Christians, Free Expression, and the Common Good

Getting Beyond the Censorship Impulse

By (author) Gordon S. Jackson

Publication date:

27 May 2015

Length of book:

244 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9781498504010

Christians of all theological and political backgrounds ought to be ardent advocates of advancing, not curbing, freedom of speech within their own ranks and in the increasingly secular societies in which they live. Christians, Free Expression, and the Common Good presents the concept of free expression, and its opposite of censorship, as a tool for the Western church (and the U.S. church in particular) to respond more wisely and effectively to controversy. In their most severe form, these controversies lead to both formal and informal limitations on free expression, as Christians seek to silence those with whom they most stridently disagree. This study is timely given the Western church’s current state of flux as it tries to determine its identity and mission in a post-Christian setting. Christians, Free Expression, and the Common Good will appeal to a wide range of thoughtful religious scholars and others who would welcome ideas on how the church should refine and live out its mission in the early twenty-first century.

Chapter 1: Freedom of Expression––Why Christians Should Care
Chapter 2: A Theology of Freedom and Free Expression
Chapter 3: Free Expression and Feuds Among the Faithful
Chapter 4: Free Expression’s Antithesis––Defining Censorship
Chapter 5: Censorship––A Dangerous, Corrosive Force
Chapter 6: Limits on Free Expression––Why We Still Want Them
Chapter 7: Christians, Government and the Politics of Free Expression
Chapter 8: Responding Christianly––Part 1: Setting the Stage
Chapter 9: Responding Christianly––Part 2: Nurturing Free Expression
Chapter 10: Conclusion––“A More Excellent Way”

This work realistically describes the tension to be managed between the deep convictions of being a Christian and effectively navigating the pathologies of "free expression" in our culture. It goes far beyond the idea of those of us that live under the First Amendment in America. Today more than ever, the cultural conversation needs some lessons from history, Scripture, and Professor Jackson's book.