Getting on Message: Challenging the Christian Right from the Heart of the Gospel

In the 2004 election, 80 percent of those who claimed "moral values" was the most important issue affecting their vote cast their ballots for Bush, as did 63 percent of frequent churchgoers. Since then, the Religious Right has continued to cement an association between "Christian" and "moral" values and conservative policies.

Getting On Message challenges this association from the very heart of the Christian tradition. These readable and incisive essays use biblical framing to discern the personal and social ethics that truly embody Christian values in the contemporary world.

Marilynne Robinson discusses the link between personal holiness and a generous spirit. Garret Keizer looks at the growing wealth/class divide from a Christian perspective. Rev. Heidi Neumark examines hospitality as a core Christian value. Rev. Chloe Breyer explores a justice criterion for women's decisions on abortion. Rev. Bill Sinkford asks what really constitutes a God-approved marriage and family. Getting On Message is a book for clergy, for politically active people of faith, and for progressive organizers and strategists who want to learn how to talk to religious believers about the values they share.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807077216
• ISBN13: 9780807077214
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Not what I expected; better

There are several types of progressive critique of the religious right, all valuable in their own right. There is the "how the religious right violates the scripture", the "why the left is closer to the teachings of Christ and finally "what steps do we take to repair the damage they have done?" This book falls into the third category. The essays enclosed provide practical steps for progressive Christians heal the society that the right has wounded. Highly recommended.