Christian Existence Today: Essays on Church World and Living in Between

Stanley Hauerwas begins this volume with a vigorous response to the charge of sectarianism leveled against his work by James Gustafson among others. Show me where I am wrong about God Jesus the limits of liberalism the nature of the virtues or the doctrine of the church Hauerwas replies to his critics but do not shortcut that task by calling me a sectarian. The essays that follow explore in a lucid compelling firm and provocative way the churchs nature message and ministry in the world. Hauerwas writes on the church as Gods new language on clerical character on the pastor as prophet on the ministry of the local congregation on grace and public virtue and on the relation of church and university. Underlying Hauerwass argument is his conviction that the most important knowledge Christian convictions involve and there is much worth knowing for which Christians have no special claim requires a transformation of the self. Christianity is no world view not a form of primitive metaphysics that can be assessed in comparison to alternative world views. Rather Christians are people who remain convinced that the truthfulness of their beliefs must be demonstrated in their lives. There is a sense in which Christian convictions are self-referential but the reference is not to propositions but to lives