{"product_id":"mere-morality-what-god-expects-from-ordinary-people-9780802802576","title":"Mere Morality: What God Expects from Ordinary People","description":"Is there a morality that shows us how to survive as a humane community? Can we know what God expects of the human family? Is there a morality for ordinary people? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this book, the author of \u003ci\u003eSex for Christians\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLove within Limits\u003c\/i\u003e explores the way to moral sanity amid the confusions and crises of contemporary life. We do not, says Smedes, have a moral map to mark out the details of our route in advance, but neither are we left to grope and improvise at every step. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe focus of Smedes's study is the commandments -- in particular those five of the Ten Commandments which call us to respect other persons: Honor your father and mother; You shall not kill; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness. Each of these commandments pinpoints the moral nucleus of one sector of life in community -- family, marriage, property, communication, and the preservation of life itself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUsing these commandments as a basis, Smedes asks three questions: What does God command us to do? Why does he command this? And how can we obey this in the ambiguities and conflicts of real life? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSmedes answers the first question by extracting the simple meaning of the commands. He probes answers to the second question -- why? -- on the premise that a reasonable Creator commands his creatures only to be what they are and to act in ways that fit their nature as human beings in community. Moral norms are not alien, claims Smedes, they conform to our being. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt is in answering how to obey these commandments in ordinary life that Smedes moves from the ancient words at Sinai to the troubled twentieth-century context in which we live. This is not always an easy task. The commandment may signal a clear moral direction, but determining whether and how its absolute fits into each new situation will require patient common sense, tough-minded reason, and devout faith. Such painful struggles, for which Smedes provides eloquent guidance are at the core of responsible moral living.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Lewis B. Smedes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/09\/1989\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 294\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.01lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.04h x 5.97w x 0.71d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780802802576\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSmedes, Lewis B.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - (1921-2002) Was professor emeritus of theology and ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. Among his many books are Forgive and Forget, Shame and Grace, How Can It Be All Right When Everything Is All Wrong?, Love within Limits, and Mere Morality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis title is not returnable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":40589104054387,"sku":"9.78E+12","price":33.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/products\/img_97ec9f6c-06e2-4514-8662-9ff2e24989a3.jpg?v=1668783125","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/products\/mere-morality-what-god-expects-from-ordinary-people-9780802802576","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}