What does it mean to be a Christian in today’s turbulent world? After every disillusionment and debate, what convictions survive? Dr. David P. Gushee has been an influential voice in American religious life as an ethicist, pastor, and activist. He’s advocated on issues ranging from torture and climate change to truth in politics and LGBTQ inclusion. He co-authored the pivotal Kingdom Ethics, a Jesus-based ethics, and has written numerous books and hundreds of opinion pieces on what Christianity has to say about how we should live. Now, in this ambitious new book, Gushee takes his many years of teaching and experience to offer a definitive, comprehensive take on the Christian moral life.
With twenty-five easy-to-digest chapters, Introducing Christian Ethics offers readers a way to understand how to situate moral reasoning not only in scripture, but also in tradition and human reasoning. It offers a focus on Jesus and the disinherited, and a nuanced rethinking of the kingdom of God and its meaning for Christian ethics. Drawing on Gushee’s own work and life story but also a richly diverse set of sources, it covers general principles like virtues, truthfulness, love, and justice. And it discusses issues like creation, patriarchy, white supremacy, abortion, sexuality, marriage, politics, crime, and more. It also helps explain why we have such trouble as embodied people in following Jesus.
Written for seminary students, educators, pastors, small groups, and Christians everywhere, and including links to free audio and video presentations of the chapters (see samples below), Gushee’s Introducing Christian Ethics offers a reliable guide to finding core Christian convictions in a post-evangelical world.
“Introducing Christian Ethics is a standard-bearer that should serve as required reading for all core courses in theological ethics.” Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Vanderbilt University Divinity School
“I keep this book on my top bookshelf and it never gathers dust. David is one of the most wise, comprehensive, kind people I know. I could not more highly recommend Introducing Christian Ethics, especially in this current age where morality, truth, history and the future are all in jeopardy.” Shane Claiborne author of Rethinking Life, co-founder of Red Letter Christians
“Introducing Christian Ethics is an inspiring take on Christian life and thought, by an ecumenical scholar with a biblical vision and a passion for justice. Lisa Sowle Cahill, J. Donald Monan, S.J. Professor of Theology, Boston College
“A tremendous addition to the study of Christian ethics.” Reggie L. Williams, McCormick Theological Seminary
“A model of clarity, breadth and honesty.” Peter J. Paris, Princeton Theological Seminary
“One of the best moral compasses to consult by students … and pastors.” Henk Bakker, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
“An urgent prophetic and pastoral call to the American churches right now!” Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners
“A handbook of principled, impassioned activism.” Jennifer Butler, CEO, Faith in Public Life
“A comprehensive one-stop manual on what it means to live Christianly.” Peter Enns, author of The Bible Tells Me So
“Highly accessible, well-informed, and carefully balanced.” Hak Joon Lee, Fuller Theological Seminary
“[Introducing Christian Ethics] is comprehensive in scope, striking a good balance between, on the one hand, discussing ethical theory and, on the other hand, treating concrete moral issues.” Steven C. van den Heuvel review in Journal of Reformed Theology
