Overview

This book makes the startling claim that the pulpit is the appropriate place to address suicide. In A Preacher's Guide to Suicide Johnson chisels through the rusty prison bars of cultural pretense and the oppressive myths of suicide. Using history, the social and behavioral sciences, and biblical inquiry over the centuries of varied Christian voices, Johnson demonstrates that suicide is part of the very fabric of Christian identity. And to preach suicide awareness is to preach life into the very act of dying. While grappling with the contemporary understanding of neuroscience, psychopathology, societal values, and individualism, Johnson seeks to present suicide in a hopeful light as we all approach death in those daily moments of confession, forgiveness, and prayer. Johnson hopes to provoke further conversation within the Christian community about the richness of suicide within the Scriptures and seeks to be a source of inspiration for preachers.

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9781666790641

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Reviews

"""""With a provocative, integrative look at Scripture and Christian tradition, Johnson asks us to reconsider our cherished tropes and packaged responses to suicide, offering instead an approach that is both scholarly and practical. Johnson pulls us toward the understanding that a true engagement with suicide is the theological responsibility of those who are called to preach God's word."""" --Deborah Wilhelm, coauthor of Preaching Matters: A Praxis for Preachers """"The Preacher's Guide to Suicide takes a thoroughly biblical approach to parsing the complex subject of suicide. While taking an articulate stand on several delicate aspects of this subject, the author encourages dialogue and allows for theological disagreement. What are Christians to make of an issue that impinges on so many lives, and how do we distinguish common cultural preconceptions from a proper Christian understanding of a good death in light of the cross?"""" --Gregory Heille, OP, Aquinas Institute of Theology """"With wisdom, depth, and clarity, Johnson confronts age-old ideas that have caused preachers to avoid preaching about suicide, reduce it to platitudes, or treat it in the most harmful way possible--as a sinful act by a selfish person. Instead, she offers bold strategies for compassionate Christian preaching that builds transformative suicide awareness for the good of a congregation and the world."""" --Martha Brune Rapp, author of Conversations with Benjamin: A Spirituality of Preaching that Heals """"Good preaching is informed preaching. One cannot leave this work uninformed. Johnson grounds her homiletical theology in a robust exposition of Scripture that challenges the reader to do likewise. If in search for confirmation bias, look elsewhere."""" --Bill Estes, Helen DeVos College of Education, Lee University """"H. C. Johnson shatters our interpretive inertia in this profound scholarly and pastoral work. She takes us on a tour of scriptural and theological depths and brings us to a place where we can think, feel, and eventually, preach. This important book invites us to further reflection and conversation about the difficult topic of suicide."""" --Benjamin A. Roberts, St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry"

With a provocative, integrative look at Scripture and Christian tradition, Johnson asks us to reconsider our cherished tropes and packaged responses to suicide, offering instead an approach that is both scholarly and practical. Johnson pulls us toward the understanding that a true engagement with suicide is the theological responsibility of those who are called to preach God's word. --Deborah Wilhelm, coauthor of Preaching Matters: A Praxis for Preachers The Preacher's Guide to Suicide takes a thoroughly biblical approach to parsing the complex subject of suicide. While taking an articulate stand on several delicate aspects of this subject, the author encourages dialogue and allows for theological disagreement. What are Christians to make of an issue that impinges on so many lives, and how do we distinguish common cultural preconceptions from a proper Christian understanding of a good death in light of the cross? --Gregory Heille, OP, Aquinas Institute of Theology With wisdom, depth, and clarity, Johnson confronts age-old ideas that have caused preachers to avoid preaching about suicide, reduce it to platitudes, or treat it in the most harmful way possible--as a sinful act by a selfish person. Instead, she offers bold strategies for compassionate Christian preaching that builds transformative suicide awareness for the good of a congregation and the world. --Martha Brune Rapp, author of Conversations with Benjamin: A Spirituality of Preaching that Heals Good preaching is informed preaching. One cannot leave this work uninformed. Johnson grounds her homiletical theology in a robust exposition of Scripture that challenges the reader to do likewise. If in search for confirmation bias, look elsewhere. --Bill Estes, Helen DeVos College of Education, Lee University H. C. Johnson shatters our interpretive inertia in this profound scholarly and pastoral work. She takes us on a tour of scriptural and theological depths and brings us to a place where we can think, feel, and eventually, preach. This important book invites us to further reflection and conversation about the difficult topic of suicide. --Benjamin A. Roberts, St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry

