Biblical Ethics and Social Change

by Mott, Stephen Charles

• ISBN13: 9780195029482
• ISBN10: 0195029488
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1982-04-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In this book, the author provides a thorough treatment of the biblical basis for implementing social change.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	xviii
Part I: A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT	1	(106)
Biblical Faith and the Reality of Social Evil	3	(19)
The World war the Evil Social Order	4	(2)
The Evil Supernatural Powers	6	(4)
Social Reality	10	(6)
Implications of Evil Residing in Society	16	(3)
The Activist Who Takes Sin Seriously	19	(3)
God's Grace and Our Action	22	(17)
Christian Ethics Grounded in God's Acts of Grace	23	(5)
Christian Ethics Corresponds to God's Gracious Action	28	(1)
Social Actions of Grace	29	(5)
Social Ethic or Community Ethic?	34	(3)
Conclusion	37	(2)
Love and Society	39	(20)
Love as Grace	39	(1)
Christian Ethics Grounded in Love	40	(3)
The Social Importance of Love	43	(16)
God's Justice and Ours	59	(23)
Justice and Grace	59	(6)
Commitment to the Oppressed	65	(7)
The Command to Justice	72	(5)
Justice and Society	77	(5)
The Long March of God	82	(25)
The Reign of God	82	(1)
Old Testament Background	83	(5)
The Present Justice of the Reign	88	(13)
God's Purpose in History	101	(4)
A Kingship Which Arrives by Joy	105	(2)
Part II: PATHS TO JUSTICE	107	(102)
Evangelism	109	(19)
The Importance of Evangelism for Social Change	109	(3)
The Limits of Evangelism for Social Change	112	(10)
The Interdependence of Evangelism and Social Action	122	(4)
Pigeonholing the Commands of God	126	(2)
The Church as Counter-Community	128	(14)
The Significance of the Church in God's Strategy	128	(2)
The Church Is Community	130	(4)
Support of the Christian in Mission	134	(1)
The Witness of Community Life	135	(7)
Strategic Noncooperation	142	(25)
The Theory of Selective Noncooperation	143	(2)
Subordination to Government in Scripture	145	(9)
The Ethics of Conducting Duties	154	(6)
Civil Disobedience as Subordination	160	(1)
Qualifications of Civil Disobedience	161	(6)
After All Else-Then Arms?	167	(25)
Order and Revolution	168	(2)
The New Testament and Violence	170	(13)
Reflections on Love and Armed Force	183	(9)
Creative Reform through Politics	192	(17)
The Importance of Government	192	(5)
The Limits of Politics	197	(3)
Creative or Cooptable Reform	200	(4)
You Can't Legislate Morality?	204	(5)
Notes	209	(31)
Indices	240