Believing Aloud

In The Fall Of , Mark Douglas, AProfessor Of Christian Ethics, Was Invited To Write Weekly Editorials For ASecular NewspaperSurprisingly, His Editor Placed No Limits Around Either The Content Or The Rhetoric Of Those EditorialsThis Book Offers Professor Douglas's Reflections On That Work And The Editorials ThemselvesTaken Together, They Model AParticular Vision Of Christian Engagement In The Public SphereThis Book Offers ASingle Sustained Argument About Why And How The Christian Faith Should Shape The Public Lives Of Its AdherentsBoth The Reflections And The Editorials Model Various Aspects Of That ArgumentAt The Center Of This Book's Argument Are The Christian Virtues Of Faith, Hope, And LoveDouglas Begins By Arguing Not Only That Faith Matters In The Public Sphere But Describing How This Is SoHe Then Describes The Way Hope Shapes AWorldview Through Which To Interpret Public LifeFinally, The Virtue Of Love Informs The Practices Of ALife In Which Christians Learn To ''believe Aloud.'' Many Recent Books Have Made The Case That It Is Important For People Of Faith To Engage In Matters Of Public Interestthis One Actually Shows How One Person Has Done So''mark Douglas Consistently Finds Ways To Surprise The Readernot With Gimmicks, But With Hope So Truthful It Reveals The World AnewThat Hardwon Hope Lets Douglas Make ACrucial Contribution To Academic Debates About Religion And PoliticsIt Also Helps Him Write Editorials That Crackle With Good Humor And Fresh InsightDouglas Calls His Readers To Believe Aloudand Then Gives Rich Samples Of What That Sounds Like For Our Time.'' ted ASmith Author Of The New Measures: ATheological History Of Democratic Practice ''mark Douglas's Believing Alou Is AWonderful Book, Or Really Two Books: One ACollection Of His Newspaper Columns, The Other ASeries Of Meditations which Connect The Columns On What He Was Trying To Do In The Columns, And How He Thought He DidCombining Theological Depth, Political And Cultural Acumen, And AVivid And Sharp Writing Style, The Book Is Both An Education In Douglas's Wise And Persuasive Understanding Of Religion's Role In Public Life, And An Education About How To Communicate That Understanding To OthersADelight.'' charles Mathewes Author Of ATheology Of Public Life Mark Douglas Is Associate Professor Of Christian Ethics At Columbia Theological Seminary In Decatur, GaHe Is The Author Of Confessing Christ In The st Century
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