What do you think?
Rate this book
Speaking of Christianity: Practical Compassion, Social Justice, and Other Wonders
Renowned theologian Robert McAfee Brown believes that Christianity cannot be fenced off or separated from the world, but must always be viewed in relation to other realms of society. Making religious and moral concepts integral to real life is the challenge that Brown presents in this book. This call to a more active faith is perfect for use in study groups or for personal reflection. Here, Brown puts his belief to the test, writing on Christianity and a multitude of topics.
161 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Robert McAfee Brown
58 books6 followersRobert McAfee Brown was a minister in the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, a theologian, and an activist.
He earned a bachelor's degree from Amherst College in 1943 and was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1944. Brown earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 1945, and served as a United States Navy chaplain from 1945 to 1946. The recipient of a Fulbright grant, Brown studied at the University of Oxford before completing a doctorate in the philosophy of religion at Columbia University in 1951. He married Sydney Thomson, and had four children.
Initially, Brown taught at his alma mater, Union Theological Seminary, before accepting an appointment as Professor of Religion at Stanford University in 1962. There he became an international leader in civil rights, ecumenical and social justice causes. Brown campaigned against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and was a co-founder of the group "Clergy and Laity Concerned about Vietnam". He was also a Protestant observer at the Second Vatican Council.
Brown left Stanford in 1975 to return to Union as Professor of World Christianity and Ecumenism, but quickly found his new post unfulfilling. He resigned and moved back to the Bay Area, where he taught at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley until his retirement in 1984. Brown was the author of 29 books, and his papers are now held at the Graduate Theological Union. Brown died on 4 September 2001, survived by his wife. A lecture series is named in his honor.
He earned a bachelor's degree from Amherst College in 1943 and was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1944. Brown earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in 1945, and served as a United States Navy chaplain from 1945 to 1946. The recipient of a Fulbright grant, Brown studied at the University of Oxford before completing a doctorate in the philosophy of religion at Columbia University in 1951. He married Sydney Thomson, and had four children.
Initially, Brown taught at his alma mater, Union Theological Seminary, before accepting an appointment as Professor of Religion at Stanford University in 1962. There he became an international leader in civil rights, ecumenical and social justice causes. Brown campaigned against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and was a co-founder of the group "Clergy and Laity Concerned about Vietnam". He was also a Protestant observer at the Second Vatican Council.
Brown left Stanford in 1975 to return to Union as Professor of World Christianity and Ecumenism, but quickly found his new post unfulfilling. He resigned and moved back to the Bay Area, where he taught at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley until his retirement in 1984. Brown was the author of 29 books, and his papers are now held at the Graduate Theological Union. Brown died on 4 September 2001, survived by his wife. A lecture series is named in his honor.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 19, 2021
It was interesting after reading "Jesus and John Wayne" about the state of Christianity today (or part of it) to read a book such as this written by a liberal theologian back in 1997. I'm pretty sure Brown would be aghast at where we are now in terms of the issues he writes about. But Brown's wisdom still applies. Having also just read Karen Armstrong's latest book, I was delighted to open this one and find that Brown begins with a quote from Armstrong: "It is not enough to experience the divine or the transcendent; the experience must then be incarnated in our behavior towards others. All the great religions insist that the test of true spirituality is practical compassion."
I found the section on Religion and Politics, Religion as Politics the most helpful. Brown describes a just society as one that gives priority to the needs of children. I liked Brown's discussion of Bonhoeffer's concept that the church can act toward the state in three ways: first, it can ask the state whether its actions are legitimate; second, it can aid the victims of state action; and third, the church can act in resistance against the state if its actions are not legitimate. Brown argues that the church can participate in these actions simultaneously as well as sequentially. He differentiates between resistance and revolution and deals with the question of timing. It is time to act when the church has reached a "confessional situation" meaning "we've debated the rights and wrongs of the issue long enough. Either the policy we are discussing can be supported by Christians, or it cannot. There is no longer any middle ground. It's either/or."
I found the section on Religion and Politics, Religion as Politics the most helpful. Brown describes a just society as one that gives priority to the needs of children. I liked Brown's discussion of Bonhoeffer's concept that the church can act toward the state in three ways: first, it can ask the state whether its actions are legitimate; second, it can aid the victims of state action; and third, the church can act in resistance against the state if its actions are not legitimate. Brown argues that the church can participate in these actions simultaneously as well as sequentially. He differentiates between resistance and revolution and deals with the question of timing. It is time to act when the church has reached a "confessional situation" meaning "we've debated the rights and wrongs of the issue long enough. Either the policy we are discussing can be supported by Christians, or it cannot. There is no longer any middle ground. It's either/or."
March 10, 2014
Written by now deceased theologian and activist Robert McAfee Brown, this book is a collection of 21 brief articles and essays written over the years, several of which had not been previously published. This is the kind of book that one might pick up occasionally with a few minutes on hand or to read as a quasi-devotional. What's most attractive about this book is the clarity of the author's heart for people which never gets bogged down by rigid theological agenda or argumentation. While I'm not in complete alignment with him at certain points I appreciate that he understands that Jesus has called us to follow and not just sit by and drink tea while we wallow in the status quo..
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews