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

Peter Laarman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2006

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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rev. Peter Laarman is executive director of Progressive Christians Uniting, codirector of the Center for Prophetic Renewal in Los Angeles, and a board member of Faith Voices for the Common Good. Before moving to California, Laarman served as senior minister of New York's historic Judson Memorial Church. He worked for twenty years as a strategist and communications specialist in the labor movement prior to training for the ministry

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (April 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807077216
• ISBN-13: 978-0807077214
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,320,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected; better, January 14, 2007

By 

Michael Grello (Columbia, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Getting on Message: Challenging the Christian Right from the Heart of the Gospel (Paperback)

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.

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting on Message, October 19, 2009

By 

K. Elliott (Indiana) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Getting on Message: Challenging the Christian Right from the Heart of the Gospel (Paperback)

This is a must-have for progressive Christians who are desire an antedote to the viewpoints of the "Religious Right". Progressives have not been very adept at articulating what they believe with strength of conviction. This book is a compilation of essays from some brilliant thinkers who give theological grounding to what the "Left" has been saying all along.