This time of year is all about Christ's Incarnation — Emmanuel, God with us. The child that Mary delivers comes to deliver us. Elizabeth's baby leaps for joy at Mary's presence because Christ is within her.
A new book from Presbyterian author Wendy Farley presents a powerful expression of Jesus Christ as experienced by those who are marginalized and persecuted in contemporary society. In Gathering Those Driven Away: A Theology of Incarnation, Farley speaks to gay and lesbian persons, women, racial minorities, and anyone else who has ever felt wounded by the church. Recognizing the ways in which those on the margins have been treated by the church, Farley compellingly argues that the doctrine of the incarnation is the basis for a radical inclusivity and defense of the preciousness of all human beings, especially those the church marginalizes.