With a provocative, integrative look at Scripture and Christian tradition, Johnson asks us to reconsider our cherished tropes and packaged responses to suicide, offering instead an approach that is both scholarly and practical. Johnson pulls us toward the understanding that a true engagement with suicide is the theological responsibility of those who are called to preach God's word. --Deborah Wilhelm, coauthor of Preaching Matters: A Praxis for Preachers The Preacher's Guide to Suicide takes a thoroughly biblical approach to parsing the complex subject of suicide. While taking an articulate stand on several delicate aspects of this subject, the author encourages dialogue and allows for theological disagreement. What are Christians to make of an issue that impinges on so many lives, and how do we distinguish common cultural preconceptions from a proper Christian understanding of a good death in light of the cross? --Gregory Heille, OP, Aquinas Institute of Theology With wisdom, depth, and clarity, Johnson confronts age-old ideas that have caused preachers to avoid preaching about suicide, reduce it to platitudes, or treat it in the most harmful way possible--as a sinful act by a selfish person. Instead, she offers bold strategies for compassionate Christian preaching that builds transformative suicide awareness for the good of a congregation and the world. --Martha Brune Rapp, author of Conversations with Benjamin: A Spirituality of Preaching that Heals Good preaching is informed preaching. One cannot leave this work uninformed. Johnson grounds her homiletical theology in a robust exposition of Scripture that challenges the reader to do likewise. If in search for confirmation bias, look elsewhere. --Bill Estes, Helen DeVos College of Education, Lee University H. C. Johnson shatters our interpretive inertia in this profound scholarly and pastoral work. She takes us on a tour of scriptural and theological depths and brings us to a place where we can think, feel, and eventually, preach. This important book invites us to further reflection and conversation about the difficult topic of suicide. --Benjamin A. Roberts, St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry

"""With a provocative, integrative look at Scripture and Christian tradition, Johnson asks us to reconsider our cherished tropes and packaged responses to suicide, offering instead an approach that is both scholarly and practical. Johnson pulls us toward the understanding that a true engagement with suicide is the theological responsibility of those who are called to preach God's word."" --Deborah Wilhelm, coauthor of Preaching Matters: A Praxis for Preachers ""The Preacher's Guide to Suicide takes a thoroughly biblical approach to parsing the complex subject of suicide. While taking an articulate stand on several delicate aspects of this subject, the author encourages dialogue and allows for theological disagreement. What are Christians to make of an issue that impinges on so many lives, and how do we distinguish common cultural preconceptions from a proper Christian understanding of a good death in light of the cross?"" --Gregory Heille, OP, Aquinas Institute of Theology ""With wisdom, depth, and clarity, Johnson confronts age-old ideas that have caused preachers to avoid preaching about suicide, reduce it to platitudes, or treat it in the most harmful way possible--as a sinful act by a selfish person. Instead, she offers bold strategies for compassionate Christian preaching that builds transformative suicide awareness for the good of a congregation and the world."" --Martha Brune Rapp, author of Conversations with Benjamin: A Spirituality of Preaching that Heals ""Good preaching is informed preaching. One cannot leave this work uninformed. Johnson grounds her homiletical theology in a robust exposition of Scripture that challenges the reader to do likewise. If in search for confirmation bias, look elsewhere."" --Bill Estes, Helen DeVos College of Education, Lee University ""H. C. Johnson shatters our interpretive inertia in this profound scholarly and pastoral work. She takes us on a tour of scriptural and theological depths and brings us to a place where we can think, feel, and eventually, preach. This important book invites us to further reflection and conversation about the difficult topic of suicide."" --Benjamin A. Roberts, St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry"

"""With a provocative, integrative look at Scripture and Christian tradition, Johnson asks us to reconsider our cherished tropes and packaged responses to suicide, offering instead an approach that is both scholarly and practical. Johnson pulls us toward the understanding that a true engagement with suicide is the theological responsibility of those who are called to preach God's word."" --Deborah Wilhelm, coauthor of Preaching Matters: A Praxis for Preachers ""The Preacher's Guide to Suicide takes a thoroughly biblical approach to parsing the complex subject of suicide. While taking an articulate stand on several delicate aspects of this subject, the author encourages dialogue and allows for theological disagreement. What are Christians to make of an issue that impinges on so many lives, and how do we distinguish common cultural preconceptions from a proper Christian understanding of a good death in light of the cross?"" --Gregory Heille, OP, Aquinas Institute of Theology ""With wisdom, depth, and clarity, Johnson confronts age-old ideas that have caused preachers to avoid preaching about suicide, reduce it to platitudes, or treat it in the most harmful way possible--as a sinful act by a selfish person. Instead, she offers bold strategies for compassionate Christian preaching that builds transformative suicide awareness for the good of a congregation and the world."" --Martha Brune Rapp, author of Conversations with Benjamin: A Spirituality of Preaching that Heals ""Good preaching is informed preaching. One cannot leave this work uninformed. Johnson grounds her homiletical theology in a robust exposition of Scripture that challenges the reader to do likewise. If in search for confirmation bias, look elsewhere."" --Bill Estes, Helen DeVos College of Education, Lee University ""H. C. Johnson shatters our interpretive inertia in this profound scholarly and pastoral work. She takes us on a tour of scriptural and theological depths and brings us to a place where we can think, feel, and eventually, preach. This important book invites us to further reflection and conversation about the difficult topic of suicide."" --Benjamin A. Roberts, St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry"

Author Information

H. C. Johnson received an MDiv from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and holds a DMin in homiletics and liturgics from Aquinas Institute of Theology, and is a 2020 Delaplane Preaching Scholar. Johnson serves in campus ministries and teaches in the School of Religion at Lee University while serving as a pastor in the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians in the Presbytery of the South.

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