In 2013, Rabbi Sharon Brous gave a sermon in which she preached the need--in an era riven by loneliness, social alienation, polarization, and ideological extremism--to reclaim the simple act of showing up for one another. That day marked the beginning of an essential change in the community.
Based on that original sermon, The Amen Effect dives into our fundamental human longing for connection--in our most intimate relationships, in our community, with strangers, perhaps with God. Faith and ritual are powerful vehicles for this kind of connection, but so is simply reaching out, showing up, being present when others need us most. These are the ways that we reawaken to one another's humanity, and to our own.
Brous argues that connection and kinship in times of sorrow and celebration not only give our lives meaning, but can help us establish the foundation for a more just and loving society.
Drawn from ancient Jewish wisdom, contemporary social science, and Rabbi Brous's twenty years of pastoring to a leading-edge faith community, The Amen Effect argues that human connection is the very heart of life itself, and has the power to transform the way we think, feel, and live.