Sider, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience

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Ronald J. Sider, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Christians Are Living Just Like the Rest of the World. Baker Books, 2005.

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LifeandLeadership.com Summary

Sider’s contention is that “by their daily activity, most ‘Christians’ regularly commit treason. With their mouths they claim that Jesus is their Lord, but with their actions they demonstrate their allegiance to money, sex, and personal self-fulfillment.” He notes that Christians are no different than their unbelieving neighbors in areas such as hedonism, materialism, racism, egotism, divorce, premarital sex, domestic violence, the use of pornography, and other sinful practices. He offers solutions on how Christians can live more consistently with their convictions. A companion volume is Just Politics, which discusses the fact that while evangelicals have risen to positions of political power, they have failed to use this influence to catalyze kingdom-informed public policy.

From the Publisher

Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World?

Evangelical Christians say they believe in biblical moral standards and the power of God to transform lives—yet recent surveys show that most are not living any differently than the rest of the world. From money to sex to racism to personal self-fulfillment, a scandalous percentage of Christians are violating biblical standards with barely a twinge of conviction.

Ron Sider takes a painfully honest look at this disconnect to reveal the depth of the problem and contrast it with biblical teaching on the transforming power of genuine faith. When we apply these biblical teachings to our lives, we will be more suited to close the gap between who we are and who God calls us to be.

“Every now and then, somebody needs to step on the toes of the body of Christ. Reading this book may make you wince, but the pain of self-examination is worth it.”-David Neff, editor and vice president, Christianity Today

The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience summons us to take the gospel seriously. For the good of society-and perhaps even for the sake of our souls-we had better take notice.”-Randall Balmer, author, Growing Pains: Learning to Love My Father’s Faith

“When the behavior of members of a religious movement turns out to be little better, and sometimes worse, than that of its neighbors, leaders and members of that movement should take notice. They should ask some deep questions not only about that behavior but also about the systems that produce or support it. Ron Sider has me asking those kinds of questions, thanks to his clear diagnosis and thoughtful prescription.”-Brian McLaren, pastor, author (anewkindofchristian.com)

“If you’ve ever wondered why today’s evangelicals lack the societal influence their numbers would seem to bestow, Ron Sider offers an answer.”-Duane Litfin, president, Wheaton College

“The conscience of many evangelicals has been programmed more by social patterns than by the Scripture. In this work Ron Sider gives us an impressive critique of this scandal and calls us to a rediscovery of the ethics of Christ.”- Myron S. Augsburger, president emeritus, Council for Christian Colleges & Universities

“Ron Sider’s greatest gift to the church is his willingness to tell us the hard, obvious truth about ourselves. This book is strong medicine-a diagnosis that will take your breath away, but also a prescription that could make the difference between life and death for biblical faith in America.”-Andy Crouch, former editor, Re:generation Quarterly

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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