Practicing Lament

“The absence of lament in the American Christian church has resulted in a noticeable theological gap and a failure to engage the full breadth and depth of biblical Christian faith. Dr. Rebekah Eklund brings the rigor of academic inquiry balanced with a pastoral heart that offers the necessary corrective to this dysfunctional ecclesial reality. Practicing Lament is an important work not only in what it teaches from the depth and integrity of Dr. Eklund’s academic work, but also how it is offered, with great sensitivity and spiritual depth. Lament is the spiritual discipline needed by the church and this text offers an essential guide for this long-lost spiritual practice.”


—Soong-Chan Rah, author of Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times





“I can’t imagine a more needful book for our time than this one by Rebekah Eklund. So much in our broken world demands to be lamented. Yet because so few of us grew up in families or churches that modeled healthy lament, we need to be trained. Eklund serves here as a theologically skilled, pastorally wise, and immensely helpful guide, training readers in the way of faithful lament—for God’s sake and our own!”


—W. David O. Taylor, author of Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life





“In this warmly written and well-researched book, Professor Eklund invites into the biblical practice of lament. In lament, we join our heartfelt cries with those of the psalmists, the Prophets, and with Jesus himself. As one who has learned the language of lament, I am thankful that this book teaches us how to lament as a healthy spiritual discipline. She also explains how lament helps us engage racial injustice and unrest as well as our global pandemic. This is both a timely and timeless treatment.”


—Douglas Groothuis, author of Walking through Twilight: A Wife’s Illness—A Philosopher’s Lament





“Rebekah Eklund has made a powerful case for recovering the worship practice of lament. ‘Easter’ faith does not cancel out sorrow. And lament is not about giving up on God. It is a cry of anguish reaching out to a personal and trustworthy God. If you are looking to deepen your faith and to walk more fully in the ways of Jesus, Eklund is the perfect guide.”


—Nijay K. Gupta, Professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary





“In this broken time, when nothing is as it should be, Rebekah Eklund invites us to learn and practice the habits of lament as part of a faithful life with God and each other. This little volume is filled with compassion, warmth, and insights that will build up the body of Christ.”


—Stephen Fowl, Professor of Theology, Loyola University Maryland