Ethical Religion and Christian Activism : iUniverse : 9781532097027 : 1532097026 : 14 Oct 2020 : In the realm of Christian publications targeting the laity, this book is unique - and revolutionary. It argues that the essence of the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth was ethical rather than "religious", that Christians who identify themselves as "followers of Jesus" need to think and act in ethical terms, and that the role of the church is to promote discussion of issues from an ethical perspective - and then to act appropriately. The first part of the book considers how the stories and sayings of Jesus were influenced by the intervening period of oral transmission between his life and when the Gospels were written - and what the core message was that he was trying to convey. The latter part of the book looks at multiple contemporary issues and how an ethical perspective regards them. It concludes that, rather than eschew dealing with controversial issues, the church should be the forum for