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What should be the Christian's attitude toward society? When so much of our contemporary culture is at odds with Christian beliefs and mores, it may seem that serious Christians now have only two choices: transform society completely according to Christian values or retreat into the cloister of sectarian fellowship.In Making the Best of It, John Stackhouse explores the history of the Christian encounter with society, the biblical
record, and various theological models of cultural engagement to offer a more balanced and fruitful alternative to these extremes. He argues that, rather than trying to root up the weeds in the cultural field, or
trying to shun them, Christians should practice persistence in gardening God's world and building toward the New Jerusalem. Examining the lives and works of C. S. Lewis, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer for example and direction, Stackhouse suggests that our mission is to make the most of life in the world in cooperation with God's own mission of redeeming the world he loves. This model takes seriously the pattern of God's activity in the Bible, and in subsequent history, of working
through earthly means--through individuals, communities, and institutions that are deeply flawed but nonetheless capable of accomplishing God's purposes. Christians must find a way to live in this world
and at the same time do work that honors God and God's plan for us.In an era of increasing religious and cultural tensions, both internationally and domestically, the model that Stackhouse develops discourages the "all or nothing" attitudes that afflict so much of contemporary Christianity. Instead, he offers a fresh, and refreshingly nuanced, take on the question of what it means to be a Christian in the world today.
What should be the Christian's attitude toward society? When so much of our contemporary culture is at odds with Christian beliefs and mores, it may seem that serious Christians now have only two choices: transform society completely according to Christian values or retreat into the cloister of sectarian fellowship.In Making the Best of It, John Stackhouse explores the history of the Christian encounter with society, the biblical
record, and various theological models of cultural engagement to offer a more balanced and fruitful alternative to these extremes. He argues that, rather than trying to root up the weeds in the cultural field, or
trying to shun them, Christians should practice persistence in gardening God's world and building toward the New Jerusalem. Examining the lives and works of C. S. Lewis, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer for example and direction, Stackhouse suggests that our mission is to make the most of life in the world in cooperation with God's own mission of redeeming the world he loves. This model takes seriously the pattern of God's activity in the Bible, and in subsequent history, of working
through earthly means--through individuals, communities, and institutions that are deeply flawed but nonetheless capable of accomplishing God's purposes. Christians must find a way to live in this world
and at the same time do work that honors God and God's plan for us.In an era of increasing religious and cultural tensions, both internationally and domestically, the model that Stackhouse develops discourages the "all or nothing" attitudes that afflict so much of contemporary Christianity. Instead, he offers a fresh, and refreshingly nuanced, take on the question of what it means to be a Christian in the world today.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; INTRODUCTION: WHO ARE WE, FOR JESUS CHRIST, TODAY?; PART I: THE CLASSIC TYPOLOGY; PART II: SOME RESOURCES FOR THE RECOVERY OF CHRISTIAN REALISM; PART III: MAKING THE BEST OF IT; CONCLUSION: MAKING THE BEST OF IT; INDEX; INDEX OF SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES
John G. Stackhouse, Jr. is Professor of Religious Studies at Crandall University in New Brunswick, Canada. He is the author of Can God Be Trusted? Faith and the Challenge of Evil (OUP 1998), Humble Apologetics: Defending the Faith Today (OUP 2002), Church: An Insider's Look at How We Do It, and Finally Feminist: A Pragmatic Christian Understanding of Gender. He lives in Vancouver, B.C.
"If you are satisfied neither with the program of a whole-scale
transformation of the world nor with the project of building
alternative enclaves in the world, this is the book for you. With
compelling arguments, clear prose, and much erudition John
Stackhouse points to a third and better way of following Christ in
the real world. A must-read for those who are concerned with the
role of faith in contemporary societies." --Miroslav Volf, Founder
and Director of
the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and Henry B. Wright Professor
of Theology, Yale University Divinity School
"John Stackhouse addresses the big ideas about God and human beings
and the world, but he does it not only with careful attention to
the nuances and scholarly details, but with a focus on the
practical challenges of living 'for Jesus Christ, today.' This is a
wonderful gift to all of us who care deeply about thoughtful
discipleship." --Richard J. Mouw, President and Professor of
Philosophy, Fuller Theological Seminary
"John Stackhouse brings realism and theological integrity to
evangelical social ethics. Making the Best of It combines prophetic
criticism with an eye for real opportunities to live God's mission
in today's world. Reflection on four great Christian thinkers of
the past century provides a breadth of vision from which Stackhouse
draws principles that make sense of today's opportunities. The
result is global and local, timeless and contemporary, faithful
and effective." --Robin W. Lovin, Cary Maguire University Professor
of Ethics, Southern Methodist University
"This is an evangelical guide for the perplexed coming from a
first-rate theological intelligence. It is coherent in its overall
argument, brilliant and acute in its discriminations,
simultaneously bracing and relaxing. With uncommon commonsense it
shows how a Christian might engage with the shifting complexities
of culture and politics, while faithfully interrogating the whole
Bible rather than one's own favorite anthology of quotations."
--David Martin,
Professor Emeritus of Sociology, London School of Economics
"If you are satisfied neither with the program of a whole-scale
transformation of the world nor with the project of building
alternative enclaves in the world, this is the book for you. With
compelling arguments, clear prose, and much erudition John
Stackhouse points to a third and better way of following Christ in
the real world. A must-read for those who are concerned with the
role of faith in contemporary societies." --Miroslav Volf, Founder
and Director of
the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and Henry B. Wright Professor
of Theology, Yale University Divinity School
"John Stackhouse addresses the big ideas about God and human beings
and the world, but he does it not only with careful attention to
the nuances and scholarly details, but with a focus on the
practical challenges of living 'for Jesus Christ, today.' This is a
wonderful gift to all of us who care deeply about thoughtful
discipleship." --Richard J. Mouw, President and Professor of
Philosophy, Fuller Theological Seminary
"John Stackhouse brings realism and theological integrity to
evangelical social ethics. Making the Best of It combines prophetic
criticism with an eye for real opportunities to live God's mission
in today's world. Reflection on four great Christian thinkers of
the past century provides a breadth of vision from which Stackhouse
draws principles that make sense of today's opportunities. The
result is global and local, timeless and contemporary, faithful
and effective." --Robin W. Lovin, Cary Maguire University Professor
of Ethics, Southern Methodist University
"This is an evangelical guide for the perplexed coming from a
first-rate theological intelligence. It is coherent in its overall
argument, brilliant and acute in its discriminations,
simultaneously bracing and relaxing. With uncommon commonsense it
shows how a Christian might engage with the shifting complexities
of culture and politics, while faithfully interrogating the whole
Bible rather than one's own favorite anthology of quotations."
--David Martin,
Professor Emeritus of Sociology, London School of Economics
"Offer[s] uncommon common sense about complex ethical
decision-making and Christian discipleship in a complicated and
often depressing postmodern social reality."
--Books & Culture
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