Theologizin’ Bigger

Homilies on Living Freely and Loving Wholly

Trey Ferguson, Foreword by Candice Marie Benbow

“Prophets are rare in our culture and poets are needed in this challenging contemporary moment. Trey Ferguson is a poet and a prophet for such a time as this. ”
—Otis Moss, III, Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, and author of Dancing in the Darkness

Faith can get messy. Whether we’re talking about personal beliefs or the ideologies that end up shaping our institutions, there’s a lot to wade through. As people drifting through—and sometimes away from—faith communities reexamine their convictions, there’s more desire than ever to live freely and to grant our curiosity an audience.

In Theologizin’ Bigger: Homilies on Living Freely and Loving Wholly, pastor, podcaster, and public theologian Trey Ferguson encourages you to re-engage your imagination and construct theologies that speak to our current contexts, just as people of faith have done throughout history.

With personal stories and some lo-fi truth telling, Ferguson leads us through topics like how we read the Bible, our inherited traditions, the shame and confusion we experience, and a faith that can shape tomorrow. Ferguson writes, “Theology requires imagination. The ability to imagine is part of what makes us human. And salvation is, in part, a rehumanization project.”

You don’t have to ignore your nagging doubts and honest questions. You don’t have to check any part of yourself at the door. You can find the faith to live freely and love wholly. When you’re Theologizin’ Bigger, you get to decide where the crown goes.

“Ferguson’s book has deep importance for those who know (or don’t know) they’re stuck, and for anyone who feels the questions bubbling up, even those who hadn’t realized it was okay to ask them.” —Englewood Review of Books

Praise for Theologizin’ Bigger

“Trey is not only pushing us toward bigger theologies that can hold the totality of who we are. He is calling for us to embrace better theologies—theologies that fully honor our humanity and the God who fashioned us as good creation. And we are the better for it.”

From the Foreword by Candice Marie Benbow, author of Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough

“In his powerful debut, Trey Ferguson reminds us of the liberation that can be found when we value the art of speculation; when we allow God to be bigger than we can fully capture; and most of all, when we bring our true, full  selves to the theological table. With honesty, wit, and creativity, Theologizin’ Bigger is an invitation to revive our  imaginations so that we may walk into the way of salvation—into the healing process of rehumanization.”

Kat Armas, author of Abuelita Faith and host of The Protagonistas

“Theologizin’ Bigger grants followers of Jesus the permission to re-engage their imaginations in the life of faith. It is a hopeful resource for those who find themselves in the midst of questions, doubts, and shifts in their faith.”

Kate Boyd, author of An Untidy Faith: Journeying Back to the Joy of Following Jesus, creator of the Threaded Bible studies, and host of Untidy Faith

“Theologizin’ Bigger is not merely an indictment of status quo Christianity, it is a treatise on liberation. Readers can become freer, and in that freedom see God better. In Theologizin’ Bigger, Trey Ferguson doesn’t make God bigger (that’s impossible) but helps us to see God as bigger than we might have before.”

Dennis R. Edwards, PhD, Dean, North Park Theological Seminary

“Trey Ferguson’s Theologizin Bigger is a timely invitation to transcend restricted theological imaginations and instead embrace the liberating heart of the good news. With prophetic fervor and pastoral wisdom, Trey dismantles oppressive hermeneutics while ultimately gesturing us toward our full humanity. Read this book!”

Drew G. I. Hart, Associate Professor of Theology at Messiah University and author of Who Will Be A Witness?: Igniting Activism for God’s Justice, Love, and Deliverance

“Trey’s book is not a lamp to light our path but a guide to walk with us on the journey of reconstructing what we set our hope in. He combines his knowledge of history, doctrine, culture with his life experiences to encourage us to build a spirituality that is more expansive, more inclusive, and seeks a more liberated world.”

Camille Hernandez, trauma informed specialist and author of The Hero and the Whore

“Trey Ferguson’s book, Theologizin’ Bigger . . . captivates readers with his surgical communication style, effortlessly simplifying complex theological concepts and making them accessible in today’s world. If you’ve been grappling with theology amid the challenges of our times, let Ferguson’s work both encourage and guide you in what he aptly terms Theologizin’ Bigger.”

Dr. Terence Lester, Founder of Love Beyond Walls, author of I See You, When We Stand, and All God’s Children

“Trey has an uncanny ability to weave humor, theology, and storytelling together in ways that allow folks to feel at ease. Theologizin’ Bigger is a beautiful testimony of the ways in which Trey understands God and seeks the wisdom that can be found in leaning into the nuanced places of others who don’t necessarily believe what he does.”

Robert Monson, co-director of enfleshed

“Every generation needs to discover new ways to relate to the Bible and faith in a modern world. It’s exciting work when you have the right guides. Pastor Trey is one, and the imagination he brings in Theologizin’ Bigger is what we need to chart pathways toward a wider liberation for all. Dig into this!”

Rev. Rohadi Nagassar, author of When We Belong: Reclaiming Christianity on the Margins

“Theologizin’ Bigger is an incredible testament to a God worth believing in. In spite of all the ways dominant Christianity has tarnished faith, Ferguson reminds us why the story of God has captured the imaginations of overlooked and exploited people throughout history. People will be reading Pastor Trey’s first book, and hopefully second, third, and so on, for a long time.”

Kevin Nye, advocate and author of Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness

“It’s a tall order, but I want four things in a book: brilliant writing, an education, laugh-out-loud humor, and inspiration to be a better human. In Theologizin’ Bigger, Trey delivers on all four counts and then some. This book blew my mind, then my heart and soul. I’ll read every word this man writes.”

Marla Taviano, author of unbelieve, jaded, and whole

Trey Ferguson is a minister, writer, and speaker, with an MDiv from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. His thoughts on faith in an evolving world can be found on the Three Black Men: Theology, Culture, and the World around Us and New Living Treyslation podcasts, in The Son Do Move newsletter, and @pastortrey05 on social media. He lives in South Florida with his wife and three children. Learn more at pastortrey05.com.

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