Updated Book Cover

With an endorsement from Shane Claiborne

Hey friends!

I wanted to share an exciting development on the book front: Book endorsements are officially in! Which means, the book’s front cover has been updated with one of these endorsements.

Reaching out for endorsements was a nerve-wracking experience. You spend years cultivating trust and relationships. Then, just like that, it’s time to call in some favors.

To make things even more complex - your endorsers only have 6-8 weeks to read the current, near-final draft of the book to make their endorsements.

My publisher (Brazos Press) told me to reach out to 3-5 potential endorsers only. As a first time author, it was recommended that I reach out to 5 potential endorsers - especially since all of my possible endorsers are highly reputed names in the Christian justice and publishing space who regularly have to decline endorsements because of their busy work and personal schedules. And that is assuming they even like the book after they find the time to read it!

Somehow miraculously, all 5 of my requested endorsers circled back with more than generous endorsements - and just in time for my publisher’s deadline. Each of the endorsements were truly special, but I knew I just had to put one of them on the front cover - Shane Claiborne’s.

I remember first watching a YouTube video of Shane Claiborne as a college freshman and new immigrant at Georgia State University in 2011. The dreadlocked, counter-cultural speaker passionately preached, “How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday and ignore one on Monday?”

Over the years, I’d gain and lose respect for so many white American church leaders who would conveniently pick and choose when to stand with our marginalized neighbours. But I always knew I could count on Shane’s consistent voice to stand with our oppressed neighbours - regardless of who was being oppressed, despite the great personal cost. In fact, just after we updated the book cover with Shane’s endorsement, Shane was arrested at the United States Capitol for praying against policies harming our poor and vulnerable neighbours.

Shane Claiborne embodies all the decolonized values I point us to in my book, The Justice of Jesus. And his endorsement of my first book means the world to me.

I cannot wait to share the other 4 endorsements with you over the next few days! Like Shane, these are also more experienced, trusted, and known people in this space I’m privileged to know and learn from.

One interesting observation from the endorsements so far: Almost all of them use the words “gentle”, “pastoral”, and “hospitable” to describe my tone throughout the book - despite the theme of this book (decolonizing faith) being a highly polarizing one. And they all point to my clear love for the Church.

I believe that there are healing and unity-building ways to talk about contentious issues. Now, some folks will likely tune off when they hear the word ‘decolonization’ in my book (even though I explain colonization and decolonization in deeply historical and nuanced ways) but I’ve come to peace with the fact that this says more about their cowardice and lack of maturity to confront uncomfortable topics than it does about my work.

The people who have chosen to distance themselves from my book so far are folks who’ve made up their minds because they only know me from what they’ve seen of me on short form social media platforms like Twitter in years past. And because they’ve lacked the curiosity to get to know me outside of here.

But short form is the worst way to judge people. And people grow.

If you’ve followed me on social media for a few years, you’ve likely noticed that for the most part, my tone has shifted over the years from (righteous) outrage to pastoral gentleness - while holding to truth-telling. Life experience, book writing, and ordination have changed me forever - by making me more like Jesus (I think). Long form writing (like Substack and the book) also allow for more nuanced conversations.

This is why I’m completely unbothered by folks who will publicly and privately distance themselves from me in light of the book. Pay close attention to these folks because their lack of curiosity will tell you everything you need to know about them.

When I signed the book deal, I had author friends in this space tell me that coming out with a book will reveal to you who your real friends and community are. I’m grateful for the experience of becoming an author because it has showed me who my people are.

Thank you for being my people!

- JT

PS: If you haven’t yet, you can pre-order a copy of my book wherever you buy your books today! If you’re in the U.S. and looking to buy a copies for yourself and your friends, my publisher has a 40% off + free shipping sale here: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/637315

PPS: Paid subscribers give directly to my education and ordination costs. If you would like to support my work in addition to buying my book, consider becoming a paid subscriber today!