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"[The
Companion's] global range, intellectual ecumenism, and attention to diverse historical contexts provide a rich resource for exploring how religious beliefs and practices engage issues of colonialism, gender justice, political struggle, healthcare, race, and the environment, among other topics ... Bringing together theoretical discussions with case studies, it opens up new pathways for exploring how global and local religions interrogate matters of historical injustice, identity, and the moral quality of public life. I recommend it enthusiastically."
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Richard B. Miller, Indiana University The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Social Justice offers a wide-ranging account and exploration of the crucial topics at the intersection of religion and social justice. Virtually all major religions, faith traditions, and sacred belief systems have found ways to express "social justice." This is the first time a comparative study has brought all these elements together across all the major world religions.
Newly commissioned essays by distinguished authors explain exactly what individual traditions believe in relation to social justice; what the main issues are and how the major faiths differ in their approaches; which social justice movements exist and what they do; who are the key thinkers and activists in each religion; and which are the key texts within religions. The result is a unique and richly informative volume, shedding new light on individual religions as well as providing a comparative history and survey of world religions.
List of contents
Notes on Contributors ix
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction 1
Part I Major World Religions 13 Introduction 15
1 Buddhism: Historical Setting 17
Mavis Fenn 2 Buddhism: Contemporary Expressions 30
Steven Emmanuel 3 Christianity: Historical Setting 46
Stanley M. Burgess 4 Christianity: Contemporary Expressions 61
Curtiss Paul DeYoung 5 Confucianism: Historical Setting 77
Joseph Chan 6 Confucianism: Contemporary Expressions 93
Stephen C. Angle 7 Hinduism: Historical Setting 110
O.P. Dwivedi 8 Hinduism: Contemporary Expressions 124
Amita Singh 9 Islam: Historical Setting 137
Hussam S. Timani 10 Islam: Contemporary Expressions 153
Erin E. Stiles 11 Judaism: Historical Setting 170
Moshe Hellinger 12 Judaism: Contemporary Expressions 190
Eliezer Segal Part II Religious Movements and Themes 205 Introduction 207
13 Bahá'í Faith 210
Christopher Buck 14 The Quest for Justice in Revival, a Creole Religion in Jamaica 224
William Wedenoja 15 The Muhammadiyah: A Muslim Modernist Organization in Contemporary Indonesia 241
Florian Pohl 16 The Role of the Chief in Asante Society 256
Yaw Adu-Gyamfi 17 Tibetan Monastics and Social Justice 268
Derek F. Maher 18 Sangha and Society 280
Hiroko Kawanami 19
G'meelut Chasadim (Deeds of Kindness) 292
W.E. Nunnally 20 Hospitality 306
Ana María Pineda 21
Zakat: Faith and Giving in Muslim Contexts 319
Azim Nanji 22 Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue 330
Barbara Brown Zikmund Part III Indigenous People 345 Introduction 347
23 Africa: Religion and Social Justice among the Diola of Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau 350
Robert M. Baum 24 Australia: Religion and Social Justice in a Continent of Hunter-Gatherers 361
Robert Tonkinson 25 Central America: A God for the Poor - Folk Catholicism and Social Justice among the Yucatec Maya 373
Christine A. Kray 26 Europe: The Roma People of Romania 388
Sorin Gog and Maria Roth 27 Middle East: The Kurds - Religion and Social Justice of a Stateless Nation 402
Charles G. MacDonald 28 New Zealand: The M¿ori People 412
Rawinia Higgins 29 North America: Ojibwe Culture 425
Gregory O. Gagnon 30 Southern Asia: The Gonds of India - A Search for Identity and Justice 438
Sushma Yadav Part IV Social Justice Issues 451 Introduction 453
31 Colonialism 456
Brigid M. Sackey 32 Abundant Life or Abundant Poverty? The Challenge for African Christianity 469
T. John Padwick 33 AIDS, Religion, and the Politics of Social Justice in Sub-Saharan Africa 482
Afe Adogame 34 Religion, Civil Rights, and Social Justice 496
Paul Harvey 35 Human Rights: The South African Experience 507
Glenda Wildschut 36 The "Double-Conscious" Nature of American Evangelicalism's Struggle over Civil Rights during the Progressive Era 519
L.B. Gallien, Jr. 37 Gender and Sexuality in the Context of Religion and Social Justice 535
Mary E. Hunt 38 Beginning of Life 547
Andrew Lustig 39 Death and Dying 561
Courtney S. Campbell 40 Religion's Influence on Social Justice Practices Relating to Those with Disabilities 575
Ruth Vassar Burgess 41 Ecology and the Environment 591
Laurel Kearns 42 Christianity and Nonviolent Resistance 607
Celia Cook-Huffman
43 Building Peace in the Pursuit of Social Justice 620
Mohammed Abu-Nimer Index 633
About the author
MICHAEL D. PALMER is a professor of philosophy at Regent University. In addition to numerous scholarly articles, book chapters, and reviews, he has published four books, including a two-volume work
The Holy Spirit and Social Justice, Interdisciplinary Global Perspectives (2019), coedited with Antipas Harris. Palmer has extensive experience teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in moral theory, social ethics, applied ethics, and philosophy of religion. He has also conducted professional workshops and seminars for educators on topics relating to religion and ethics.
STANLEY M. BURGESS is Professor Emeritus, Missouri State University. In addition to over 150 scholarly articles, he has published numerous books, including the
International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (2002), the
Encyclopedia of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity (2004), and
Christian Peoples of the Spirit: a Documentary Collection (2011).
