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We live in a culture of commodification. People are too often defined by what they do or own; they're treated as means to an end or cogs in a machine. What goes missing is a deep sense of personhood-the belief that all humans are unique subjects with inherent worth and the right to self-determination in authentic communion with others.
In a world dominated by things, Paul Louis Metzger argues, we must work hard to account for one another's personhood. We need to cultivate relational structures that honor every human's dignity in vital interpersonal community. The theological and philosophical framework known as personalism can help guide us toward such a culture. Drawing from a wide range of thought leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II, Metzger presents a personalist moral vision founded on the Christian ideals of faith, hope, and love. He demonstrates how this moral compass can help us navigate a pluralistic world by applying it to a variety of pressing ethical issues, including abortion, genetic engineering, immigration, drone warfare, and more.
Ultimately human personhood begins with the personal, triune God, who invites us to live more fully as human beings. When we refuse to reduce our fellow humans-and ourselves-to mere abstractions or objects, we follow the example of Jesus in honoring the value of every person and of creaturely life as a whole.
In a world dominated by things, Paul Louis Metzger argues, we must work hard to account for one another's personhood. We need to cultivate relational structures that honor every human's dignity in vital interpersonal community. The theological and philosophical framework known as personalism can help guide us toward such a culture. Drawing from a wide range of thought leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II, Metzger presents a personalist moral vision founded on the Christian ideals of faith, hope, and love. He demonstrates how this moral compass can help us navigate a pluralistic world by applying it to a variety of pressing ethical issues, including abortion, genetic engineering, immigration, drone warfare, and more.
Ultimately human personhood begins with the personal, triune God, who invites us to live more fully as human beings. When we refuse to reduce our fellow humans-and ourselves-to mere abstractions or objects, we follow the example of Jesus in honoring the value of every person and of creaturely life as a whole.
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Reviews
"More Than Things is an ecumenical tour de force. Much ink has been spilled over time about the timeliness of personalism or the need for a Christian ethic rooted in the belief in a triune God. But in an era marked by heightened polarization and ever more strident ideological rancor, Metzger wades through the needless spirals of hot air and makes an irenic case for a moral reset. Dialogue with Buddhism, Netflix, racist poison, and the last frontier of space exploration is submitted to his critical eye. Not since Bonhoeffer's Life Together have I encountered an introduction to Christian morality that is as exciting and persuasive as this book."
Peter Casarella, professor of theology at Duke Divinity School
"Each human person is unique, irreplaceable, and precious in worth and dignity. Paul Louis Metzger brings this truth to life, insisting that persons are more than their genes or abilities or social status. Metzger's personalism has a prophetic ring to it, forged in the authenticity of his own experiences while addressing today's most urgent moral challenges, including marriage and monogamy, environmental justice, compassion for the dying, race relations, and more. Sweeping in scope while precise in detail, More Than Things is a heartfelt call for all of us to re-center ourselves on what is truly important by moving from the culture of things to the culture of persons."
Ron Cole-Turner, professor emeritus of theology and ethics at Pittsburgh Theological Semin