ABOUT CHED'S WRITING

Ched writes widely on themes of scripture and social justice. He has authored four, co-authored five, and co-edited two books. He has also published two dozen chapters in collections and over a hundred articles in both scholarly journals and popular magazines such as Sojourners, America, The Living Pulpit, and Priests and People. His books are available for purchase from this site, and most of his articles are available for free download from our resource site chedmyers.org.

Because his bibliography is too long to maintain on this site, a downloadable PDF is available here.


Following are excerpted reviews of some of Ched Myers’ books

Our God is Undocumented: Biblical Faith and Immigrant Justice

(with Matthew Colwell). "One could be forgiven for expecting this book to be a rehash of liberal arguments about immigration policy, anchored by a smattering of bible verses. It isn’t. Ched Myers and Matthew Colwell have something else in mind, and their short book contributes some big ideas to discussions of “biblical faith and immigrant justice. The authors acknowledge that the reflections in their book are 'unapologetically theological and ecclesial.' This is a book about God and the church. They are more concerned with conveying “a faith-rooted ethic regarding the sojourner in our midst than with the current debates over U.S. immigration and naturalization policies.” Acceptance of their thesis does have implications for our attitude toward those policies. The authors hope we will approach them with a revised sense of loyalty, and therefore with a renewed set of priorities."

(Jonathan Felton. Englewood Review of Books)

Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus: 

“This is, quite simply, the most important commentary on a book of Scripture since Barth’s Romans… Like Barth’s Romans, Binding the Strong Man is not only a tour de force as a commentary and interpretation, but it marks the watershed of a new theological era, one that has been gathering force for some time in liberation, feminist, and black theologies… I see Myers’ work as a sort of continental divide marking the coming of age of the resistance church in North America, and the harbinger of a theological renaissance.”

(Walter Wink, The Christian Century.)

Award in scripture, 1989 Book Awards of the Catholic Press Association.

Ambassadors of Reconciliation, Vol. II: Diverse Christian Practices of Restorative Justice and Peacemaking (with Elaine Enns).

“People who work in conflict resolution rarely realize the potential restorative justice offers for addressing the justice dynamics inherent in conflict. Likewise, non-violent activists often see peacemakers as glossing over underlying wrongs. To bring these approaches together, Enns and Myers offer the metaphor of “full-spectrum” peacemaking… They also challenge us to go deeper. We must be aware of and address underlying factors that shape conflict, such as inequities of power and privilege and structural injustice. Fortunately, the authors offer analytic tools to help understand these dynamics.”

(From the Foreword by Howard Zehr)

First place award for social issues, 2010 Book Awards of the Catholic Press Association.

Ambassadors of Reconciliation, Vol. I: New Testament Reflections on Restorative Justice and Peacemaking (with Elaine Enns).

“Ched Myers is perhaps the most dynamic and provocative New Testament exegete of his generation, so the reader approaches volume one of this project with eagerness. It is given over to exegesis of four key texts. There are no surprises in his choice of 2 Corinthians 5:16-6.13 and Matthew 18, since these are the most obvious candidates for scrutiny. But he also returns to where his scholarly career began, by offering further reflections on Mark 1-3, and opens out the Letter to the Ephesians for its considerable potential in this field. The findings are as stimulating and energizing as ever. But what is new is the way Myers fulfils his commitment to show how contemporary practices and recent history illuminates the Bible. This kind of exegesis is often spoken of, seldom done, and even more seldom done well. The particular lens through which Myers does this most often is through the story of Martin Luther King, Jr.”

(Samuel Wells, The Christian Century)

Award for scripture, 2010 Book Awards of the Catholic Press Association.

“Say To This Mountain”: Mark’s Story of Discipleship

“A creative, readable and usable book. Designed to be used as a study book, preferably with a group, this new work uses the socio-literary method of reading Mark in such a way that it avoids technical, theological and political jargon and is accessible to lay people—quite a feat. It is organized so as to invite the reader into conversation… Its strengths are its clear, lively prose, its sensitivity to the way meaning is to be found in the narrative sequence and structure, and its clarifying focus on the socio-political meaning in Mark’s historical context… It is a welcome antidote to the many current readings that do not take seriously the socio-political meaning of the text… Since its tone engages the reader rather than being judgmental, one is drawn to continue to read and reflect on this book even when it is saying hard things.

(Belle Miller McMaster, Church & Society)

Who Will Roll Away The Stone? Discipleship Queries For First World Christians

 “A major contribution to the theology of discipleship for first world Christians. Grounded in the Gospel of Mark, with frequent references to Myers’ other Markan study, Binding the Strong Man, the book identifies and analyses key discipleship issues and challenges disciples ruthlessly… The effort to study the book — its discrete sections and its overall architecture — rewards the reader with insight not only into the concrete practice of discipleship, but also into a useful theological method based on query… Myers adapts the methodology of liberation theology to first- world Christians… He integrates the historical moment, Scripture, reflection upon these two realities, including their implications for praxis, and he does this in the context of the United States at the Millennium.

(Pat Chaffee, OP, Review for Religious)