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| Progressive Christians Speak A different Voice on Faith and Politics John B. Cobb This is a great resource. I wasn't sure if I was a true progressive, but I knew I appreciated fact based opinion. This book provides a well informed factual basis for so many of the items identified with progressive Christianity. R Cobb is brilliant and voices he's chosen to the following topics are well chosen. The titles include Religion and Public Schools, Basic rights of Children, Abortion, Human and civil rights, Homosexuality, Social Security, The Penal System, War on Drugs, Immigration, Corporations, Sweatshops, Globalization, Debt, Environmentalism, Food Security, and Global Population. This book is everything a good liberal arts education should be. It is extremely well written and brilliant in it's insight and scope. By J. Jacobsen. The moral basis for the progressive agenda. This book provides a great resource for progressives who want to learn the moral underpinnings for their point of view. This is done on a whole wealth of issues such as globalization, abortion, the environment and gay rights among many others. If you are a christian and a progressive and want to stand up to the "religious right", then I recommend this book! Review by G. Richard Wheatcroft: The following is a mission statement. "Progressive Christians Uniting, formerly Mobilization for the Human Family, is a movement of progressive Christians whose mission is to be a prophetic presence in the Church and in the world, steadfastly proclaiming the radically inclusive love of God and faithfully working for the inclusion of and justice for all God's children, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, age, race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status." In his Preface, Editor John B. Cobb, Jr., Professor of Theology Emeritus at the Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, California, places the need for Progressive Christians Uniting in historical context. It is his perception that for more than a century, the major Protestant churches in the United States were leaders in progressive social action. Today they are mostly silent in affirming and supporting issues of justice. Some believe that the old-line churches, which have experienced declining membership, have turned inward for fear of losing more members. The dominant message heard in these churches, is "Me and Jesus" or what Joseph Haar called "individualistic self-serving redemptionism." Cobb, however, believes that one reason for the decline of membership is the loss of nerve in facing a new historical situation. He points out that conservative churches, which have entered the political arena and dominated the media, are flourishing. In an Appendix, there is a short history of the politics of the Christian right, highlighting their message and politics. The author writes, "The judgement of the Hebrew prophets against the unjust and the powerful and Jesus' gospel of forgiveness and inclusive love seem mostly subordinated in their speech to the ungodly idols of rigid and narrow sexual morality, capitalistic individualism, and exclusive nationalism" Given this situation, Cobb writes, it is the intention of Progressive Christians Uniting, to seek "to understand what is going on in our world and to clarify the relevance of our Christian faith and heritage to that world." He states that those who have come together in Progressive Christians Uniting do so as witnesses to a common faith. Although they come from many churches in the Protestant tradition, they have been "nurtured by the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, by the sacraments, and by service together in the world." For all of them, the model for mission and ministry is Jesus. He writes, "As followers of Jesus in the church, both ministers and lay people, we, too, are called, empowered, and energized for a public ministry in the name of Jesus Christ that reflects the love of God and will make the reign of God more visible, a reign of peace, love, and justice for all creation." The sixteen chapters of the book, first prepared as position papers of Progressive Christian Uniting, describe areas in which Christians, if they are to make the reign of God visible, must be engaged. They are, Religion And The Public Schools, Basic Rights For Our Children, Reflections on Abortion, Human Rights And Civil Rights, Homosexuality And Same-Gender Unions, Is Social Security Really Broken? The Penal System, The War On Drugs, The Immigration Dilemma, Do Corporations Serve The Human Family? Responding To Sweatshops, The Globalization of Economic Life, Should Debt Be Forgiven? The Church and Environmentalism, Global Food Security, and The Global Population Crisis. Each chapter has a section on "A Christian Perspective," followed by a section called "What Can We Do," which includes "Discussion Questions" and "To Learn More." The book is structured to be a resource and guide for study and discussion groups. This book is for Christians who know that their faith is more than an individual, personal relationship to God (accept Jesus as your personal Savior). Faith is a commitment to follow Jesus by proclaiming and embodying the Domination-Free Order (Walter Wink) of justice and compassion he called the Kingdom of God. Cobb writes, "When the whole of life and thought are unified in faith, there is an integrity and joy we cannot otherwise know." |
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