Practical Christianity: An Epitome of Practical Christian Socialism

Practical Christian Socialism (1854) was Adin Ballou's most comprehensive exposition of his fundamental principles and their application to personal and community life, ranging from theology and political theory to marriage, child-rearing, and a surprisingly frank discussion of sexuality. In Practical Christianity, Ballou's 655-page treatise has been edited to eliminate the cumbersome dialogue form in which it was originally written. All of the language is Ballou's own, and nothing is omitted except a final section in which he compared Practical Christian Socialism to competing varieties of utopian socialism popular at the time.