Redeeming Sociology : A God-Centered Approach

• ISBN13: 9781433521294
• ISBN10: 1433521296
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-04
• Publisher: Good News Pub

Summary

In their pursuit of social welfare, sociologists and everyday citizens alike have adopted a worldview that fails to account for both the nature of God and the depravity of humankind. Ignoring God and sin has resulted in misguided analyses and ineffective solutions to societal issues. The time has come to rethink the study of sociology as those faulty assumptions have clearly affected the discipline as a whole.

Author Biography

Vern Sheridan Poythress is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary. He has six earned degrees, including a PhD from Harvard University and a ThD from the University of Stellenbosch. He is the author of ten books, including Redeeming Science and In the Beginning Was the Word.

Table of Contents

Preface: Why Relationships?	p. 11
Introduction: Considering Personal Relationships	p. 15
The Importance of Relationships	p. 17
God's Involvement with Relationships
Relationships and the Trinity	p. 23
God Creating Human Beings	p. 30
God's Covenants	p. 33
God Sustaining Relationships	p. 48
Creativity in Relationships	p. 51
Exploring Examples of Relationships	p. 57
The Regularities of Human Relationships	p. 66
God's Rule	p. 71
Responding to God's Government	p. 88
From Big to Small: Relationships in the Context of History
Small Pieces of Human Action within the Big Pieces	p. 95
World History	p. 98
The Fall into Sin	p. 103
Redemption through Christ	p. 115
Peoples and Cultures	p. 121
Principles for Cultural Reconciliation	p. 127
Good and Bad Kinds of Diversity	p. 133
Human Action	p. 143
Interpreting Human Relationships
Meanings in Personal Action	p. 155
Social and Cultural Analysis	p. 162
Interpreting God's Actions	p. 173
Cultural Learning	p. 182
Human Knowledge within Culture	p. 190
Smaller Wholes within Society
Varieties in Society	p. 197
Authorities	p. 206
Classifications of People	p. 220
Social Equality and Inequality	p. 225
Episodes	p. 231
Transactions	p. 237
Action in Steps	p. 240
Subsystems for Human Action	p. 243
Signs and Their Meanings	p. 253
Foundations for Unified Signs	p. 259
From Signs to Perspectives	p. 266
Applications
A Jigsaw Piece as a Perspective	p. 271
Living in Relationships	p. 275
Interaction with Other Approaches to Society and Relationships
René Descartes's Method	p. 281
Modern Sociology	p. 287
ôScientificö Sociology	p. 294
Empathetic Sociologies	p. 303
Sociological Models	p. 310
Sociology of Knowledge	p. 316
Sociology and Postmodernism	p. 324
Postmodern Theology	p. 327
Bibliography	p. 331
General Index	p. 337
Scripture Index	p. 347
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