A Letter to My Anxious Christian Friends: From Fear to Faith in Unsettled Times

by David P. Gushee

Overview

David P. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University. A foremost expert in the field of Christian ethics, he is the author or editor of twenty books, including Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust, Kingdom Ethics, The Sacredness of Human Life, Changing Our Mind, and Evangelical Ethics. A regular blogger for Religion News Service, Gushee was recently elected to Vice President of the American Academy of Religion and to President of the Society of Christian Ethics. Visit his website at www.davidpgushee.com.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780664262686
Publisher:	Westminster John Knox Press
Publication date:	08/02/2016
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	136
Sales rank:	290,739
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dr. David P. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University and Chair of Christian Social Ethics Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam/IBTS. One of the world's leading Christian ethicists, he is the author or editor of more than 25 books, including Changing Our Mind, After Evangelicalism, Kingdom Ethics, Still Christian, Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust, and The Sacredness of Human Life. Gushee is a frequent speaker, "Kingdom Ethics" podcaster, and activist. He and his wife, Jeanie, live in Atlanta, Georgia. Visit davidpgushee.com or @dpgushee on social media.

Editorial Reviews

08/29/2016
In a book that's not likely to make any of his Christian friends less anxious or more hopeful, Mercer University professor Gushee (Kingdom Ethics) reflects on ways that Christians might assess, understand, and engage with a number of social issues confronting their faith. Gushee discusses race, sex, guns, money, education, and war, among other topics. For example, he argues passionately against the premises of American gun culture—"the most dangerous of these is that having 300 million guns in civilian hands makes us safer"—and concludes with a plea: "Christians, let's end this gun culture as soon as we can." After a helpful survey of the range of Christian positions on war, he unhelpfully writes simply that neither life nor death should motivate Christians, since they are committed to following Jesus the best way they can in a sinful world. Gushee certainly excels at pointing out the challenges Christians face, but he falls short at offering any comfort or wisdom about the ways to face them. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"David Gushee is one of our most searching and important voices for public theology. He defies Christian stereotypes and divisions that have played a part in dividing America in so many other ways. And this book is a road map for discerningly, faithfully claiming the promise and redemption that are possible in this tumultuous national moment."
—KRISTA TIPPETT, On Being and The Civil Conversations Project

"David Gushee is among the most important ethicists and theologians of our time. A Letter to My Anxious Christian Friends: From Fear to Faith in Unsettled Times is an instant classic—a short book that persuasively cuts to the core of the most significant issues facing Christians in the United States today. I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a deeper understanding of our nation's most contentious debates, and to all Christians who are seeking to square their feelings about this country with the tenets of their faith."
—JIM WALLIS, New York Times best-selling author, president of Sojourners, and editor-in-chief of Sojourners magazine

"It is hard in our increasingly polarized society to find a straightforward description of things. This is the great gift of Gushee's book. In a time of heightened anxiety and confusion, Gushee cuts through the divisive language and ideologies that saturate our political context and provides much-needed clarity on the issues we face. His brief but comprehensive reflections serve as a starting point for Christians to find common ground with one another and make a productive contribution to public life."
—JENNIFER M. McBRIDE, Associate Dean for Doctor of Ministry Programs and Continuing Education and Assistant Professor of Theology and Ethics, McCormick Theological Seminary

"David Gushee is one of America's finest public theologians, and this letter to fearful Christians shows why. He analyzes issues with political intelligence and biblical acumen, offering readers a way to move away from fear toward a deeper faithfulness. But what makes this book shine is his heart—as each page beats with love for the church, his neighbors, and, yes, even America. The message is simple: things may be changing, but a gracious God is with us. And that is good news indeed."
—DIANA BUTLER BASS, author of Grounded: Finding God in the World—A Spiritual Revolution

"David Gushee is one of the best Christian ethicists alive today. This is his manifesto to America . . . written like a love letter to the empire."
—SHANE CLAIBORNE, speaker, activist, and author of Executing Grace

From the Publisher