Church State And Public Justice

Abortion. Physician-assisted suicide. Same-sex marriages. Embryonic stem-cell research. Poverty. Crime. What is a faithful Christian response? The God of the Bible is unquestionably a God of justice. Yet Christians have had their differences as to how human government and the church should bring about a just social order. Although Christians share many deep and significant theological convictions, differences that threaten to divide them have often surrounded the matter of how the church collectively and Christians individually ought to engage the public square. What is the mission of the church? What is the purpose of human government? How ought they to be related to each other? How should social injustice be redressed? The five noted contributors to this volume answer these questions from within their distinctive Christian theological traditions, as well as responding to the other four positions. Through the presentations and ensuing dialogue we come to see more clearly what the differences are, where their positions overlap and why they diverge. The contributors and the positions taken include Clarke E. Cochran: A Catholic Perspective Derek H. Davis: A Classical Separation Perspective Ronald J. Sider: An Anabaptist Perspective Corwin F. Smidt: A Principled Pluralist Perspective J. Philip Wogaman: A Social Justice Perspective This book will be instructive for anyone seeking to grasp the major Christian alternatives and desiring to pursue a faithful corporate and individual response to the social issues that face us.

The God of the Bible is unquestionably a God of justice. Yet Christians have had their differences as to how human government and the church should bring a just social order. Although Christians share many deep and significant theological convictions, differences that threaten to divide them have often surrounded the matter of how the church collectively and Christians individually ought to engage the public square. What is the missioin of the church? What is the purpose of human government? How ought they to be related to each other? How should social injustice be redressed? The five noted contributors to this volume answer these questions from within their distinctive Christian theological traditions, as well as responding to the other four positions. Through these presentations and the ensuing dialogue we come to see more clearly what the differences are, where their positions overlap and why they diverge.

There are few issues as controversial as where to draw the line between church and state. The framers of the Constitution's Bill of Rights began their blueprint for freedom by drawing exactly such a line. Th e fi rst clauses of the First Amendment provide: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Th e justices of the Supreme Court have not been wanting for advice from self-appointed guardians. Th e diffi culty with such advice is that the contestants are more convincing when they criticize their opponents' interpretations than when they seek to establish the validity of their own.

The effort of the author is lauded for bringing the conversation of faithful church administration to the context of churches in South East Asia in general and in particular in Indian sub-continent. Church administration marked with integrity and truthfulness is a witness to Christ. And, this book provides ample examples of Christ-centered leadership in the Church. Dr. Atola Longkumar Theological Education Consultant. I am deeply impressed by the book ‘Insights of the Local Church Administration’ written by Rev Dr. Koningthung Ngoru Moyon which can be used as reference book by all Pastors and church leaders in their administration. Unlike any other secular administration, Church administration is very complexed. Dr Ngoru has carefully balanced in his writings, I highly recommended this book for pastors, church elders and theological students. Rev Dr. Jolly Rimai Director Harvest Network Ministry-South East Asia. Physicians have Patients who schedule of appointments for physical check-up. Likewise Pastors or Christian ministers have congregation. Effective preaching, teaching and good administration is equally important and is a paramount task in the local churches. In this book, ‘Insights of the local church administration’, the author, Rev Dr. Koningthung Ngoru Moyon, has written for christian ministers and pastors or those who are planning to be at church ministry. Moreover, the book gathers up the information found in a broad overview of the Pastoral Ministry and Church administration and funnels it into practical area of services. The book is simple but well organized and excellently written and would be usable in the everyday experience of Pastoral ministry and administration. Besides, the author provides a comprehensive and good compilation of materials to enlarge one’s ministry concerning local church administration. This book will also be benefited to research students in the field of Christian ministry. Rev. Zuankamang Daimai Pastor Manipur Baptist Center Church, Imphal (MBCCCI)

Increasingly the Supreme Court's strict separationist, no-aid-to-religion doctrine that was in favor during the 1970s and 1980s is being challenged by a new approach aimed at equal treatment or neutrality. In Church-State Relations in Crisis, political scientist Stephen V. Monsma explores the neutrality principle and arguments for and against it. Monsma uses the Supreme Court's Mitchell v. Helms decision as the starting point for his discussion and argues that Mitchell v. Helms more directly than any other decision was based on this new idea of neutrality in Church-State relations. Monsma examines the three, strongly worded opinions of the court, and presents ten diverse essays by leading scholars analyzing the opinions and their impact on the establishment clause interpretation and public policy. Designed specifically for students of the law and religion and politics, Church-State Relations in Crisis is a well-balanced collection and an outstanding source for debate on the future of government and religion in the United States.

"I believe that complete separation of church and state is one of those miraculous things which can be best for religion and best for the state, and the best for those who are religious and those who are not religious." - Leo Pfeffer Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. These sixteen words epitomize a radical experiment unique in human history . . . It is the purpose of this book to examine how this experiment came to be made, what are the implications and consequences of its application to democratic living in America today, and what are the forces seeking to frustrate and defeat that experiment. (From the Foreword)

This book is the first to systematically examine the connection between religion and transitional justice in post-communism. There are four main goals motivating this book: 1) to explain how civil society (groups such as religious denominations) contribute to transitional justice efforts to address and redress past dictatorial repression; 2) to ascertain the impact of state-led reckoning programs on religious communities and their members; 3) to renew the focus on the factors that determine the adoption (or rejection) of efforts to reckon with past human rights abuses in post-communism; and 4) to examine the limitations of enacting specific transitional justice methods, programs and practices in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union countries, whose democratization has differed in terms of its nature and pace. Various churches and their relationship with the communist states are covered in the following countries: Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus.

In Church, State, and Citizen , Sandra F. Joireman has gathered political scientists to examine the relationship between religion and politics as seen from within seven Christian traditions: Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, Anglican, Evangelical and Pentecostal. In each chapter the historical and theological foundations of the tradition are described along with the beliefs regarding the appropriate role of the state and citizen. --from publisher description