Religious ethics Books

Book SynopsisThis book gives an in-depth analysis of the role of faith in the work of Tearfund, a leading evangelical relief and development NGO that works in over 50 countries worldwide.The study traces the changing ways that faith has shaped and influenced Tearfund's work over the organisation's 50-year history. It shows how Tearfund has consciously grappled with the role of faith in its work and has invested considerable time and energy in developing an intentionally faith-based approach t relief and development that in several ways is quite different to the approaches of secular relief and development NGOs. The book charts the different perspectives and possibilities that were not taken and the internal discussions about theology, development practices, and humanitarian standards that took place as Tearfund worked out for itself what it meant to be a faith-based relief and development organisation. There is a growing academic literature about religion and development, as well as increTrade Review"This highly significant book explores the work of Tearfund over its first 50 years, emerging in the 1960s as a ‘new kind of missionary organisation’, becoming a major development NGO during the 1990s and then reorienting itself as a faith-based development organisation (FBDO) from the mid-2000s onwards. The insightful analysis unpacks the story of where ‘faith’ sits in this history, telling us as much about shifting social attitudes towards the role of religion in the public sphere as the internal dynamics of this important evangelical relief and development organisation. Skilfully researched and highly readable, this book presents an essential addition to the growing literature on religion, development and humanitarianism, and is especially significant as it is one of the very first in-depth studies of an FBDO." -- Emma Tomalin, Professor of Religion and Public Life, University of Leeds, UK."Dena Freeman’s book about Tearfund, the UK’s largest evangelical development organization, is a path-breaking and timely contribution to the burgeoning field of global development studies and the prominent role religion plays in development today. Freeman’s privileged access enabled her to write a unique account, at once honest and empathetic, of Tearfund’s institutional history and the fierce debates that preoccupy staff as they seek to reconcile the antinomy of faith and secularism. More than just the history of an evangelical development organization, this book offers a window onto a history of the contemporary." -- Charles Piot, Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Duke University, USA."This is a gripping story of ‘development’ and its relationship to mission and evangelism. Through detailed interviews and in-depth archive research, Freeman critically analyses how a Non-Governmental Organisation has come to new understandings of ‘doing development’ over the course of its history, from giving grants to missionaries to carrying out development projects in the 1970s, to campaigning for structural policy change to address poverty and climate change today. The book’s historico-conceptual analysis is peppered with interesting anecdotes about why things happened the way they did, such as how the Jubilee 2000 debt cancellation campaign started and how the Evangelical Alliance embraced social action and care for creation as part of its mission. Freeman shows in a captivating narrative style the creative tension between evangelism and social action. Both are intimately connected but, she argues, have an ‘almost entropic tendency to come apart’. This book will be an invaluable resource for students, scholars and practitioners alike to better understand the connections between faith and development, and the role that faith plays in the work of a major faith-based development NGO." -- Séverine Deneulin, Associate Professor of International Development, University of Bath, UK."This book opens up fascinating insights about ‘development’ in the 20th century: the emergence of ‘faith-based’ approaches, the plural continuities of missionary interventions, and the mainstreaming of development values and processes in the religious and secular sectors alike. Tracing the story of Tearfund, and the many twists and turns in the understanding of its mandate, Freeman adds a brilliant chapter to the story of how the dividing line between religion and secularity has been negotiated within and through Christianity all along. As such, the book pioneers a much-needed connection between the study of World Christianity and the burgeoning field of religion and development." -- Jörg Haustein, Lecturer in World Christianities, Cambridge University, UK."Freeman has written one of the first books in what will hopefully become a trend - deep histories of faith-based humanitarian and development organizations that examine the role of faith in organizational culture. Faith-based organizations are not a neatly defined category and histories of this sort can demonstrate the internal debates and external pressures that lead organizations to define their own parameters. This book is significant not only for those interested in religion and development research (for whom it is a crucial read), but also for those wishing to understand more about non-profit organizations in general." -- Olivia Wilkinson, Director of Research, Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities, Washington DC, USA."By carefully tracing the history of Tearfund and attending to its internal struggles to define what makes Evangelical Christian development interventions different from their secular counterparts, Freeman provides a rich account of the difference Evangelical identity makes for those invested in its meanings and worldviews. Perhaps most significantly, she shows through careful historical and ethnographic research that Evangelical identity does not just happen, but is actively constructed, often through processes of contestation. This is an important work for those wishing to understand how religious identity affects, or doesn’t, international development processes." -- Jill DeTemple, Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Southern Methodist University, USATable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Religious and Secular Actors in the Emergence of Humanitarianism and Development Part 1. A New Kind of Missionary Organisation 3. Tearfund’s First Twenty-Five Years, 1968 – 1993 Part 2. Emerging as a Development NGO 4. Tearfund Joins the Mainstream, 1990-2005 5. The Religious Revitalists and the Quest for Transformation 6. The Globalists and the Localists: The Start of Campaigning and Advocacy Part 3. Becoming an FBO 7. Trying to Institutionalise Faith-Based Approaches, 2005 – 2015 8. Mainstreaming Faith-Based Development, 2015 Onwards Part 4. Paradoxes of Faith-Based Development 9. Conclusion

