Why We're Publishing "By What Power"

When Eric Smith pitched By What Power: The Book of Acts, Autocracy, and the Power of Resistance to Chalice Press, he wasn't trying to put together a dry history textbook. A professor and minister, Smith kept noticing something striking: The dramatic stories from the Book of Acts read just like the headlines flashing across our news feeds every single day. Whether it's harsh immigration roundups, political corruption, ethnic tensions, or the steady creep of authoritarianism, the ancient Roman world and America’s modern political reality align in eerie ways.

Chalice Press is publishing By What Power because it helps Christians realize “we’ve been here before” and offers us a practical lens to understand and push back against the autocratic systems that threaten American democracy in the 21^st Century.

By What Power dives into how power actually works. Written during the height of the Roman Empire and in the shadow of the devastating First Jewish War, the biblical Book of Acts serves as an ancient guide for surviving life under empire. Smith walks us through how early Jesus-followers constantly bumped up against state authority—violence, unjust imprisonment, economic protectionism, and territorial control. He reminds us that autocrats throughout history use the same playbook: rewriting history to manufacture a "glorious past," twisting justice systems to protect political insiders, and acting with total impunity.

Smith then goes beyond writing a political critique, challenging readers to consider how being sympathetic for Paul translates into our current reality. If reading Acts makes you angry on behalf of Paul and the apostles for how poorly they were treated, you should feel that exact same anger about how vulnerable people are treated today. When writing the heartbreaking story of "Maria," a woman who fled cartel violence only to get swallowed up by a cruel and confusing immigration detention system, Smith makes it personal: if you're rooting for the heroes of Acts, you have to root for Maria and the marginalized folks in our own backyard.

What makes By What Power hopeful, though, is its focus on community and resistance. Instead of caving in to fear or giving in to despair, the early Jesus movement banded together in incredible ways. Operating from the edges of society, they practiced radical inclusion, shared resources through mutual aid, and stood in solidarity with each other. They took care of vulnerable widows, crossed deep cultural divides, and offered an alternative vision of human respect and dignity in complete defiance of empire's demands.

For Christians and everyday readers who might feel like they are currently on the outside looking in, Smith offers a wonderful reminder: the margins aren't a place of defeat. In fact, the margins are the exact place where we can speak truth to power and hold leaders accountable.

Ultimately, By What Power brings us back to that classic question asked of Peter and John: "By what power did you do this?" In answering that for our own time, Smith reminds us that every autocracy has its limits. By calling out injustice, refusing to buy into fear, and choosing to live with genuine compassion and fairness, we can build communities that truly last.

I hope By What Power gives you the courage, clarity, and historical insight needed to live faithfully and resist tyranny, now and forever.

Gratefully,
Brad Lyons