Turn Neither to the Right Nor to the Left (Christian Life and Public Policy Series) (Paperback)

by D. Eric Schansberg (Author) "When should Christians advocate government solutions?..." (more)
Key Phrases: legislating justice, social morality issues, legislating morality, Grand Rapids, New York, Christianity Today (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A clear message comes through: we should not over-emphasize action through the civil government..." -- Timothy Terrell, director of the Center for Biblical Law and Economics

"Schansberg provides [Christians] with an evangelical political philosophy, a more cogent framework for the discussion of Christian political practice." -- T. Craig Ladwig, Indiana Policy Review; letter to author

...Schansberg should be praised for his ambitious attempt to synthesize a Christian worldview with a political philosophy of freedom. -- Markets & Morality, Fall 2004, Acton Institute

could learn much from [the book]...its accurately descriptive subtitle [A Thinking Christian's Guide to Politics & Public Policy]. -- Marvin Olasky, World Magazine, December 20, 2003

Product Description
Schansberg establishes a frame work for discussing public policy and turns to issues of social morality, then economic justice, and finally, abortion. The analysis is thorough and his conclusions may be suprising. You will never look at politics and public policy the same way again!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 450 pages
• Publisher: Alertness Books; 1 edition (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972975454
• ISBN-13: 978-0972975452
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,158,665 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking and insightful, April 27, 2006

By	John M. Cobin "John Cobin, Ph.D." (Greenville, SC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

So many times today we find Christians joining causes that exemplify authoritarianism (the Regligious Right) or left-liberalism (Christian environmentalism and Liberation Theology). In this bold work, Dr. Schansberg shows how both of these extremes are wrong. A Christian's duty should not comprise the harnassing of state power to force God's will and morality on otherwise unwilling subjects. The church shuld not look to the state to make the world more just. On the contrary the church and Christians should be leery of state power, its threat to the church and God's people, and its corupting influence on us personally and corporately. After reading this book there was no doubt in my mind that legislating morality and legislating justice should not be the policy focus of thinking Christians. Dr. Schansberg also does an eminent job of dealing with other issues like gambling. If there is any defect in the book it is small, such as some (likely unintended) brief exegetical foibles regarding Romans 13 on two or three pages of this extensive volume. Dr. Schansberg (an economist not a theologian) unwittingly adopts in those few places the popular but errant "divine right of kings" view of Romans 13 which leaves room for a beneficial proactive state policy that Christians can support and the idea that the state characteristically punishes those malefactors that reject God's way. History and the Bible evince the opposite when it comes to the state. Nevertheless the vast majority of the book is marvelous and belongs on the shelf of every thinking Christian. It is obvious from the lion's share of the book that Dr. Schansberg in fact rejects the divine right of kings view and holds strongly to a biblical liberty of conscience perspective. In fine scholarly style, he makes a strong case for freedom and a radical change in contemporary Christian thought. I highly recommend the book for your next piece of eye candy.