What do you think?
Rate this book
Getting on Message: Challenging the Christian Right from the Heart of the Gospel
In the 2004 election, 80 percent of those who claimed "moral values" was the most important issue affecting their vote cast their ballots for Bush, as did 63 percent of frequent churchgoers. Since then, the Religious Right has continued to cement an association between "Christian" and "moral" values and conservative policies.
Getting On Message challenges this association from the very heart of the Christian tradition. These readable and incisive essays use biblical framing to discern the personal and social ethics that truly embody Christian values in the contemporary world.
Marilynne Robinson discusses the link between personal holiness and a generous spirit. Garret Keizer looks at the growing wealth/class divide from a Christian perspective. Rev. Heidi Neumark examines hospitality as a core Christian value. Rev. Chloe Breyer explores a justice criterion for women's decisions on abortion. Rev. Bill Sinkford asks what really constitutes a God-approved marriage and family. Getting On Message is a book for clergy, for politically active people of faith, and for progressive organizers and strategists who want to learn how to talk to religious believers about the values they share.
Getting On Message challenges this association from the very heart of the Christian tradition. These readable and incisive essays use biblical framing to discern the personal and social ethics that truly embody Christian values in the contemporary world.
Marilynne Robinson discusses the link between personal holiness and a generous spirit. Garret Keizer looks at the growing wealth/class divide from a Christian perspective. Rev. Heidi Neumark examines hospitality as a core Christian value. Rev. Chloe Breyer explores a justice criterion for women's decisions on abortion. Rev. Bill Sinkford asks what really constitutes a God-approved marriage and family. Getting On Message is a book for clergy, for politically active people of faith, and for progressive organizers and strategists who want to learn how to talk to religious believers about the values they share.
232 pages, Paperback
First published April 12, 2006
4 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 1, 2007
Thanks Lauren for hookin' me up.
This is a collection of essays mainly by Protestant Clergy reflecting progressive attitudes towards American Christianity. The voice and focus vary by author (from anti-war scripturally didactic to personal anecdotes about racism and socio-economics) but the message is fairly consistent.
Pretty interesting so far - nothing too new in terms of fixation on megachurches in the 'exurbs' and indictments against the political power of certain parishes, but the employment of Biblical language and direct Gospel quotations is great and the emphasis put on explaining Jesus' reasoning behind communal rather than individual living challenges conservative notions of ultra-narcissism.
The only parts that slip somewhat are due to the essayists having an ax to grind and losing the focus of their writing.
This is a collection of essays mainly by Protestant Clergy reflecting progressive attitudes towards American Christianity. The voice and focus vary by author (from anti-war scripturally didactic to personal anecdotes about racism and socio-economics) but the message is fairly consistent.
Pretty interesting so far - nothing too new in terms of fixation on megachurches in the 'exurbs' and indictments against the political power of certain parishes, but the employment of Biblical language and direct Gospel quotations is great and the emphasis put on explaining Jesus' reasoning behind communal rather than individual living challenges conservative notions of ultra-narcissism.
The only parts that slip somewhat are due to the essayists having an ax to grind and losing the focus of their writing.
Displaying 1 of 1 review