Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World, By Richard J. Mouw alt

Uncommon Decency

Christian Civility in an Uncivil World

Revised and Expanded Edition

by Richard J. Mouw

Uncommon Decency
Ebook
  • Length: 173 pages
  • Published: August 29, 2011
  • Imprint: IVP
  • ISBN: 9780830869060
Other Formats:

Can Christians be civil in a world falling apart?In these wild and diverse times, prolifers square off against prochoicers, gay liberationists confront champions of the traditional family, husbands and wives face each other in court, artists attack legislators, and "politically correct" intellectuals abhor crusading fundamentalists.Philosopher and ethicist Richard Mouw is concerned that, too often, Christians seem to be contributing more to the problem than to the solution. But he recognizes--from his own personal struggle--that it's not easy to hold to Christian convictions and treat sometimes vindictive opponents with civility and decency.Few if any people in the evangelical world have dialogued as widely and sensitively as Mouw. So few can write more wisely or helpfully about what Christians can appreciate about pluralism, the theological basis for civility, and how we can communicate with people who disagree with us on the issues that matter most.

"Uncommon Decency is an arousing call to Christians everywhere that our deepest convictions have to be tempered with civility, especially in this time of increasing partisan rancor and cultural division. To those who want to truly transform the world, Mouw reminds us that we will be most effective when we persuade others with patience, tolerance and compassion."D. Michael Lindsay, author of Faith in the Halls of Power
"Although populism is by no means the only source of today's toxic political discourse, it has often done more to fan flames of resentment than to model civil disagreement. Uncommon Decency should be required reading not only for politicians, talk show hosts, and public intellectuals but also for everyday Christians seeking to represent the Lord faithfully in public."Bruce Riley Ashford, Christianity Today, September 2018
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CONTENTS

1. Convicted Civility: Can We Be Faithful Polite Too?
2. What Christian Civility Is Not
3. Defending Christian Civility
4. Speaking in God's Presence: The Importance of Civil Speech
5. Open Hearts: The Importance of Civil Attitudes
6. What's Good About Pluralism?
7. How to Be Civil About Sex
8. The Challenge of Other Religions
9. Christian Leadership in a Pluralistic World
10. When There Is No "On the Other Hand": The Limits of Civility
11. Is Hell Uncivil?
12. Abraham Kuyper, Meet Mother Teresa: The Problem of Triumphalism
13. Serving a Slow God: Civility and the End of Time
Notes

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Richard J. Mouw

Richard J. Mouw (PhD, University of Chicago) is a senior research fellow at the Henry Institute for the Study of Religion and Politics at Calvin University. He previously served as the president of Fuller Theological Seminary (1993–2013) and directed their Institute of Faith and Public Life (2013–2020). In 2007, Princeton Theological Seminary awarded him the Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life. He is the author of over twenty books, including UncommonDecency, Adventures in Evangelical Civility, Restless Faith, and All That God Cares About.