Kirjahaku

Is there a special relation between religious beliefs and moral behavior? In particular, is there a distinctive Christian moral character and how is this manifested in moral actions? The influential theologian James M. Gustafson probes these questions and offers an analysis of the distinctively religious reasons of the "heart and mind" which constitute the basis for a Christian ethics. Professor Gustafson grounds his discussion in a concrete example of moral conduct which deeply impressed him. The incident—narrated in detail at the start and referred to throughout—concerns a nonreligious colleague who came to the aid of an intoxicated soldier. Although seemingly trivial, this incident, in the author's view, approximates the normal sorts of experiences in which individuals have to make moral decisions every day; it becomes a touchstone to investigate the logical, social, and religious elements in moral decision making.

"If Catholic and Protestant ethicians were asked to name a single theologian who was qualified to write a comprehensive overview of the historical divergences of Catholic and Protestant positions on ethical questions, the bases for those divergences in fundamentally different philosophical and theological perspectives, and the possibilities for future convergences of the traditions, my guess is that James Gustafson would be the one. . . . This brilliant and tightly argued book . . . will be the most important book on moral theology to appear this year."--John Coleman, National Catholic Reporter

"Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective will surprise some, shock others, and unleash a flood of speculation about what has happened to James Gustafson. The answer quite simply is nothing has happened to Gustafson except that he has now turned his attention to developing his constructive theological position, and we should all be very glad. . . . In this, the first of two volumes, Gustafson displays his colors as a constructive theologian, and they are indeed brilliant and splendid. . . . Though Gustafson is a theologian who works in the Christian tradition, he reminds us that the God Christians worship is not merely the Christian God. For Gustafson the kind of God who is the object of the theologians's reflection eludes or surpasses the inevitably confessional activity of Christian theological reflection. Thus Gustafson, the constructive theologian, is also Gustafson the revisionist theologian who takes as his task nothing less than challenging the anthropocentrism that he alleges characterizes mainstream Western Christian theology."—Stanley Hauerwas, Journal of Religion

Gustafson's two-volume work has been hailed as a major contribution to Christian ethics. In this second volume, Gustafson considers marriage, suicide, and the allocation of resources in famine and in biomedical research to develop an ethical outlook in which divine purpose is the basis of moral activity. "Breadth and subtlety, wisdom and insight . . . Gustafson is a first-rate theologian."—Commonweal "The two-volume work, now complete, will be a benchmark for discussions of Christian ethics for years to come. With it Gustafson becomes one of the thinkers by whom others can, by agreement or divergence, define their own ethics."—Roger L. Shinn, Christianity and Crisis"Gustafson's theocentrism is an original and creative contribution to modern ethical discussion."—Douglas Sturm, Ethics

In this book, originally published in 1968, James M. Gustafson asks the fundamental question, what is the significance of Jesus for the moral life? His answer is in the form of an ethical map, showing the ways in which theological affirmations about Christ relate to moral life in the writings of a number of important Christian thinkers. Gustafson has written a new preface for this edition.The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable sustained dialogue with predecessors though reflection on classic works in the field.

When first published in 1961, Treasure in Earthen Vessels was hailed by H. Richard Niebuhr as "the first real sociology of the church." In this landmark work, James M. Gustafson examines the church as a human institution that must, and does, participate in the social structure of all human communities. His penetrating analysis remains an important contribution to the dialogue between the theological and social-scientific disciplines. Gustafson has written a new preface for this volume. The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable sustained dialogue with predecessors though reflection on classic works in the field.

Why did the place of formerly powerful Eurasian land empires, like that of Iran, change so dramatically in global affairs over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?This book explores this critical transitional period in Iranian history from an environmental perspective. It argues that severe ecological challenges dating to the late seventeenth century, and deepening during the post-Safavid crisis of the eighteenth century, drove a decline in the population and resource base of the Iranian plateau. This in turn shaped ongoing environmental challenges in the Qajar period and on into the 20th century.Presenting a new set of perspectives on key sources with new questions in mind, The Lion and the Sun relies upon scientific evidence such as Geographic Information System data and tree-ring analysis, as well as a careful re-engagement with existing sources. Re-interpreting court chronicles, administrative orders, local histories, geographical texts, and endowment deeds, the book reveals the way in which the relationship between imperial systems and the rest of nature formed the modern state of Iran. An important and original contribution, it will be essential reading for scholars and students of global environmental history and the modern Middle East.

Why did the place of formerly powerful Eurasian land empires, like that of Iran, change so dramatically in global affairs over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries? This book explores this critical transitional period in Iranian history from an environmental perspective. It argues that severe ecological challenges dating to the late seventeenth century, and deepening during the post-Safavid crisis of the eighteenth century, drove a decline in the population and resource base of the Iranian plateau. This in turn shaped ongoing environmental challenges in the Qajar period and on into the 20th century. Presenting a new set of perspectives on key sources with new questions in mind, The Lion and the Sun relies upon scientific evidence such as Geographic Information System data and tree-ring analysis, as well as a careful re-engagement with existing sources. Re-interpreting court chronicles, administrative orders, local histories, geographical texts, and endowment deeds, the book reveals the way in which the relationship between imperial systems and the rest of nature formed the modern state of Iran. An important and original contribution, it will be essential reading for scholars and students of global environmental history and the modern Middle East.

In this important work, expanded from his Princeton Warfield Lectures, Gustafson strongly urges Christians to take a hard look at their religious discourse and its relationship to all the other discourses--scientific, secular, philosophical--that inform our worldview. Pastors, theologians, and laypeople alike, he argues, regularly and unthinkingly accommodate their religious views to these other realms, or allow their religious views to be manipulated for other purposes. Gustafson sets out a helpful typology of relationships, from complete religious rejection of secular discourse to full accommodation. Citing contemporary thinkers and examples from a full range of fields, he challenges Christians to a greater self-consciousness and honesty about their religious commitments and doctrinal formulations. As relevant to the pulpit as to the podium and the poli- tical stump, Gustafson's brief, thoughtful volume calls all Christians to face the hard intellectual work that is necessary to forge an honest and publicly relevant faith today.