Running With Jesus: The Prayers of Malcolm Boyd

by Malcolm Boyd

Malcolm Boyd illustrates his understanding of the nature of prayer in this provocative collection. Sometimes his prayers are startling, and sometimes they are raw—but they are always fresh and sincere. They will lead you toward an intimate understanding of God—here and now. Some of the 135 prayers collected here first appeared in Boyd’s groundbreaking and bestselling book, Are You Running with Me, Jesus?, while others are from Human like Me, Jesus. Many are new—just for this volume. You’ll resonate with Boyd as he exposes his fears and failures, his joys and his love through these prayers. Ten sections dealing with issues from gritty urban life to sexuality and prayers of joy for simple pleasures help you find prayers relevant to your own situation. Most of all, you’ll find a model for expressing yourself—all of yourself—to God in new ways. This is must-reading for anyone looking to broaden their life of prayer.

118 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Malcolm Boyd was an American Episcopal priest and author. He was one of the prominent white clergymen in the American Civil Rights Movement in the 60s as well as the anti-Vietnam War movement. In 1977 Boyd came out of the closet, becoming the most prominent gay clergy person to come out. In the 1980s Boyd met the gay activist and author Mark Thompson, who would become his long-time partner. He is the author of more than 30 books.

Crisis in Communication (Doubleday, 1957)

Christ and Celebrity Gods (Seabury, 1958)

Focus: Rethinking the Meaning of Our Evangelism (Morehouse-Barlow, 1960)

If I Go Down to Hell (Morehouse-Barlow, 1962)

The Hunger, the Thirst (Morehouse-Barlow, 1964)

Are You Running with Me, Jesus? (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1965/40th anniversary edition, 2005), became a bestseller

Free to Live, Free to Die (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1967)

Malcolm Boyd's Book of Days (Random House, 1968)

The Fantasy Worlds of Peter Stone and Other Fables (Harper & Row, 1969)

As I Live and Breathe (Random House, 1969)
My Fellow Americans (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1970)

Human Like Me, Jesus (Simon and Schuster, 1971)

The Lover (Word Books, 1972)

The Runner (Word Books, 1974)

The Alleluia Affair (Word Books, 1975)
Christian: Its Meanings in an Age of Future Shock (Hawthorn, 1975)

Am I Running with You, God? (Doubleday, 1977)

Take Off the Masks (Doubleday, 1978; rev. ed. HarperCollins 1993, White Crane Books 2008)

Look Back in Joy (Gay Sunshine Press, 1981; rev. ed. Alyson, 1990)

Half Laughing, Half Crying (St. Martin's Press, 1986)

Gay Priest: An Inner Journey (St. Martin's Press, 1986)

Edges, Boundaries and Connections (Broken Moon Press, 1992)

Rich with Years: Daily Meditations on Growing Older (HarperCollins, 1994)

Go Gentle Into That Good Night (Genesis Press, 1998)

Simple Grace: A Mentor's Guide to Growing Older (Westminster John Knox, 2001)

Prayers for the Later Years (Augsburg, 2002)

A Prophet in His Own Land: The Malcolm Boyd Reader (edited by Bo Young/Dan Vera) (White Crane Books, 2008)

Edited by Malcolm Boyd
On the Battle Lines: A Manifesto for Our Times (Morehouse-Barlow, 1964)
The Underground Church (Sheed & Ward, 1968)
When in the Course of Human Events (with Paul Conrad, Sheed & Ward, 1973)
Amazing Grace: Stories of Lesbian and Gay Faith (with Nancy L. Wilson, Crossing Press, 1991)
Race & Prayer: Collected Voices, Many Dreams (w/Chester Talton, Morehouse, 2003)
In Times Like These…How We Pray (with J. Jon Bruno, Seabury, 2005)

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up randomly off a bookshelf of old books at a B&B, and then I couldn't put it down.

This is a short, simple book of prayers published in 1965---some are traditional prayers that you might find on an inspiring plaque for a cheesy Christmas gift, but many are open, honest questions of someone trying to grapple with the social changes of the 60's.

Some lines that you would never see in a book of prayers by Billy Graham:

"I've marched in peace demonstrations, fasted in protest against nuclear experiments, signed petitions, and tried seriously to study the issues involved. But what have I been able to accomplish?"

"She has tried very hard to live in a society as a person who is Negro, rather than a Negro who is not really considered a person. What kind of Christianity, trading on your name, can deny her human Rights and her full membership in your body on earth?"

I looked up Boyd after reading this and it turns out he was an openly homosexual Episcopalian minister who worked towards racial integration in the 60's (the book is even dedicated to, among others, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee). An interesting read for me as someone who experienced a very evangelical Christianity otherwise.