Description
Book Synopsis* Identifies and traces the radical tradition within Christianity. * Makes available for the first time a comprehensive collection of radical Christian writings within one volume. * Includes over sixty extracts, including some which have been newly translated and many which have long been unavailable.
Trade Review"The organization and diversity of this work make it fairly distinctive. Recommended for seminary and academic libraries."
Library Journal "Whilst diverse in subject, the editors have done a marvellous job in providing an editorial narrative that takes the reader apace through the ideas of this group of Christian thinkers, activists and theologians. This is what makes the book hard to put down - the authors' enthusiasm for their subject comes through in both their treatment of the individuals and of the literature. The book will undoubtedly become a useful source of study and reference material, but it is more than this. For me, it has provided a fascinating window onto some lesser-known authors who have developed ideas which provide a context for the thoughts of today's Christian socialists. It is not a book to be rushed through, but one to which I will enjoy returning and exploring again and again." Christian Socialist
"This compilation is a welcome contribution, combining as it does feminist and black theology themes with the incipient communism of the Civil War radicals." Anabaptism Today
"An inspiring collection." Church Times
"This book is a goldmine, which I have already put on the Reading List for a new course...This is essential for scholars, and a good read for many others as well." Reform
"[T]hose who read Radical Christian Writings with patience and proper guidance will find it an invaluable resource. Nowhere else is the range and depth of Christian social prophecy so fully displayed." Theology
"The book offers an easy introduction to subversive Christian thought through the ages and should be a welcome addition to the shelves of thoughtful Congregationalists whose history includes many forays into radical activity, as well as to Christians of all denominations." Congregational History Circle Magazine
"The 63 authors selected in this collection offer an exciting array of diverse insights into what is usually called 'the Christian tradition,' but perhaps should more accurately labeled 'the Christian traditions.'" The European Legacy
Table of ContentsPreface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Christianity: Radical and Political xvi
1 Justin (c 100-c 165) and Cyprian (c 300) 1
2 The Acts of Paul and Thecla (Second Century) 4
3 Pelagius (Late Fourth and Early Fifth Centuries CE) 12
4 Joachim of Fiore (1135-1202) and Peter Olivi (1248-1298) 34
5 Marguerite Piorete (died 1310) 38
6 John Ball (d 1381) 40
7 William Langland (1330-1387) 42
8 Jan Hus (c 1372-1415) 51
9 Lollard Sermon for Christmas Day on Luke 2.1-14 (Early Fifteenth Century) 56
10 Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498) 59
11 Defending the Indians 62
12 Argula von Grumbach (c 1492-1554) 69
13 Thomas Münster (1489?-1525) 75
14 William Tyndale (1494-1536) 81
15 Early Anabaptist Writings 84
16 The Family of Love 94
17 Early Baptist Worship 105
18 Thomas Helwys (c 1550-c 1616) 107
19 The Levellers 109
20 John Milton (1608-1674) 114
21 Gerrard Winstanley (1609-1676) 120
22 Abiezer Coppe (1619-1672) 138
23 Anna Trapnel (c 1654) 144
24 Priscilla Cotton and Mary Cole 147
25 Anne Wentworth (c 1679) 153
26 James Nayler (c 1617-1660): Behold You Rulers (1658) 157
27 John Bunyan (1628-1688) 162
28 William Blake (1757-1827) 165
29 John Woolman (1771-1720): Some Considerations on the Keeping of the Negroes (1754) 172
30 The Narrative of Sojourner Truth (c 1797-1883) 176
31 Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) 180
32 Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) 186
33 Joseph Arch (1826-1919) 189
34 Henry Scott Holland (1847-1918) 193
35 Padraig Pearse (1879-1916) 196
36 Frank Weston (1871-1924) 199
37 The Barmen Declaration (1934) 201
38 Dorothy Day (1897-1980) 204
39 The Worker-Priests 209
40 Jacques Ellul (1912-1994) 216
41 Alan Ecclestone (1904-1992) 221
42 Martin Luther King (1929-1968) 229
43 Camilo Torres (1929-1966) 235
44 Dorothee Soelle (b 1929) 238
45 The Solentiname Community (1966-1977) 243
46 Steve Biko (1946-1977) 247
47 Stanley Hauerwas on John Howard Yoder (1927-1997) 250
48 William Stringfellow (1928-1985) 255
49 Ian M Fraser 261
50 Carter Heyward 265
51 Herbert McCabe (b 1926) 272
52 Oscar Romero (1917-1980) 277
53 John Vincent 280
54 The Kairos Document (1985) 285
55 Carlos Mesters 305
56 The Interpretive Method of 'Unlock' 308
57 Theology from the Perspective of 'Third-World' Women 311
58 Sigqibo Dwane 315
59 Sara Maitland 321
60 Kenneth Leech (b 1939) 327
61 Daniel Berrigan (1921-) 332
62 Gustavo Gutiérrez (1928-) 335
63 Thomas Hanks 343
Index 347
Scriptural Citations 350
