The Christian Left
eBook - PDF

The Christian Left

An Introduction to Radical and Socialist Christian Thought

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

The Christian Left

An Introduction to Radical and Socialist Christian Thought

About this book

Christianity is often assumed to be pro-capitalist and socially conservative – in short, necessarily aligned with the political Right. But can this be straightforwardly true of a religion founded by a figure who drew his early followers from among the poor and downtrodden and spoke against the accumulation of earthly riches?

In this book, Anthony A.J. Williams shows that this assumption is far from correct by giving an introductory overview of a tradition of socialist and radical Christianity that can be traced back to the communal ownership described in the Acts of the Apostles. Focusing on modern Christian Left movements, from Christian Socialism and the social gospel to liberation theology and red-letter Christianity, Williams examines the major challenges faced by the Christian Left today, both from within Christianity itself and from the secular Left. Does the Bible and Christian theology really support collectivism and universal equality? Can Christian radicalism remain viable in an age of identity politics?

This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the relationship between religion and politics.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access The Christian Left by Anthony A. J. Williams in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Religion, Politics & State. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Half title
  2. Title page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Introduction
  6. 1 The Spirit of Brotherhood: Foundations of British Christian Socialism
  7. 2 Identity Crisis: Christian Socialism in Post-War Britain
  8. 3 A Hostile Environment: Religious Socialism in Europe
  9. 4 What Would Jesus Do? Social Gospel and Socialism in the United States
  10. 5 Moral Minority: The Christian Left in the Age of the Christian Right
  11. 6 Preferential Option for the Poor: Liberation Theology in Latin America
  12. 7 Liberty to the Captives: Liberation Theology Across the World
  13. 8 Where Next for the Christian Left?
  14. Notes
  15. Index