Reclaiming the Future by Re-Storying the Past
JUNE 30, 2025
New Book from Sacred Memory Cohort Offers Prophetic Reflections on Migration, Memory, and Justice
Behind the stories in Genesis—of Abraham leaving Ur, of Hagar cast into the wilderness, of Jacob’s dreams on the run—lies something deeper than geography. These are ancestral migrations, sacred journeys shaped by trauma, transition, resilience, and divine presence.
In their powerful new book, Reclaiming the Future by Re-Storying the Past: Migrations in Genesis through a Prophetic Sacred Memory Lens, cohort members of the Sacred Memory Project at McCormick Theological Seminary offer bold and deeply personal theological reflections on these ancient texts. Through the lens of their own migration stories—across nations, neighborhoods, cultures, and generations—they breathe new life into familiar Scripture.
This work is more than academic—it is devotional, political, and pastoral. By weaving together biblical narrative, ancestral memory, and lived experience, the cohort models a form of theology that is embodied and liberative. One that makes space for grief and movement. One that recognizes that migration is not just a historical fact—it’s a spiritual calling and a justice issue.
In re-storying these Genesis accounts, the authors resist erasure and reclaim sacred memory as a tool for prophetic imagination. They offer a vision of restorative wholeness for communities still navigating displacement, diaspora, and the wounds of colonization.
What You'll Find in the Book:
Re-readings of biblical migrations through postcolonial, womanist, and decolonial lenses
Theological essays infused with personal testimony and ancestral remembrance
Reflection questions and liturgical resources for community engagement
A call to integrate sacred memory as a method of justice-making
This project is a shining example of the Sacred Memory Project’s mission: to support faith-rooted leaders in reclaiming erased histories, resisting harmful narratives, and creating space for transformative truth-telling in church and society.
We are deeply proud of the Sacred Memory Cohort for this prophetic and poetic contribution to theological education and public witness.
Read an excerpt or grab your copy today: Reclaiming the Future by Re-Storying the Past