When first published in 1961, Treasure in Earthen Vessels was hailed by H. Richard Niebuhr as "the first real sociology of the church." In this landmark work, James M. Gustafson examines the church as a human institution that must, and does, participate in the social structure of all human communities. His penetrating analysis remains an important contribution to the dialogue between the theological and social-scientific disciplines. Gustafson has written a new preface for this volume. The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable sustained dialogue with predecessors though reflection on classic works in the field.

Treasure in Earthen Vessels: The Church as a Human Community

Politics & Social Sciences

Gustafson, James M.

Sociology

University of Chicago Press

Is there a special relation between religious beliefs and moral behavior? In particular, is there a distinctive Christian moral character and how is this manifested in moral actions? The influential theologian James M. Gustafson probes these questions and offers an analysis of the distinctively religious reasons of the "heart and mind" which constitute the basis for a Christian ethics. Professor Gustafson grounds his discussion in a concrete example of moral conduct which deeply impressed him. The incident—narrated in detail at the start and referred to throughout—concerns a nonreligious colleague who came to the aid of an intoxicated soldier. Although seemingly trivial, this incident, in the author's view, approximates the normal sorts of experiences in which individuals have to make moral decisions every day; it becomes a touchstone to investigate the logical, social, and religious elements in moral decision making.

Can Ethics Be Christian?

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Determines the implications of Christian religious conviction for moral conduct through extensive philosophical inquiry into an incident involving an ethical decision

Univ of Chicago Pr

Protestant and Roman Catholic Ethics: Prospects for Rapprochement

"If Catholic and Protestant ethicians were asked to name a single theologian who was qualified to write a comprehensive overview of the historical divergences of Catholic and Protestant positions on ethical questions, the bases for those divergences in fundamentally different philosophical and theological perspectives, and the possibilities for future convergences of the traditions, my guess is that James Gustafson would be the one. . . . This brilliant and tightly argued book . . . will be the most important book on moral theology to appear this year."€”John Coleman, National Catholic Reporter

"If Catholic and Protestant ethicians were asked to name a single theologian who was qualified to write a comprehensive overview of the historical divergences of Catholic and Protestant positions on ethical questions, the bases for those divergences in fundamentally different philosophical and theological perspectives, and the possibilities for future convergences of the traditions, my guess is that James Gustafson would be the one. . . . This brilliant and tightly argued book . . . will be the most important book on moral theology to appear this year."—John Coleman, National Catholic Reporter

In this work, originally published in 1968, the distinguished theologian James M. Gustafson asks the fundamental question, "What is the significance of Jesus Christ for the moral life?" His answer is in the form of an ethical map, showing the ways in which theological affirmations about Christ relate to moral life in the writings of a number of important Christian thinkers.

Christ and the Moral Life

"Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective will surprise some, shock others, and unleash a flood of speculation about what has happened to James Gustafson. The answer quite simply is nothing has happened to Gustafson except that he has now turned his attention to developing his constructive theological position, and we should all be very glad. . . . In this, the first of two volumes, Gustafson displays his colors as a constructive theologian, and they are indeed brilliant and splendid. . . . Though Gustafson is a theologian who works in the Christian tradition, he reminds us that the God Christians worship is not merely the Christian God. For Gustafson the kind of God who is the object of the theologians's reflection eludes or surpasses the inevitably confessional activity of Christian theological reflection. Thus Gustafson, the constructive theologian, is also Gustafson the revisionist theologian who takes as his task nothing less than challenging the anthropocentrism that he alleges characterizes mainstream Western Christian theology."â€”Stanley Hauerwas, Journal of Religion

Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective, Volume 1: Theology and Ethics

Philosophy

"Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective will surprise some, shock others, and unleash a flood of speculation about what has happened to James Gustafson. The answer quite simply is nothing has happened to Gustafson except that he has now turned his attention to developing his constructive theological position, and we should all be very glad. . . . In this, the first of two volumes, Gustafson displays his colors as a constructive theologian, and they are indeed brilliant and splendid. . . . Though Gustafson is a theologian who works in the Christian tradition, he reminds us that the God Christians worship is not merely the Christian God. For Gustafson the kind of God who is the object of the theologians's reflection eludes or surpasses the inevitably confessional activity of Christian theological reflection. Thus Gustafson, the constructive theologian, is also Gustafson the revisionist theologian who takes as his task nothing less than challenging the anthropocentrism that he alleges characterizes mainstream Western Christian theology."—Stanley Hauerwas, Journal of Religion

Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective, Volume 1. Theology and Ethics

"Among that curious group of people who make careers of working on Christian ethics, James Gustafson has earned high esteem as real professional...He is a sober thinker, constantly questioning, pondering, pushing discussion to greater comprehensiveness and depth...Now in the maturity of his powers he is completing an ambitious project that is notable precisely for its boldness. The first volume of ETHICS FROM A THEOCENTRIC PERSPECTIVE is so substantial and so provocactive that it will be discussed for years to come."--Roger L. Shinn, CHRISTIANITY IN CRISIS

Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective: Ethics and Theology (Volume 2)

Gustafson's two-volume work has been hailed as a major contribution to Christian ethics. In this second volume, Gustafson considers marriage, suicide, and the allocation of resources in famine and in biomedical research to develop an ethical outlook in which divine purpose is the basis of moral activity. "Breadth and subtlety, wisdom and insight . . . Gustafson is a first-rate theologian."—Commonweal "The two-volume work, now complete, will be a benchmark for discussions of Christian ethics for years to come. With it Gustafson becomes one of the thinkers by whom others can, by agreement or divergence, define their own ethics."—Roger L. Shinn, Christianity and Crisis "Gustafson's theocentrism is an original and creative contribution to modern ethical discussion."—Douglas Sturm, Ethics

Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective, Volume 2: Ethics and Theology

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gustafson, James M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Gustafson, James M.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gustafson, James M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Treasure in Earthen Vessels: The Church as a Human Community

Can Ethics Be Christian?

Can Ethics Be Christian?

Protestant and Roman Catholic Ethics: Prospects for Rapprochement

Protestant and Roman Catholic Ethics: Prospects for Rapprochement

Christ and the Moral Life

Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective, Volume 1: Theology and Ethics

Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective, Volume 1. Theology and Ethics

Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective: Ethics and Theology (Volume 2)

Ethics from a Theocentric Perspective, Volume 2: Ethics and Theology