Rage Prayers

by Elizabeth Ashman Riley

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Poetry, Self Help

195 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2024

About the author

Rev. Elizabeth Ashman Riley is an Episcopal priest in Washington, fostering a diverse community both in-person and through her vibrant TikTok presence, where she connects with over 60,000 followers from various backgrounds. An alumna of Saint Mary's College of California, she has Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley. Riley’s notable roles have included serving as rector of Emmanuel Episcopal on Mercer Island. Prior to that she was a deacon at St. Luke's Episcopal Church and Associate Rector at Trinity Church, both in California. She has been a steadfast board member for organizations like Young Clergy Women International and Stanford's Episcopal Campus Ministry, focusing on fundraising and development initiatives. In 2022, her sermonizing acumen earned her the diocesan preaching award. She resides just outside of Seattle where she’s raising her three children.

Reviews

[Rachel | All the RAD Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

if we’re going to be spiritual, let’s at least be honest. 🔥

this collection from @therevriley is, like she writes, an invitation to bring our whole self to our spiritual practices. it is, unlike so much of what i’ve experienced in church, wholly unabashed, wildly radical, ridiculously freeing, and beautifully honest. it was such a gift to have these prayers for so many circumstances and feelings and seasons, cutting all the crap and creating such wide open space to be real and raw with a god who can handle it.

fellow exvangelical/decsontructing friends, this is one i wholeheartedly recommend as a fresh new way to engage with prayer and find words for all the shit that christianity (and christians) and life in this broken world can bring.

[Joni Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that you can pick the prayer you need. And believe me there is a ton to pick from. There is one in particular I’ve been using daily.

[Jaimie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bridging the gap between the divine and the human condition, Rage Prayers offers a soft landing to the parts of ourselves that are often denied shelter within the spaces of organized religion.

Riley is well attuned to the failures that have led many to believe God and religion are inaccessible. Through autobiographical narrative and prayer, she gives voice to the inkiest, messiest parts of the soul. She dispels the notion that anger, rage, fear and doubts are too big for God to hold with us. It is poetic, beautiful, and absolutely fearless.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Reply All**

God—

When my email is full of unnecessary messages
I can understand why you sent the floods.

Might I suggest reply all—
As the next plague?

A constant loop of unnecessary information
Consuming our time?

[Richard Propes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever sat in church and thought to yourself "I really wish someone would just get a little pi**ed off?"

Have you ever gotten tired of the same old prayers? The ritualized prayers? The eloquent prayers? The prayers that say all the right words but have all the emotions of a Steven Wright comedy routine?

Have you ever just longed for your pastor, or any pastor, to announce someone's passing and actually say "This really fu**ing sucks?"

Yeah, me too. As a bit of a rebellious minister, I've been known to drop a few F-bombs here or there along my pastoral journey.

Here's the thing. I think it's okay. I think, in fact, it's amazing to stop holding back our true emotions. This is the world of Rev. Elizabeth Ashman Riley, an Episcopal priest known on TikTok for her "rage prayers" and currently serving the Diocese of Olympia.

While the social justice side of "Rage Prayers" is to be expected, Rev. Riley honors the full spectrum of the life experience from everyday pet peeves to that jerk who snagged your parking spot. There's no whispered "sweet nothings" to be found here - simply raw, transformative dialogue with a higher power ready to listen.

"Rage Prayers" is a surprisingly quick read, occasional narrative essays surrounded by prayers about injustice, environmental neglect, racism, ableism, and so much more. "Rage Prayers" is a place for rage, authenticity, vulnerability, and radical honesty. It's a place for unapologetic honest communion with the divine is empowered.

If you're familiar with Rev. Riley's TikTok, you'll embrace "Rage Prayers." If you're discovering her for the first time, you'll likely find yourself racing over to TikTok to check out her rage prayers in full-on, in-person action.

Regardless, the world needs more rage prayers and Rev. Riley delivers.

[Jonathan Thoms · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very compelling backstory, which helps dispel the notion of God as a three-wishes-genie. There are various prayers for various scenarios, similar to what the Book of Common Prayer/Worship provides, but with a very different set of prayers.

[Melinda Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An encouraging collection of prayers that remind us we can be faithful to God even when the world sucks. I read this as a daily devotional and a few of the prayers really spoke to me for the world we are in today.

[jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best books of 2024

[Julia Freedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the real ness of this prayer book. I could imagine using this for youth and young adults. Rev Riley has an excellent way of naming and putting words to much of what my heart longs to rage and pray about. I love that I get to be rage with God.

