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The Beloved Community: How Faith Shapes Social Justice, from the Civil Rights Movement to Today Edition Unstated Edition
Author(s): Charles Marsh (Author)
- Publisher: Basic Books
- Publication Date: 28 Dec. 2004
- Edition: Edition Unstated
- Language: English
- Print length: 304 pages
- ISBN-10: 0465044158
- ISBN-13: 9780465044153
Book Description
A history of the religious impulse that has driven the quest for social justice in America, from Martin Luther King, Jr’s early civil rights victories to the racial reconciliation movement in American cities today In its early days, the civil rights movement in the American South defined its mission primarily as an attempt to reorganize the social and political order through the radical idea of Christian love, specifically through the practice of nonviolence. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other leaders consciously emphasized the Judeo-Christian inspiration for their convictions, stating that the ultimate goal of their efforts was not simply to achieve social justice, but to create, in King’s words, a “beloved community” on earth. But by the end of the 1960s, that vision of the beloved community had come apart. Against this story of disintegration and disillusionment, Charles Marsh traces a parallel, lesser-known history, in which religious leaders have continued to pursue this vision over the past forty years. He describes the intentional interracial communities that church groups have developed, and the faith-based social justice initiatives that offer a stark contrast to the usual portrayal of Christian activism in the media. In this moving history, he demonstrates how, despite the odds, the pursuit of the beloved community continues to foster racial unity and civic responsibility, and lays out a new vision for the Christian left, reclaiming the centrality of religion in the quest for social justice.
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Charles Marsh is a professor of religion at the University of Virginia. He is the author of several books including Reclaiming Dietrich Bonhoeffer the award winning God’s Long Summer and most recently The Last Days. He lives in Virginia, USA