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book gives voice to some of the unheard scholars studying law and ethics within Muslim societies; featuring 200 abstracts in 3 languages, it gives access to information about scholarly publications from Muslim contexts in law and Sharia.Table of ContentsThis volume is divided into three sections, by language (English, Turkish and Arabic); each section contains an Introduction followed by the Abstracts.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRichard Newhauser examines here aspects of the moral tradition of medieval thought, specifically the construction of the seven deadly sins, their offspring, and related schematizations of immorality in the Latin West. The emphasis in these studies is on the malleability of moral categories, their relationship to changes in medieval culture, and the creativity and sensitivity of the thinkers who made use of the concepts of sinfulness in the Middle Ages. The first section examines the contexts in which the seven deadly sins (or nine accessory sins) are found in medieval Latin, English, and German texts, and in particular the genre of the treatise on vices and virtues as the major vehicle in which concepts of immorality were examined and presented to a variety of audiences for meditative or pastoral purposes. The second section deals with one of the more interesting of the seven deadly sins, avarice, in its penitential, literary, apocalyptic, and institutional contexts, as its definition changed slowly with developing commercial experiences in medieval Europe. In the last section the breadth of the concept of a sinful curiosity is examined, and its historical development is delineated in the thought of Augustine of Hippo and the early Cistercians.Table of ContentsContents: Introduction. Part 1 Contexts: On ambiguity in moral theology: when the vices masquerade as virtues; The treatise on vices and virtues as a medieval genre and its structural foundations in the Classical tradition; Alle sunde hant vnterschidunge: Der Tugend- und Lastertraktat als literarische Gattung im Mittelalter; The Parson's Tale and its generic affiliations; From treatise to sermon: Johannes Herolt on the novem peccata aliena; A la redécouverte de Willem Jordaens. Part 2 Avarice: The love of money as deadly sin and deadly disease; Towards modus in habendo: transformations in the idea of avarice.The early penitentials through the Carolingian reforms; Avarice and the Apocalypse; Avaritia und Paupertas: zur Stellung der frühen Franziskaner in der Geschichte der Habsucht; The meaning of Gawain's greed; Patristic Poggio? The evidence of Györ, Egyházmegyei Könyvtár MS. I.4. Part 3 Curiosity: Towards a history of human curiosity: a prolegomenon to its medieval phase; Augustinian vitium curiositatis and its reception; The sin of curiosity and the Cistercians. Addenda and corrigenda; Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book empirically substantiates a re-conceptualization of Islam as produced and consumed by both Muslims and non-Muslims. Non-Muslim Islam is too often condemned and decried by scholars, rather than investigated. However, non-Muslim politicians, journalists, and public debaters preaching and missionizing their own interpretations of Islam to both Muslim and non-Muslim audiences, and venturing into theological debates with Muslims as non-Muslim Islamic authorities, cannot be reduced to cynical power politics, bigotry, political opportunism, prejudice, or apologetics (even if this may sometimes be the case). Neither do these labels increase our understanding of non-Muslim Islam as a phenomenon. This book argues the case for studying non-Muslim Islam and demonstrates the value of doing so through 11 case studies, opening up a new field of research, while also giving an insight into the many epistemologies at play in the production of different non-Muslim Islams.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe all face questions on an almost daily basis related to truth and post-truth, particularly in the political sphere, terrorism, globalization, immigration and asylum, social responsibility, media and social-media ethics, and gender and LGBT issues. So how do you navigate this minefield? Ethics for Life is an accessible introduction to all the key theories and thinkers. It shows the relevance of ethical ideas and theories to everyday life, emphasizing the way our view of ourselves and the societies we live in is shaped by our moral values and the arguments they are based on.With contemporary examples and discussion of current debates including terrorism, genetics and the media, Ethics for Life will help you grasp how ethics applies to life today.Table of Contents : Introduction: The Art of Living : What makes something moral? : What is the point of ethics? : At what price is integrity? : Rights and responsibilities : The art of living : Free to choose? : What kind of freedom? : Free will : Determinism : Reductionism : How much freedom does morality need? : Freedom and the state : What do we mean? : Three kinds of language : Defining key terms : Some theories : ‘Is’ and ‘ought’ : Is it natural? : Does it have a ‘final cause’? : Some features of ‘natural law’ : How do you decide what is ‘natural’? : Applying ‘natural law’ : Are we naturally good or bad? : Evolution, change and the natural law : Looking for results : Egoistic hedonism : Utilitarianism : Forms of utilitarianism : Sex and utilitarianism : General criticisms of utilitarianism : The experience of moral choice : Conscience : The categorial imperative : The creative response : Determined and yet free? : Personal development and virtue : Altruism? : Nietzsche : Virture ethics : Existentialism : Humankind, Marx and Freud : Law and order : Society and moral choice : In whose interest? : Is equality possible? : Social rules : Crime and punishment : Capital punishment : In self-defence? : Civil disobedience : If Nietzsche were a civil servant… : Religion and moral values : How are religion and morality related? : Judaism : Christianity : Islam : Hinduism : Buddhism : Sikhism : Religious values and society : Should religious freedom be restricted? : Scepticism and relativism : Nietzsche and Machiavelli : Philosophers or politicians? : Relativism and moral absolutes : Situation ethics : Applied ethics : The natural environment : Animal rights : International issues : Poverty and international aid : War and peace : Feminist issues : Some issues in medical ethics : The beginning and end of life : Genetics : Media issues : Business issues : Some conclusions : Moral progress: can people change? : A better world: illusion or essential hope? : So where does this leave us? : Taking it further : Further reading : Websites : Glossary : Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn insightful and fresh perspective of the Ten Commandments reveals how this ancient text is the underpinning for social justice, equality, and the foundation of society.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less