[Audrey Stars in Her Eye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher (all opinions are my own) and was reading this book during the presidential election and this book was a God send through that week. It covered so many things that happened that week. But it also covers so much that happens to us every day. The author covers big things, little things, things people tell us not to pray for. She gives you examples and helps you become free to pray for whatever you need to pray for!

[Alec L Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riley brings a raw and honest voice to the thoughts we all wish we could say aloud. That spirituality is in us through all our range of emotion and needs and experiences. Highly recommend!

[Doug Goodin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look, I know that the concept of written prayers and litanies is a source of contention across some denominational lines. I, for one, appreciate the commonality and community I think they bring into Christian or even secular spaces. All of that being said, this is one of the greatest collections of litanies I have ever read, and I cannot recommend it enough to everyone regardless of religious background or affiliation. This is a book that articulates good and holy rage, frustration, anger, exhaustion, and so many other emotions in such clear and concise ways. Rev. Riley has done the Lord's work with this book, and I am grateful to have read it and continue to use it.

[Gordon Craig]

Elizabeth Ashman Riley has written a wonderful collection of prayers, along with essays describing her lived experience relevant to each group of rage prayers. I loved the overarching message: that God isn't our puppetmaster; rather God is with us in our sorrows, anger at things great and petty, and despair.

If you're looking for platitudes, this isn't the book for you. For the rest of us, there's the assurance of God's love through all the messiness that makes us God's beloved people.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing collection of prayers and meditations that both challenge traditional prayer and move us beyond what we usually speak of in churches. Some of the prayers are political, some of the prayers are personal, and some of the prayers are day-to-day annoyances. But all of them are things that when we concentrate on, we can rage against. Rage on brothers and sisters, rage on.

[Bill Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This about prayer. Not the simple prayer of help me. It is a book of prayers when life isn’t perfect. You want to scream at the creator. The message to me is God is bigger than we give him credit for today. Joe can handle range when we think he is being unfair.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

While many of these prayers weren’t quite as “angst-y” as I require at the moment, I was particularly touched by the final section featuring prayers for “petty rage” situations like traffic, automatic renewals, and emails. Praying in mundane moments has always been just as important as praying in life-changing ones and I appreciate the author’s acknowledgment of common, everyday rage. Highly recommended.

[LydiaGrace Quine-Espiritu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rev. Riley writes from the heart. If you read this book and you don’t laugh, cry, rage and reconnect with part of yourself that you let go silent, then maybe you and I didn’t read the same book. 😅 This book is Beautiful. This book is Meaningful. This book is Brilliant.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was honest and raw and sometimes funny (which yes… prayers can be humorous!) and timely. I bookmarked several!

[Jaimie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bridging the gap between the divine and the human condition, Rage Prayers offers a soft landing to the parts of ourselves that are often denied shelter within the spaces of organized religion.

Riley is well attuned to the failures that have led many to believe God and religion are inaccessible. Through autobiographical narrative and prayer, she gives voice to the inkiest, messiest parts of the soul. She dispels the notion that anger, rage, fear and doubts are too big for God to hold with us. It is poetic, beautiful, and absolutely fearless.

[Taline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some may know Reverand Elizabeth Riley from her viral TikTok channel, where she demystifies and critiques traditional approaches to religion, others will be new to her refreshing take on what it means to have a relationship with God. Through this work, you will find a tender, humorous collection of prayers from a priest who understands what it means to be mad at the world, especially God. Elizabeth Riley offers a collection of prayers that gives you permission to be angry, to question, and to forge through.

Thank you to the author for the advanced copy.

[Angharad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so very much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Utterly powerful, poignant, needed, the thing my soul was craving for; this book moved me to tears from the very first page to the very last. The raw humanity in each prayer feels so personal and honest. I read each and every one of the prayers aloud, even ones not relevant to my needs, and looked at the idols of my God on my writing desk, thanking Him between each one. It's lovely, and raw, and let me talk to my God about the things sometimes I don't let out. The author is a Christian, but the prayers are structured in a way that any faith could use them. I'm planning on gifting or recommending this book to every single one of my religious friends; Hindus, Muslims, Jewish, Pagans, Christians, and spiritual folks of nearly any walk could find at least one prayer in here that will strike home for you. Literally the minute it's available to buy, I'm getting myself a copy to keep on my desk for my hard days.

[Kay Rawlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rev Riley’s writing and prayers address problems and real emotions about this life and doesn’t shame us into an inauthentic relationship with God. A great book for those who are suffering from addiction, grief, or loss.

[Dominique · Rating 1 out of 5]

The description of Rage Prayers did not prepare me for the reality of Rage Prayers. As a reader, I was initially excited about this book. The title is eye-catching, and the range of topics the author strives to address is vast. Upon reading the text further, I noticed that the tone of some of the prayers felt odd and did not sit right with me. In addition to the tone, the author's theology felt very unclear. I encourage Christians to use discernment when reading any book, but especially a book of this magnitude dealing with your spiritual practice of prayer. I encourage you to truly utilize discernment when praying or even coming into agreement with the prayers in this book.
God is so good, sovereign, omnipotent, kind, and loving that he can take all our anger, confusion, questions, sadness, etc. It is essential to pray and to pray all the range of prayers that, being human, call for anger, sadness, confusion, long, short, etc.
God hears every prayer you pray. You can talk to him without putting on airs. I believe that this is the message Rage Prayers strived to convey, but it missed the mark for me.
Thank you, NetGalley and Morehouse Publishing, for the digital arc.
Final Rating 1/5.

[Kasia Hubbard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rage Prayers by Elizabeth Ashman Riley sounded amazing. Especially during todays time of all that is going on in the world and chaos that is everywhere. What a concept. Expressing our deepest emotions to God raw, unvarnished, and honestly. Yet....this is where it also crashes for me. The Psalms are filled to the brim of all kinds of emotions. Joy, sadness, anger, rage against our enemies, but even then, the psalmists, especially David, have a turn of stance of stopping the inward look and selfcenteredness to looking outward and wholly to God in His goodness and mercy. I see none of that here. I see cursing. I see 'Mother God', I see 'Divine', and this does not fall in line with who we are ultimately pleading our case to, God. Her theology is not explicitly defined and questionable in several instances. I was even further wary by looking up her social media prayer after the election. This had an excellent premise, but the follow through just is not something I can recommend.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between deconstruction and Purity Culture and Christian Nationalism and EFFING CANCER, I’ve been yelling at God for years.

I loved finding people who feel just as comfortable in their place at the banquet.

Not only do readers get a peek into the world of an Episcopal Priest in this, the Year of Our Lord 2025, but we also get some solid places to start our invocational rampage.

Want to rail against your own impermanence?
She’s got a prayer for that.

Want to play Whack-a-Mole with Earth’s biggest horrors?
Covered.

Want to grumble about traffic and car alarms?
You’re in good company, you petty bitch.

While you can totally read this book from cover to cover, I read all the meaty, autobiographical bits, and then skipped to headings that caught my eye – I spent a particularly long time in the Raging at Faith section.

I’m considering tacking a few around the house. It’ll make for some great conversations, I’m sure.

But, seriously, fuck cancer.

[Yunie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I really love how while this is a book of prayers, the topics and way it's written is very contemporary, if that makes sense? Or rather is very fitting to the world we now live in. Of course there is a range of topics for the different prayers one might need; things like grief, parenting, dealing with illness, etc. But then there's some for more social issues like politics, women's rights, harming the marginalized and more. There's even a section in regards to faith issues like questioning faith, false prophets, weaponized faith, etc. And of course there wouldn't be rage without some of the more petty issues like traffic, taxes, spilled milk.

Overall I think this is a wonderful book of prayers for a modern Christian or Christianity based audience and it's definitely something I would utilize in my own spirituality.

[Katharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the idea and content of Rage Prayers, but actually found myself more moved by the prose introductions to sections than to the prayers themselves. The evolution of the author's personal life and faith and challenges taught me many things. I was also surprised to find points in our lives that we had in common. For example, I was also a 15-year old elected member of my church's governing body, and also disagreed vehemently with some ingrained beliefs about "appropriate" relationships with God expressed by the older members.

I am hoping she wrote other prose as well.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep this right next to my BCP as another prayer book by my bed. I was especially moved by the prayers for heartbreak, anxiety, and soft landings. The last two years have been a struggle for me and sometimes I don't have the words and there are no prayers like these in the BCP. This is brilliant work! All the prayers are relevant and timeless. This book permitted me to 'rage' at God and give me structure to do so. God is tough and can take it!

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book by its title/cover. Overall, I appreciate the idea that we should bring our authentic selves and honest feelings to God in prayer. But I felt as though the book (specifically, the prayers) lacked some depth.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Crystal Palmisano-Dillard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great. It's honest and doesn't shy away from hard truths and struggles.

I personally was hit hardest by the Raging with Faith and Raging for Justice sections (although Petty Rage wasn't far behind).

If you've struggled with your faith, especially with the rise of Christian Nationalism, I strongly encourage you give this one a read.