Ronald J. Sider, I Am Not a Social Activist: Making Jesus the Agenda. Herald Press, 2008.
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LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This functions much like the personal manifesto of Ronald Sider. Those who are only vaguely familiar with his writings and hear him quoted by unappreciative critics on one end and opportunistic activists on the other may be confused over whether Sider is conservative or liberal. This is partly because Sider, as he argues in this book, does not take his cues from cultural or political currents, but from a genuine attempt to “faithfully beam the purifying light of Christ into every corner of church and society.” He aligns selectively with political realities from both sides which, in his view, forward the interests of Christ. For this reason, he insists he is not an activist, but simply one who heralds what he regards as Jesus’ agenda. Sider describes how Christ’s kingdom teachings address issues such as family and marriage, eschatology, sin, holiness, politics, naturalism vs. theism, combining evangelism and social action, wealth, poverty, materialism, peace, and nonviolence. Whether one agrees of disagrees with him, one cannot come away from this book without appreciating how deeply Sider’s convictions are infused by his beliefs about the teachings of Christ. This is a refreshing window into one of our era’s most effective social prophets.
About the Author
Ronald J. Sider is the president of Evangelicals for Social Action and professor of theology, holistic ministry, and public policy at Palmer Theological Seminary. He is the author of more than twenty-five books, including the well-received The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience, Just Generosity, and the bestselling Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger.
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Related Areas
See Other Resource Guides on Christian Social Ministry:
- Theological and Philosophical Foundations of Social Ministry
- Spirituality for Ministry of Social Compassion and Justice
- Strategies For Christian Social Ministry
- Perspectives and Strategies For Social Ministry Among the Urban Poor, Urban Ministry
- Christian Perspectives on Political Theory and Church-State Relations
- Christian Perspectives on Economics and Public Policy
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- Missional Perspectives 04, Missio Dei, Observations
- Missional Perspectives 05, Missio Dei, Observations (Continued)
- Missional Church Resources, Introduction and Index
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- Theology of Mission
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- Missional Leadership / Missional Strategies
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