The Nature and Destiny of Man issues a vigorous challenge to Western civilization to understand its roots in the faith of the Bible, particularly in the Hebraic tradition. Niebuhr here lays out his influential understanding of the two poles of human existence: finitude and freedom. Individual human thriving requires that we fully understand and honor both of these aspects of our nature, yet human history demonstrates our penchant for placing one over the other. This book is arguably Reinhold Nie...
Reinhold Niebuhr’s An Interpretation of Christian Ethics is both an introduction to the discipline and a presentation of the author’s distinctive approach. That approach focuses on a realistic (rather than moralistic) understanding of the challenges facing human individuals and institutions, and a call for justice—imperfect though it might be—as what love looks like in a fallen world. The book’s most distinctive aspect is the author’s insistence that perfect love and justice are unattainable in ...
One of the theological classics of the twentieth century, Niebuhr’s Moral Man and Immoral Society argues that using moral persuasion and shaming to affect the behavior of such collectives as corporations and nation states is fruitless, as these groups will inevitably seek to promote only their self-interest. He calls for a realistic assessment of group behavior and enumerates how individual morality can mitigate social immorality.This edition includes a foreword by Cornel West that exp...
This volume in the Library of Theological Ethics series draws on writings from the early nineteenth through the late twentieth centuries to explore the intersection of black experience and Christian faith throughout the history of the United States. The first sections follow the many dimensions of the African American struggle with racism in this country: struggles against theories of white supremacy, against chattel slavery, and against racial segregation and discrimination. The l...
Just as it is impossible to understand the American religious landscape without some familiarity with evangelicalism, one cannot grasp the shape of contemporary Christian ethics without knowing the contributions of evangelical Protestants. This newest addition to the Library of Theological Ethics series begins by examining the core dynamic with which all evangelical ethics grapples: belief in an authoritative, inspired, and unchanging biblical text on the one hand, and engagement wi...
Writing across theological disciplines, nine African American women scholars reflect on what it means to live as responsible doers of justice. With some classic essays and some contributions published here for the first time, each chapter in this new volume in the Library of Theological Ethics series presents analytical strategies for understanding the story of womanist scholarship in the service of the black community.
Brandt presents important selections from German theologian Schleiermacher's Christian Ethics, a work that moves beyond formal matters to offer a comprehensive analysis of ethical issues, including what constitutes moral action for individuals in relation to the family, the state, the school, the church, and society. This edition also includes James Brandt's in-depth introductory essay, describing the role of Christian Ethics in Schleiermacher's overall corpus, its place in the h...
Georgia Harkness (1891-1974) was a Methodist theologian and the first American woman to teach theology at the seminary level. A leader in the ecumenical movement, Harkness strove to make theology accessible to the laity. This book is a compilation of writing from early in her career that appeared in publications such as The Christian Century, Religion in Life, and Christendom. Although her theology shifted somewhat during these years, Harkness held fast to her belief that libe...
When first published in 1961, Treasure in Earthen Vessels was hailed by H. Richard Niebuhr as "the first real sociology of the church." In this landmark work, James M. Gustafson examines the church as a human institution that must, and does, participate in the social structure of all human communities. His penetrating analysis remains an important contribution to the dialogue between the theological and social-scientific disciplines. Gustafson has written a new preface for this volu...
In this book, originally published in 1968, James M. Gustafson asks the fundamental question, what is the significance of Jesus for the moral life? His answer is in the form of an ethical map, showing the ways in which theological affirmations about Christ relate to moral life in the writings of a number of important Christian thinkers. Gustafson has written a new preface for this edition.The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and e...
This collection of essays from one of America's great theological minds explores the nature and meaning of Christian community. First published between 1945 and 1960, these essays make clear for the first time H. Richard Niebuhr's moral theology of the church. Understanding Christianity itself as a movement--and not an institution--Niebuhr argues that, at their best, Christian communities should express the ongoing, transforming relation of God and the world.The Library of Theologic...
James M. Gustafson has been a leading and formative figure in the field of Christian ethics over the past fifty years. His many contributions to theological ethics have helped to define and shape ethical thinking by Christians who reflect on great moral issues. Gustafson's work must be dealt with by all students in this discipline, and his perceptive insights have given clarity and guidance to the process of moral discernment. The essays collected here are ones that have had a signif...
