In this ground-breaking study first published in 1966 FitzSimons Allison carefully analyzes the seismic shift that occurred in English theology at the end of the seventeenth century. Until then, classical Anglicans such as Richard Hooker and James Ussher united in affirming that in justification the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer. So there is no sense in which the believer contributes to his own righteousness in order to be justified. Rather, the Christian life is a response to Gods free justification, not a part of it. But with the rise in influence of thinkers such as Jeremy Taylor and Richard Baxter such a view of justification became muffled; they held that a persons repentance and sincere obedience to Christ contributed to personal justification. It followed that justification requires moral effort. This rise of moralism, is characterized, Allison argues, not only by compromised ideas of justification but by superficial views of human need."This remarkable study demonstrates that moralistic versions of Christianity arise from deficient views of salvation through Christ. Sound theology and truly Christian ethics go hand in hand. Allisons thesis continues to demand close attention."Paul Helm, Regent College

In the first full-scale biography of America's 39th president since 1980, Kenneth Morris shows readers that any conclusions about Carter's leadership and the adequacy of his challenges as a president cannot ignore the moral quandary that vexed the nation. 35 photos.

John Wesley’s Doctrine of Justification provides updated scholarship on this pivotal doctrine of Methodism, providing a deeper understanding of a major tenet of the Christian faith. Mark Olson offers a comprehensive treatment of the development and exposition of Wesley’s doctrine of justification and how it changed throughout Wesley’s life, including his early views rooted in Anglican heritage, the significant developments in Wesley’s career, and contributions from notable figures like John Fletcher to his doctrine of general justification. The doctrine of justification was pivotal to John Wesley’s understanding of a person’s relationship with God. In Wesley’s view, it defined one of the two general parts of salvation. It touched every aspect of the spiritual journey from birth (general justification) to conversion (present justification) to final judgment and glory (final justification). To properly understand Wesley’s via salutis and theology, one needs to grasp the particulars of his doctrine of justification. The best way to do this is to tell the story of how he came to understand the doctrine over the course of his life. It is a complex story, with many twists and turns, that deserves to be fully told.

Guilt, Anger & God: The Patterns of Our Discontents 1-57383-262-6 C. FitzSimons Allison 164 pp. Drawing from what perceptive non-Christians such as Freud, D.H. Lawrence, Reich and Marcuse have said about the human condition, Allison examines four contemporary patterns of the discontents of modern humanity-Anger, Disesteem, Guilt and Death. Believing that Christianity has been hurt as much by its friends as by its enemies, with deep pastoral concern Allison addresses the anguish many Christians feel today. He then discusses the gospel and its timeless message to our discontents. Skeptics, both within and outside the Church who hunger for more than "bread alone" will find this book an occasion for delightful surprises. "This is one of the most stimulating and evocative book I have read for some time. It is by no means the old psychological/theological witches' brew but really relates Christian doctrine to current and future questions about our human destiny."-David H. C. Read Dr. Allison is retired Bishop of South Carolina. His other books include The Rise of Moralism and Guilt, Love and Worship.

Political and social commentators regularly bemoan the decline of morality in the modern world. They claim that the norms and values that held society together in the past are rapidly eroding, to be replaced by permissiveness and empty hedonism. But as Edward Rubin demonstrates in this powerful account of moral transformations, these prophets of doom are missing the point. Morality is not diminishing; instead, a new morality, centered on an ethos of human self-fulfillment, is arising to replace the old one. As Rubin explains, changes in morality have gone hand in hand with changes in the prevailing mode of governance throughout the course of Western history. During the Early Middle Ages, a moral system based on honor gradually developed. In a dangerous world where state power was declining, people relied on bonds of personal loyalty that were secured by generosity to their followers and violence against their enemies. That moral order, exemplified in the early feudal system and in sagas like The Song of Roland, The Song of the Cid, and the Arthurian legends has faded, but its remnants exist today in criminal organizations like the Mafia and in the rap music of the urban ghettos. When state power began to revive in the High Middle Ages through the efforts of the European monarchies, and Christianity became more institutionally effective and more spiritually intense, a new morality emerged. Described by Rubin as the morality of higher purposes, it demanded that people devote their personal efforts to achieving salvation and their social efforts to serving the emerging nation-states. It insisted on social hierarchy, confined women to subordinate roles, restricted sex to procreation, centered child-rearing on moral inculcation, and countenanced slavery and the marriage of pre-teenage girls to older men. Our modern era, which began in the late 18th century, has seen the gradual erosion of this morality of higher purposes and the rise of a new morality of self-fulfillment, one that encourages individuals to pursue the most meaningful and rewarding life-path. Far from being permissive or a moral abdication, it demands that people respect each other's choices, that sex be mutually enjoyable, that public positions be allocated according to merit, and that society provide all its members with their minimum needs so that they have the opportunity to fulfill themselves. Where people once served the state, the state now functions to serve the people. The clash between this ascending morality and the declining morality of higher purposes is the primary driver of contemporary political and cultural conflict. A sweeping, big-idea book in the vein of Francis Fukuyama's The End of History, Charles Taylor's The Secular Age, and Richard Sennett's The Fall of Public Man, Edward Rubin's new volume promises to reshape our understanding of morality, its relationship to government, and its role in shaping the emerging world of High Modernity.

This book returns to the true nature of the gospel, justification by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. Fundamental to the book's argument is a rejection of the biblical truth and the faithful heritage of the gospel. By tracing the development of Reformation theology in Luther and Calvin, the giants in the American Great Awakening and the Korean revivals are brought up for analysis: Jonathan Edwards, Timothy Dwight, Sun-Ju Kil, Ik-Doo Kim, Yong-Do Lee, and Sung-Bong Lee. Paul ChulHong Kang makes clear what can be at stake not merely for academic theologians but for all Christians - the gospel itself.