaos and death. Harper witnesses to the otherwise of a saving transformative, reconciling faith that is indeed “very good.”

Walter Brueggemann
Columbia Theological Seminary


“Lisa Sharon Harper has presented the Gospel, the good news, as it was meant to be— whole and complete. Our world has compromised so many elements of the good news that we are left with a divided Gospel. We need to recover the whole Christian Gospel, the wholeness of the church, the wholeness of relationships. Lisa has unleashed the whole-ism of shalom. Her application of the good news for America, for our culture, in the world, reminds us that God is bigger than our problems. My wish is that Christians, and non-Christians alike, read this book.”

Dr. John Perkins
Co-founder of the Christian Community Development Association, founder of the John and Vera Perkins Foundation in Jackson, Mississippi and author of Let Justice Roll Down


“Lisa Sharon Harper is so smart and interesting—she’s a wonderful leader. I respect her immensely and am passionate about the message of this book.”

Jen Hatmaker
speaker and best-selling author of For the Love


“One can scan across the landscape of the church and not find a better articulator of the essence of the Gospel in the 21st century. Lisa Sharon Harper follows a rich tradition of reformers and iconoclast theological practitioners who deeply love the Gospel and God’s people. She has made it her life’s project to challenge lethargic and cynical people to live love and practice justice. Our world is richer and more vibrant because of her compassionate and strong voice.”

Reverend Dr. Otis Moss III
Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ and author of Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World

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Tonight at 7pm ET #kitchentableconvo On “Who Tonight at 7pm ET

#kitchentableconvo 

On “Who Stole My Bible?” With  @revjenbutler @faithpubliclife 

On #iglive @lisasharper 

#Lshcommunity
Hey #lshcommunity! If you like the Kitchen Table C Hey #lshcommunity! If you like the Kitchen Table Convos, you will LOVE the Global Writers Group (GWG) Story Circle! 

The GWG Story Circle brings the best stories rising from the writers of the Global Writers Group! Join us for stories circling the theme of #life , TOMORROW, Monday, April 5 at 7pm ET / 4pm PT. (Watch in the Zoom Room or via FBLive @freedomroad.us )

This month’s readers include:
@lisasharper 
@aehowardwrites 
Amy Kenny
@jesusandjustice 
@eliza.beth.higgs 
@_amandagorman 
@sharonllawrence 

LINK IN BIO

#writersofinstagram #writerscommunity #writerswrite #storycircle @freedomroad.us #fblive #zoom
He is risen!!!!! He is risen, indeed!!!!! #easte He is risen!!!!! 
He is risen, indeed!!!!!

#easter #heisrisen #blackjesus #lshcommunity @freedomroad.us 

Photo credits:
1. Robert Lentz
2. @blackyouthproject 
3. Unknown
Today, A young brown man committed suicide on Cap Today, 
A young brown man committed suicide on Capitol Hill and he killed a Capitol police officer in the process. They say he lost hope. 

He lost hope on Good Friday. 

He lost hope as 43 states push through legislation that rolls back the clock to 1964—BEFORE the Voting Rights Act. 

We don’t know all that went through his mind before placing his brown body before police officers with a knife. All we know is this: He lost hope. 

As we walk through the most holy time of the Christian year, let us consider together WHY it is so holy—and why what Georgia and Texas and 42 other states are doing is waging war against God in the middle of #holyweek. 

Tonight at 7pm ET @lisasharper #iglive 

#lshcommunity
Re-do without vital info. 👍🏾 The @blackdoct Re-do without vital info. 👍🏾

The @blackdoctorscovid19consortium was started by @dralastanford who went door to door giving Covid tests to residents in Philly’s hardest hit communities. When vaccines became available, Dr. Stanford organized doctors across the city to vaccinate residents of the most vulnerable areas. My community is one of them. They have already vaccinated more than 30,000 residents in Philly’s most vulnerable communities. So, today I rose early and made my way to The @liacourascenter at @templeuniv (10 mins from my home in South Philly). I showed proof of residency and walked right in to the #Moderna 1st Dose line—and sat comfortably while I waited. It was a very short wait before I was brought to the table where They took my insurance info and asked if I had allergies. Because I do, I have to be observed for 30 mins, instead of 15. 

When I sat down in the chair to get my shot, the tears came and I couldn’t hold them back. Overwhelmed with emotion, I told the nurse, Katrina: “We’ve been dealing with this for a year, so we forget how much anxiety our bodies have absorbed. Now, it’s coming out.”

“I understand,” she said. “You’re not the only one who has cried.”

“Thank you,” I told her. 

The actual shot was literally nothing. Not even a pinch. I was like, “That’s it?” The nurse said, “Yup.” 

Thank you Dr. Stanford and to all the members of the consortium and every volunteer. You are literally heroes. You are saving Black and Brown communities. #blessyou
🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

#FortuneBook is coming, y’all! 

#familystory #race #gender #citizenship #colonization #slavery #indianremovalact #reconstruction #jimcrow #caribbean #puertorico #bomba #civilrightsmovement #ferguson #charlottesville #election2020 #jan6 #inauguration2021 #10generations #theroots #thefruit #theimpact #thecost #thetruth #repair #reparations #forgiveness 

#lshcommunity
Hey, #lshcommunity and @freedomroad.us! We’re Hey, #lshcommunity and @freedomroad.us! 

We’re in the fight against voter-suppression. This initiative is focused on Georgia. Next? The 43 other states that have introduced more that 240 voter suppression laws since January 6! 

In the tradition of #rosaparks we must REFUSE TO RIDE THAT BUS! In the tradition of #williamwilberforce we must REFUSE TO TASTE THAT SUGAR! 

This initiative pledges to #boycott ALL @cocacola products until they boycott Georgia! #novotesnocokes 

SIGN THE PETITION! LINK IN BIO! 

THEN MAKE COKE HURT TILL THEY DO RIGHT!!! And tag your friends so they can get in on the goodness!! 

Thank you, @redwineblueusa, for this brilliant campaign!!

Note: The list has been corrected on the website to reflect that @cocacola only owns Schweppes in the international market.
30 mins! #kitchentableconvo #tabletalk @lisashar 30 mins! 
#kitchentableconvo 
#tabletalk
@lisasharper
Join BIPOC led Christian organizations in this pre Join BIPOC led Christian organizations in this pre-Holy Week vigil #lamentingchristiannationalism TODAY at 12 noon ET! 

LINK IN BIO 

Or watch on Evangelicals4Justice FB page.
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RevJenButlerRev. Jen Butler@RevJenButler·
8h

Thanks @AshAbercrombie. Also @lisasharper podcast Freedom Road is brilliant. Many episodes on there... that everyone should listen to including the one on critical race theory. #WhoStoleMyBible is my book title. https://twitter.com/ashabercrombie/status/1381439536534708224

Reply on Twitter 1381566065201852424Retweet on Twitter 13815660652018524241Like on Twitter 13815660652018524243
Retweet on TwitterLisa Sharon Harper Retweeted
AshAbercrombieAshley Abercrombie@AshAbercrombie·
16h

Dear Lord, this podcast. @lisasharper Rev. Jennifer Butler and Rev. Rene August 😱😱🤯🤯. ... Getting this book and why can’t I find these women on Twitter? Highly recommend a listen:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freedom-road-podcast/id1342811935?i=1000516495940

Reply on Twitter 1381439536534708224Retweet on Twitter 13814395365347082243Like on Twitter 138143953653470822410
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The Very Good Gospel on Audible

https://lisasharonharper.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/M4291_VeryGood_2.mp4

 

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