In this contemporary classic originally published in 1963, Paul Lehmann answers the central question posed time and again to Christians throughout the ages: what am I as a believer in Jesus Christ and a member of his church to do? Lehmann argues that while principles for moral action can be rules of thumb, there are no absolute moral norms beyond the general norm of love. Lehmann contends that Christians are to act in every situation in ways that are consistent with God's humanizing...
This reissue of a twentieth-century classic by H. Richard Niebuhr emphasizes an understanding of God's revelation that takes seriously both the Bible itself and modern ideas about the nature of history. The book argues that God's revelation is "confessional history." The source and setting of basic Christian convictions lie within a historical framework. By his focus on revelation as personal experience, Niebuhr served as the igniting force for views of future theological movements ...
Offering a host of classic and new essays surveying the scholarly ethical and biblical debate surrounding the Ten Commandments, William Brown organizes his volume into three parts: the history of interpretation, contemporary reflections on the Decalogue as a whole, and contemporary reflections on individual commandments. A useful addition to ethics as well as Old Testament and Hebrew Bible courses, Brown's The Ten Commandments will be a standard reference for all Decalogue research,...
The Responsible Self was H. Richard Niebuhr's most important work in Christian ethics. In it he probes the most fundamental character of the moral life and it stands today as a landmark contribution to the field.The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable sustained dialogue with predecessors tho...
This book, originally published in 1927, has proven to be one of the most important and influential books in the field of ethics in the twentieth century. It remains a pertinent, original, and insightful work--a landmark statement of modern casuistry.The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable s...
A Theology for the Social Gospel is undoubtedly Walter Rauschenbusch's most enduring work. It is here that Rauschenbusch, the father of the social gospel in the United States, articulates the theological roots of social activism that surged forth from mainline Protestant churches in the early part of the twentieth century. Skillfully examining the great theological issues of the Christian faith--sin, evil, salvation, and the kingdom of God--Rauschenbauch offers a powerful justifica...
Igniting a firestorm of controversy upon its publication in 1966, Joseph Fletcher's Situation Ethics was hailed by many as a much-needed reformation of morality--and as an invitation to anarchy by others. Proposing an ethic of loving concern, Fletcher suggests that certain acts--such as lying, premarital sex, adultery, or even murder--might be morally right, depending on the circumstances. Hotly debated on television, in magazines and newspapers, in churches, and in the classroom, ...
During the first half of the twentieth century, John A. Ryan developed and promoted moral arguments for reforming the economy of the United States. He was an advocate of minimum wage legislation and child labor restrictions, and he was very much involved in Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Closely connected with lawmakers, Ryan's influence has been extensive in American public policy. This volume brings to readers pertinent selections from Ryan's classic works. It will be particula...
As one of the major British theologians and ethicists of the nineteenth century, F. D. Maurice is considered a forerunner of the contemporary ecumenical movement. His writings and work were an articulation of his theology, which emphasized the inclusiveness of Christianity despite ideological divisions within the Christian community. Maurice proposed a primary unifying principle, based on the dynamic love of God for humankind in all its diversity, that would bring the various Christ...
This volume considers the task of changing society's assumptions about women, analyses ways to challenge our culture's tradition, and explores ways in which we can live together in the modern world. A variety of issues, from reproduction to war, are discussed from an array of perspectives, including womanist and ecofeminist. The book is ideal for feminist theology and feminist ethics classes, and is sure to become an instant classic.The Library of Theological Ethics series focus...
This rare volume provides a concise statement of the major ideas of one of the greatest Protestant thinkers of the twentieth century, Karl Barth. Divided into three parts, it presents Barth's lecture, "The Holy Spirit and the Christian Life." This work emphasizes Barth's focus on the Trinitarian character of God's self-revelation. Barth insists there is no way to get behind or beyond the fact that God is revealed to us in three distinct ways, yet with a unity that cannot be divided. ...
This reissue of a classic work of H. Richard Niebuhr, one of the most influential and creative theological ethicists of the twentieth century, highlights his mature thinking. By using path-breaking interpretations of faith as a basic dimension of human life and culture as an arena of faith in conflict, Niebuhr encourages further thought. This volume should be required reading for anyone interested in recent perspectives on theology and ethics.The Library of Theological Ethics series...
A comprehensive work in the field of Christian ethics, Basic Christian Ethics remains, more than fifty years after its original publication, an engaging and important work.The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable sustained dialogue with predecessors though reflection on classic works in the f...
