In Search of Kingdom Living

This is the first of a series of reflections from my readings of the book Kingdom Ethics by Glen Stassen and David Gushee. I am reading this primarily because I am taking a Christian Ethics class at Tyndale. A deeper reason for this reading is because of my sheer frustration with the inability for many Christians (including myself) to live an authentic Christian lifestyle. It is so easy to be caught up with our daily needs and wants that we never think about the ethical issues that inform the way we live. It is my sincere hope that through the reading (and the class), I may be informed by and transformed into the true image of Christ. This transformation MUST result in the changes of my speech, my doings, my very being.

The Preface, the Acknowledgements, and the Thanks

Many readers often pass over the preface, the acknowledgements, and the author’s page of thanks. I actually find these sections very compelling – you learn so much about the author. I am very much appreciative that the authors would even have a section in their preface entitled authorship, agenda, and audience. This section offers a real look into their lives by explaining their influences and their intentions for the book. For instance, I find it interesting that Stassen was mentored by H. Reinhold Niebuhr (Christ and Culture), John Howard Yoder (the Politics of Jesus) and Jim McClendon (Ethics). Although I have only read selected writings from these three authors, I was blown away by their groundbreaking work. I would imagine that someone who was mentored by these three authors might have some very insightful things to say. 

In the preface, the authors state their intentions for this book. they believe that “the teachings and practices of Jesus – especially the largest block of his teachings, the Sermon on the Mount – are routinely ignored or misinterpreted in the preaching and teaching ministry of the churches and in Christian scholarship in ethics” (p. 11). This book thus offers an introduction in Christian ethics based on the teachings and practices of Jesus.

The book is divided into seven sections and I will base my reflections on a similar format. There may be times when a particular issue in a given section will prompt further reflections, this will result in less survey of the material presented, but rather, more specific interaction with the issue under discussion.

I’m greatly looking forward to how this book will help me with my own spiritual journey.