Twenty-first century Christians live in diaspora, merely one voice among many, without enjoying their once-privileged place in society. This is particularly the case for those who struggle to be a church that mirrors the capaciousness of God's grace. We are assaulted by the venting of pent-up furies, which are stoked by profound anxieties over the loss of a cherished worldview and fear about an unacceptable but unstoppable future. Frequently, we struggle to speak an authentic word of God amidst the cross-talk of many voices. This book--a canonical study of Hosea through Malachi, called collectively The Book of the Twelve--describes a biblical model of faithful speaking under similar circumstances. It guides reaction to this loss toward intense engagement with Scripture and theology in order to sense again the meaning of speaking what is at the heart of faith, God's unalterable commitment to continuing faithfulness with us.
