David Gushee and Colin Holtz: Moral Leadership for a Divided Age

Moral Leadership for a Divided Age
14 People Who Dared to Change Our World
(Baker, 2018)

WHO: David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University; and Colin Holtz, a writer and strategist.

THEY SAY: “Studying moral leaders forces us out of a world where yesterday seems like eons ago and reminds us of the slow pace and unstable direction of human society.”

THE BIG IDEA: By exploring the lives of 14 great moral leaders, we can learn how their legacies can impact us today.

THE PROGRESSION:
In 14 chapters the authors explore the lives of 14 moral leaders: William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, Florence Nightingale, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mohandas Gandhi, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mother Teresa, Oscar Romero, Nelson Mandela, John Paul II, Elie Wiesel, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malala Yousafzai.
Each chapter examines the historical context closely; looks at the leader’s personal background, professional trajectory and vocation; considers character qualities, family choices and social relationships; studies criticism, conflict and failure; practices respectful engagement; and look at how we can apply these lessons to our lives.

“Studying moral leadership does more than expose us to stories that inspire, guide and form us. It trains us in a way of thinking. It asks us to see nuance, embrace complexity and respect the decency of people who, like all of us, are not without sin, and yet whom we cannot help but admire on some ineffable, perhaps transcendent grounds.”

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A 2019 Outreach Also Recommended Resource—Ministry Leadership Category

“Ministry leaders will want to add this resource to their library as it is packed with helpful insights.”

Evaluated by Ron Edmondson, CEO of Leadership Network who previously served for 16 years as a senior pastor. He also has over 20 years of experience in the business world.

David Gushee and Colin Holtz
David Gushee and Colin Holtz

David P. Gushee, a leading public Christian voice on ethical issues of our day, is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. He also serves as president of the American Academy of Religion and is immediate past president of the Society of Christian Ethics. He is the author or co-author of several books, most recently Moral Leadership for a Divided Age.

Colin Holtz, a writer and strategist at the intersection of church and world, is a 10-year veteran of issue advocacy and political campaigns. His writing has been published in the Guardian and HuffPost. He has led national campaigns on education debt and financial regulation, worked with CNN’s Crossfire, and served as a senior adviser to Faithful America. 

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