The Writing on the Wall
Signs of Faith against Fascism
by Eric Martin
Imprint: Cascade Books
How can people of faith connect their religious traditions with the rise of overtly fascist violence in the United States? That's the question this book takes up. With first-hand accounts from the largest white supremacist gathering in modern American history at Unite the Right in Charlottesville, Virginia, it shares how the clergy resisting Nazis and the KKK point a way forward for Christians in particular. But The Writing on the Wall 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 with or without Trump in office. In the wake of a deadly Capitol insurrection robed in Christian imagery, this book 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, The Writing on the Wall 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 teaches on the Bible, spirituality, and liberation movements at UCLA and Loyola Marymount.
"What a necessary book this is! The writing is on the wall, and how people of faith read, resist, and rewrite it is of great urgency. Drawing on biblical and historical inspiration and his own experiences of activism and community, Eric Martin deftly breaks open ideas with humility and courage. In these pages we meet comrades for the journey, and their collective wisdom will illuminate how we move forward together."
--Amanda Daloisio, co-managing editor, The Catholic Worker
"In this book, Eric Martin evokes memories of Merton and the Berrigans as he looks for a public Catholicism responsive to our present-day polarization. This well-written narrative essay covers recent events, alternates between action and contemplation, and offers moral and spiritual commentary. The writing engages the reader with eyewitness authenticity, and the interviews with activists are moving. The message rings true: white supremacy has no legitimate voice in our politics."
--Roger Haight, SJ, visiting professor of theology, Union Theological Seminary
"Eric Martin is one of the most prophetic figures of his generation. He is an heir of the Berrigan brothers and Dorothy Day--a deeply spiritual Catholic who is incarnational in praxis. The Writing on the Wall is a lament for a nation whose heart is bent toward fascism and a prophecy against religious leaders who seek civility over justice."
--Osagyefo Sekou, pastor, Valley and Mountain Fellowship
"Eric Martin's The Writing on the Wall takes readers to the front lines in Charlottesville in order to pull back the curtain on the tangled histories of hate that led to that day. Deeply reported, thoroughly revolutionary, and theologically attuned to the crisis in American politics and religion, this book is a collective psalm for our times."
--Kaya Oakes, author of The Defiant Middle
"Few books you read this year will be as provocative as Eric Martin's The Writing on the Wall. To 'provoke' is a 'calling forth' to form a church of divine inbreaking, 'grace with feet,' and a radical discipleship so foreign to our current status quo. It is a call to an embodied active love that refuses to be a place for 'sheltered piety.' Like the folding of a thousand paper cranes, is it about peace or fighting white supremacy? Yes."
--Gregory Boyle, founder, Homeboy Industries
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