Let's Talk About Truth

The mere mention of “truth” will often start arguments, even among the best of friends and the closest of family members. To avoid conflict, Church leaders often side-step the topic altogether. In Let’s Talk about Truth, Ann M. Garrido shares practical ways that preachers and others charged with moral and spiritual leadership in the Church can stop backing away from the topic and instead help Catholics recover the practice of truth as a way of life. 
Garrido, an award-winning author and associate professor of homiletics, shows Catholic preachers, teachers, and other leaders ways to approach the contentious topic of truth with confidence that the Church’s intellectual and pastoral traditions are squarely on their side. She explores truth as a multifaceted reality that serves four foundational roles in the Christian life. Truth:
• equips us to see the world as it actually is • informs our opinions and assists us with making judgments • shapes the way we communicate with each other • enables us to build long-lasting relationships with one another
Garrido’s clarity and conviction inspire confidence and the practical homiletic tools she offers are readily applicable to teaching and other forms of Church leadership. Sample preaching texts illustrate key points and show readers how to understand truth as a way of life that the Christian must pursue. Each chapter includes a summary of key insights, a list of practical takeaways, and probing questions for self-reflection or group dialogue. Garrido also provides a five-point assessment tool for preachers in a brief appendix to facilitate their willingness and growth toward better preaching about the practice of truth in the Christian life.

Ann M. Garrido is associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri ,where she previously directed the school’s Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching program. Garrido has served as the Marten Faculty Fellow in Homiletics at the University of Notre Dame. She is the author of seven books, including the award-winning Redeeming Administration and Redeeming Conflict. She travels nationally and internationally helping communities talk about the topics they find toughest to talk about—conversations that always involve questions of truth.

“Ann Garrido dares to look truth in the face, and to preach about it!” Rev. Gregory Heille, O.P. Director of the Doctor of Ministry in Preaching program Aquinas Institute of Theology

“Ann Garrido has done it again: taken an old topic that might seem abstract or well-worn and injected it with new life. Garrido takes the reader on an adventure which shows us that ‘truth’ contains some exciting inner dynamics for the preacher and hearer to explore together. In our post-truth milieu, this is a timely, needed, and fresh approach to a mainstay of Christian faith." Rev. Michael Connors, C.S.C. Director of the John S. Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics University of Notre Dame
“An essential read for any minister who is trying to reclaim truth as a fundamental human and explicitly Christian value. Garrido challenges preachers, teachers, and other Christian leaders to see the world as it is, seek a sound basis for judgments, speak honestly, and be faithful in relationships.” Sr. Theresa Rickard, O.P. President of RENEW International
“We who have the mission to preach, teach, and lead must confront our post-truth culture directly and help others to do so in their everyday lives. I applaud Ann Garrido’s work in Let’s Talk about Truth. She masterfully speaks to the truth of things within the mystery of creation and Creator.” Most Rev. David P. Talley Bishop of Memphis
“Once again, Ann Garrido offers a thoughtful and practical contribution to thinking about ministry. In Let’s Talk about Truth she cautions ministers from using truth as a cudgel and instead shows us how to speak authentically about truth in ways that those who hear us will understand. I happily recommend this book to leaders of the Church at every level.” Rev. Gerard Olinger, C.S.C. Vice President for Mission Engagement and Church Affairs University of Notre Dame