Embodied Hope

“Miles is herself an expression of the embodied hope she describes so well in this compelling volume. Her confident and joyful spirit reverberates in these pages so much that the book does more than talk about hope; it generates it. This is a gift for preachers!”


—Thomas G. Long, Candler School of Theology, retired





“Without question, Embodied Hope is the most comprehensive, relevant, substantive, and nuanced treatment of hope in homiletics in the twenty-first century. Miles draws wisdom from the past to remind us that each of us is the imago Dei, and we carry within us the antidote and promise for a better, more hope-filled tomorrow.”


—Renee K. Harrison, Howard University School of Divinity





“With wisdom and energy, Miles proclaims hope. She also encourages us to live hope. Miles has woven together with brilliant insights the concepts of ‘embodied hope’ and ‘culturally induced despair.’ . . . These pages resound with the assertion that culturally induced despair does not have the final word. . . . Embodied Hope is an extraordinary gift to anyone who wants to proclaim hope by infusing our everyday words and actions with hope.”


—Jill Crainshaw, Wake Forest University School of Divinity





“Miles invites preachers to a thoughtful reevaluation of hope in preaching, one that


takes seriously cultural forces that persistently erode hope. . . . Her analysis of the array of everyday discursive tropes that induce despair is illuminating. . . . Sample sermons demonstrate how vivid speech that concretizes shalom, love, and justice in accessible ways can restore hopeful vision and fuels communities that embrace God-given wholeness.”


—Sally A. Brown, Princeton Theological Seminary