Godsey’s provocative book concerns moral quality of human society
A review by Fisher Humphreys
Is God a Christian? Creating a Community of Conversation by R. Kirby Godsey (Macon: Mercer University Press, 2011).
The psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg has proposed that human moral development moves through six stages. Those who reach the sixth stage are concerned not only about society and its survival, but about society s being just, and they are prepared, when necessary, to engage in civil disobedience in order to help society move toward justice.
The vision that Kirby Godsey, chancellor and former president of Mercer University, displays in this book is, I believe, a sixth-stage vision.
He is intensely concerned about the entire human family, not just his own group. He is concerned not only about the survival of human beings but also about the moral quality of human society. And he is willing to take unpopular steps in order to help human society move toward justice and morality.
Since the objective of a flourishing society is not fully displayed until the third and final part of the book, I will begin by summarizing that part. It is titled Building Bridges.
Faith, Godsey says, is different from belief. Faith is a commitment leading to a covenant relationship with God. The commitment is risky, a choice one must make without any knowing for sure that it is realistic.
For Christians, it is the story of Jesus that makes possible the faith commitment to God. Members of other religions are able to make similar commitments to God because of the stories of their prophets and other leaders.
The human race is awash in injustice and violence. The violence has become so intense that it threatens the existence of the human race. Tragically, part of the violence issues from religious differences. But the religions can become a part of the solution and not just of the problem.
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