Christian Social Witness (New Church's Teaching Series) [Paperback]

Harold T. Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Series: New Church's Teaching Series | Publication Date: January 25, 2001

In this volume of The New Church’s Teaching Series, Harold T. Lewis surveys the teachings and witness of Anglicanism and the Episcopal Church concerning the Christian vision of a righteous social order, including the challenges of the new millennium. Beginning with the Bible’s understandings of social justice, Lewis summarizes the Anglican witness of theologians like F. D. Maurice and William Temple and goes on to discuss the Episcopal Church in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Later chapters discuss the challenges of a new social order that face the church today raised by liberation theology, third-world debt and economic justice, and questions of race, gender, and human sexuality. As with each book in The New Church’s Teaching Series, recommended resources for further reading and questions for discussion are included.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Harold T. Lewis is rector of Calvary Church in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and the author of Yet With a Steady Beat: The African American Struggle for Recognition in the Episcopal Church. For many years he served the national church as staff officer for Black Ministries.

Harold T. Lewis is rector of Calvary Church in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and the author of Yet With a Steady Beat: The African American Struggle for Recognition in the Episcopal Church. For many years he served the national church as staff officer for Black Ministries.

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Cowley Publications (January 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561011886
• ISBN-13: 978-1561011889
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #991,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enhanced with a comprehensive list of resources, May 19, 2001

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christian Social Witness (New Church's Teaching Series) (Paperback)

In Christian Social Witness, Harold Lewis (Rector of Calvary Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) surveys the teachings of Anglicanism and the Episcopal Church on a variety of issues including the bible understandings of social justice, and the challenges of a new social order facing the Episcopal Church today arising from liberation theology, third-world debt, economic justice, and considerations of race, gender, and human sexuality. Christian Social Witness is a very highly recommended and engaging study guide enhanced with a comprehensive list of resources for further study and "Questions for Group Discussion".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can I get a witness?, June 16, 2004

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FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Christian Social Witness (New Church's Teaching Series) (Paperback)

The Episcopal church in the twentieth century took advantage of the general availability of publishing to good advantage, compiling through several auspices different collections and teaching series, the latest of which was only completed a few years ago. There have been 'unofficial' collections of teaching texts, such as the Anglican Studies Series by Morehouse press, put out in the 1980s, as well as an earlier teaching series. However, each generation approaches things anew; the New Church Teaching Series, published by Cowley Publications (a company operated as part of the ministry of the Society of St. John the Evangelist - SSJE - one of the religious/monastic communities in the Episcopal church, based in the Boston area) is the most recent series, and in its thirteen volumes, explores in depth and breadth the theology, history, liturgy, ethics, mission and more of the modern Anglican vision in America.

This tenth volume, 'Christian Social Witness' by Harold Lewis, continues to look at the issues of ethics and morality in an Anglican fashion, particularly as it relates to living in community in the world.

Christian social witness, according to Lewis, is faith in action, what we do because of what we believe. The term `witness' is well known in religious and secular circles - social witness, however, modifies this to mean taking one's faith and belief into the world of others, the social arena, beyond the (usually) safe confines of the church and family of like-minded believers, into the streets if necessary. Examples from recent history include the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr., with his dramatic ministry, but also include the more spontaneous and simple action such as Rosa Parks.

Anglicanism often suffers from a bad reputation of being a church of the propertied and politically powerful, disconnected from `the real world' of struggles and injustice. Lewis draws on Anglican figures such as F.D. Maurice and William Temple to trace a history of Anglican concern for social justice ministry developing from the concept of incarnation - that God is present in the world. Lewis traces the history of Anglican social witness from the Church of England through to the early Episcopal church, highlighting issues such as the Episcopalian response to slavery and the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement.

Lewis looks in some detail at the issues of economic justice, both within the United States and the broader issues of economic justice between nations in the development/underdeveloped world; the issue of race relations in America, not just African-American issues, but other races as well; the issue of gender and gender equity both inside and outside of the church; and the most current hot-button issue of sexuality and orientation. These are not comprehensive or heavily detailed discussions, but rather intended to set the stage for beginnings of discussion and action in church contexts.

Harold Lewis is an Episcopal priest in Pennsylvania, and also author of `Yet With a Steady Beat: The African American Struggle for Recognition in the Episcopal Church' and `Elijah's Mantle: Pilgrimage, Politics, and Proclamation'. He has served for many years at the national level of the church in positions dealing with African American ministries.

Each of the texts is relatively short (only two of the volumes exceed 200 pages), the print and text of each easy to read, designed not for scholars but for the regular church-goer, but not condescending either - the authors operate on the assumption that the readers are genuinely interested in deepening their faith and practice. Each volume concludes with questions for use in discussion group settings, and with annotated lists of further readings recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Balanced View of Episcopal Social Activism, May 28, 2011

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Edward J. Barton (Tukwila, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Christian Social Witness (New Church's Teaching Series) (Paperback)

Rev. Lewis provides a balanced and provocative look at the history of social activism by the Anglican and Espicopal Church, starting with the Biblical foundations, rolling through the Reformation, and discussing slavery, economic activism, race relations, liberation theology, the role of women and the current controversies revolving around sexual orientation in the Church. His candid call for activism in the Christian tradition as well as the balance of calling out failures of the Episcopal Church in the past to deal with the social controversies of the past provides for a compelling read and a soul search as to what role we have to play as a Christian in light of tradition, scripture and reason.