Family

Family
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Family: A Christian Social Perspective

Description of Family:

Cahill’s important work brings fresh historical, theological, and ethical thought to the explosive area of Family—deeply contested territory in today’s cultural and religious skirmishes. In the religious arena, evangelical-conservative vs. mainline-feminist lines echo larger social battles, contesting the authentic meaning of Family within a Christian framework. Though “Family” has been dissected in the academic and cultural wars, Cahill asserts that the usual religious agenda of restoring the traditional nuclear Family is actually misinformed and misguided. It bolsters oppressive social, economic, and racial mechanisms that are destroying families at the bottom, middle, and even top of the ladder. Is there an authentically Christian notion of Family? Cahill’s contribution shows in a striking way how very different were counter-cultural New Testament and early-church notions of Family from our ideas of “Family values;” how, throughout history, other influential Christian examples have emerged in the work of John Chrysostom, Martin Luther, and the Puritans; how, despite distortion by gender and class divisions, there develops a Christian vision of the altruistic Family, animated by Christian discipleship to stand for compassion, generosity, and justice; how pertinent this vision of the “domestic church” is to public debate and public policy. Cahill: “The vocation of Christian families is to embody discipleship, and thereby to work toward transforming civil society. This book looks beyond the petty parochialisms of the Family debate and directly into the heart of Christian humanism and discipleship to sight its relevance to the common good.”

Information on Family from the publisher:

Cahill's important work brings fresh historical, theological, and ethical thought to the explosive area of Family-deeply contested territory in today's cultural and religious skirmishes.

In the religious arena, evangelical-conservative vs. mainline-feminist lines echo larger social battles, contesting the authentic meaning of Family within a Christian framework.

Though "Family" has been dissected in the academic and cultural wars, Cahill asserts that the usual religious agenda of restoring the traditional nuclear Family is actually misinformed and misguided. It bolsters oppressive social, economic, and racial mechanisms that are destroying families at the bottom, middle, and even top of the ladder.

Is there an authentically Christian notion of Family? Cahill's contribution shows in a striking way how very different were counter-cultural New Testament and early-church notions of Family from our ideas of "Family values;" how, throughout history, other influential Christian examples have emerged in the work of John Chrysostom, Martin Luther, and the Puritans; how, despite distortion by gender and class divisions, there develops a Christian vision of the altruistic Family, animated by Christian discipleship to stand for compassion, generosity, and justice; how pertinent this vision of the "domestic church" is to public debate and public policy.

Cahill: "The vocation of Christian families is to embody discipleship, and thereby to work toward transforming civil society. This book looks beyond the petty parochialisms of the Family debate and directly into the heart of Christian humanism and discipleship to sight its relevance to the commongood."
Author Bio: Lisa Sowle Cahill is J. Donald Monan Professor of Theology, Boston College. She is author of Between the Sexes (Fortress Press 1988), Love Your Enemies (Fortress Press 1994), and Sex, Gender, and Christian Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 1996). Cahill has held leadership posts in both the Society for Christian Ethics and the Catholic Theological Society of America.

About Lisa Sowle Cahill:

Lisa Sowle Cahill is J. Donald Monan Professor of Theology, Boston College. She is author of Between the Sexes (Fortress Press 1988), Love Your Enemies (Fortress Press 1994), and Sex, Gender, and Christian Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 1996). Cahill has held leadership posts in both the Society for Christian Ethics and the Catholic Theological Society of America.

Description of Lisa Sowle Cahill, author of Family:

Cahill's important work brings astute historical, theological, and ethical analysis to the explosive area of Family, deeply contested territory in today's cultural skirmishes. Is there an authentically Christian notion of Family? Cahill asserts that the usual religious agenda of restoring the traditional nuclear Family is actually misinformed and misguided. Her study of the early church, John Chrysostom, Martin Luther, the Puritans, and recent church teachings reveals an alternative Christian vision of the altrustic Family, animated by Christian discipleship to stand for compassion, generosity, and justice.