Reviving the Golden Rule: How the Ancient Ethic of Neighbor Love Can Heal the World

by Andrew DeCort Narrated by Andrew DeCort

Overview

The biblical charges to "love your neighbor as yourself" and to "do to others as you would have them do to you" are at the heart of Abrahamic faith. DeCort argues that they are also at the heart of some of the most groundbreaking developments in human rights and the common good. Jesus taught neighbor-love and promised, "Do this and you will flourish."



But Christians today are at high risk of ignoring or overthrowing the most daring teaching of Jesus' movement. Having heard it repeatedly and having benefited immensely from its cultural effects, we have become dulled to neighbor-love's revolutionary power. In response, Reviving the Golden Rule explores the ethics of neighbor-love from the ancient world to modern times; examines how neighbor-love challenges the oppressive power of "othering" and expands human connection; highlights inspiring figures like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Mother Teresa, who practiced neighbor-love among marginalized communities; addresses instances where Christians have failed to uphold neighbor-love; and provides practical guidance on how to love and embrace "othered" neighbors today.



In one of the only historical and constructive works on the ethics of neighbor-love, DeCort invites us to reclaim this ancient movement. Learn to embody this revolutionary practice amidst crises for the healing of the world.

Editorial Reviews

author of On Inhumanity David Livingstone Smith

Do you want to make the world a better place? Start here. Reviving the Golden Rule…delivers a powerful humanist message that should be heard and acted upon by believers and unbelievers alike.”

Vincent Lloyd

"In this passionate and expansive book, Andrew DeCort tells the story of Christianity with neighbor love at its core. Rooted in his experiences in Ethiopia, DeCort pushes past the clichés that swirl around love. From the Hebrew Bible to Martin Luther King Jr., from the early Jesus followers to Simone Weil, DeCort's inspiring stories will motivate readers to put neighbor love into practice in their own contexts."

Eboo Patel

"This book is a rich personal, historical, and theological exploration of the most important moral questions of our earthly existence—who are my neighbors, and how should I care for them?"

David P. Gushee

"This is one of those exceedingly rare 'big books' in Christian ethics that traces a crucial concept historically while advancing the normative discussion for today. Andrew DeCort does that with the crucial pair of othering on the problem side and neighbor love on the solution side. What makes the book even more rare is that it really marks reflection on the radical practice of neighbor love as a movement, innovated by the author in the hard crucible of Ethiopia. So impressive. I highly recommend this book."

David Livingstone Smith

"Do you want to make the world a better place? Start here. Reviving the Golden Rule addresses the most urgent ethical question of our time and perhaps of all time—the question of how we can expand the circle of the 'us' to encompass the 'other.' Although written from an unapologetically Christian perspective, Andrew DeCort's newest book delivers a powerful humanist message that should be heard and acted upon by believers and unbelievers alike."

Shane Claiborne

"The perfect fusion of simple and profound. Neighbor love is the lifeline for our sin-sick souls suffocating in the quicksand of fear, scarcity, and indifference. Andrew DeCort does a masterful job diagnosing the problem and the cure."

Noah Toly

"In Reviving the Golden Rule, Andrew DeCort calls Christians to rediscover the ethical demands of a faith that commands us to love everyone—neighbors, strangers, and enemies—as ourselves. With urgency and clarity, he challenges us to resist the forces that divide and dehumanize and to embody the bold, boundary-breaking love of Jesus. This book is both a moral summons and a hopeful guide for anyone who longs to live out gospel implications in a fractured world."

David P Gushee

"This is one of those exceedingly rare 'big books' in Christian ethics that traces a crucial concept historically while advancing the normative discussion for today. Andrew DeCort does that with the crucial pair of othering on the problem side and neighbor-love on the solution side. What makes the book even more rare is that it really marks reflection on the radical practice of neighbor-love as a movement, innovated by the author in the hard crucible of Ethiopia. So impressive. I highly recommend this book."

Product Details

BN ID:	2940195071523
Publisher:	EChristian, Inc.
Publication date:	10/02/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

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