Signs of Faith Against Facism
Thu 5/23/2024 • 4:30PM - 5:30PM PDT
Kaplan 365
In this book talk, Eric Martin will explore how people of faith can connect their religious traditions with the rise of overtly fascist violence in the United States. With first-hand accounts from the largest white supremacist gathering in modern American history at Unite the Right in Charlottesville, Virginia, Martin will share how the clergy resisting Nazis and the KKK point a way forward for Christians in particular. His book expands outward to ask what churches can learn from antifascists, Black Lives Matter, and those working on the ground to combat the continuing coalition of far-right militias and gangs that promise to endure. It also invites the faithful to imagine a counter-witness that does more than merely preach against hate. Using biblical exegesis, storytelling, interviews, thought experiments, art, and theology, Martin explores how we can rethink notions of civil disobedience, nonviolence, love, prayer, and liturgy to enflesh a worthy faith in the face of a fascist creep.
Eric Martin is a lecturer at UCLA for Study of Religion where he teaches about the Bible, justice and liberation movements, and spirituality. He also teaches at Loyola Marymount.