The Least of These: Essays Toward A Theology of Homelessness

Homelessness is not just a social problem. It is a theological location.

In Matthew 25, Jesus does not say "you served the homeless." He says, "you served me." That small shift changes everything.

The Least of These is a collection of essays by Dan Kiniry and Jeff Hood, two theologians who have lived, organized, and broken bread in homeless communities across the South. It is an attempt to do theology from the curb, not the classroom - to listen before we lecture, to receive before we rescue.

This is not a policy manual or a how-to for outreach. It is a theological reorientation.

Inside, you will find:

• Why homelessness is a spiritual crisis for the housed church, not just a material crisis for the unhoused
• Reflections on Eucharist, baptism, and prayer when there is no building to host them
• Stories from the street that dismantle myths about laziness, addiction, and worthiness
• A critique of charity that maintains power, and a vision of kinship that shares it
• A call for the church to leave its property and recover its identity as a pilgrim people

We write as Christians who believe that God is not waiting for the homeless to come to church. God is already encamped with them. The question is whether we will join.

If you are tired of theology that defends the status quo, and hungry for a faith that looks like shared bread in a circle on the ground - this book is for you.

Dan Kiniry is a writer and community theologian working at the intersection of poverty, liturgy, and place.
Jeff Hood is a theologian, activist, and pastor who has served as a longtime chaplain on death row and who shares the Eucharist on . He is the author of multiple books on radical faith and public theology.

The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood is a Catholic Priest (Old Catholic) and nationally recognized theologian and spiritual advisor to death row inmates nationwide. He has accompanied eleven men to their executions, including the first and eighth nitrogen hypoxia executions. Widely regarded as the leading spiritual voice on the death penalty, his work has been profiled in outlets ranging from the New York Times to a Rolling Stone documentary, The Spiritual Advisor. For his service and scholarship, he was nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. Hood holds degrees from Auburn University (BA), Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv), Emory University's Candler School of Theology (ThM), the University of Alabama (MA), Creighton University (MS), Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University (DMin), and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the American Institute of Metaphysics. His primary interest has always been the power of spirituality to bring about liberation.

Ordained to ministry in 2006, Dr. Hood was incardinated into the priesthood of the Old Catholic Church in 2022. The author of over 100 books - including The Courage to Be Queer, named one of the best religion books of 2016 at the Independent Publishers Book Awards - he regularly partners with men on death row to co-produce original works of theology.

On July 7, 2016, Dr. Hood organized and led a Dallas rally against police brutality that ended in the shooting deaths of five police officers. He saved lives by using the cross he was carrying to force people away from the gunfire. The Dallas Public Library honored his role in that event and his wider work by opening the Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood Collection in its archives.

In January 2024, Dr. Hood became the first spiritual advisor present in an execution chamber for a nitrogen hypoxia execution. Amid the international media attention that followed, he kept the memory of Kenneth Smith at the center of the story while demanding that such an execution never be repeated. No other spiritual advisor in the country has been present in the execution chamber for as many executions.

Believing that traditional theological education is increasingly inadequate, Dr. Hood founded The New Theology School, where he serves as Dean and as the Rev. Charles Moore Professor of Prophetic Theology.