Richard Lischer, the James T. and Alice Mead Cleland Professor Emeritus of Preaching at Duke Divinity School, has compiled a selection of his sermons preached at Duke University and across the United States on what it means to live the Christian life with conviction.

The book, Just Tell the Truth: A Call to Faith, Hope, and Courage, was published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. in February and explores seasons of suffering, hope, and triumph in the light of the gospel.

In the book, the respected preacher and teacher insists that Christians have a stake in the political and social conflicts dividing our culture. Lischer argues that in whatever circumstance, Christians are obligated to tell the truth about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in a society filled with half-truths, disinformation, and lies.  

Drawing upon Scripture and the lives of both well-known and anonymous Christians, Lischer helps his readers imagine what truthful living looks like. While remaining biblically and theologically rooted, the sermons eloquently engage the present moment, showing how Christian conviction has a place in the controversial realms of politics, racial justice, and the COVID-19 crisis. 

The nourishing meditations in Just Tell the Truth align the rhythm of the gospel with the curvature of human experience, empowering Christians to find the heart of God in what is too often a heartless world. Topics explored in the book’s chapters are a season of suffering, waiting in hope, triumph, the life of faith, for all the Saints, and public callings.

Lischer is the author of 14 books including the prize-winning The Preacher King: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Word That Moved America, a classic published 25 years ago on King and his mission to “redeem the soul of America.” An updated edition was reissued in 2020. He is also the author of the anthology The Company of Preachers, The End of Words: The Language of Reconciliation in a Culture of Violence, and two memoirs, Stations of the Heart: Parting with a Son and Open Secrets: A Memoir of Faith and Discovery.

“Prepare to be encouraged, challenged, and emboldened by someone who reminds you why the gospel matters—and that sermons can be works of literary art,” said Barbara Brown Taylor, New York Times bestselling author and speaker.  

Lischer has taught and lectured widely in the areas of practical theology, ministry, religious autobiography and preaching. He has held many distinguished lectureships, including the Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale Divinity School. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 from the Academy of Homiletics.

Visit Professor Richard Lischer’s website.