Can Christians be civil in a world falling apart?In these wild and diverse times, prolifers square off against prochoicers, gay liberationists confront champions of the traditional family, husbands and wives face each other in court, artists attack legislators, and "politically correct" intellectuals abhor crusading fundamentalists.Philosopher and ethicist Richard Mouw is concerned that, too often, Christians seem to be contributing more to the problem than to the solution. But he recognizes--from his own personal struggle--that it's not easy to hold to Christian convictions and treat sometimes vindictive opponents with civility and decency.Few if any people in the evangelical world have dialogued as widely and sensitively as Mouw. So few can write more wisely or helpfully about what Christians can appreciate about pluralism, the theological basis for civility, and how we can communicate with people who disagree with us on the issues that matter most.



Richard J. Mouw (PhD, University of Chicago) is a senior research fellow at the Henry Institute for the Study of Religion and Politics at Calvin University. He previously served as the president of Fuller Theological Seminary (1993–2013) and directed their Institute of Faith and Public Life (2013–2020). In 2007, Princeton Theological Seminary awarded him the Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life. He is the author of over twenty books, including UncommonDecency, Adventures in Evangelical Civility, Restless Faith, and All That God Cares About.



1. Convicted Civility: Can We Be Faithful Polite Too?

2. What Christian Civility Is Not

3. Defending Christian Civility

4. Speaking in God's Presence: The Importance of Civil Speech

5. Open Hearts: The Importance of Civil Attitudes

6. What's Good About Pluralism?

7. How to Be Civil About Sex

8. The Challenge of Other Religions

9. Christian Leadership in a Pluralistic World

10. When There Is No "On the Other Hand": The Limits of Civility

11. Is Hell Uncivil?

12. Abraham Kuyper, Meet Mother Teresa: The Problem of Triumphalism

13. Serving a Slow God: Civility and the End of Time

Notes