Faith Expressing Itself Through Love

While there is a general consensus amongst evangelicals that social action is biblical, there are still areas of theological debate which continue to hamper our engagement. Within Irish evangelicalism further factors complicate the picture: the accusations of 'souperism' during the Famine, the Anglo-Irish identity of nineteenth century evangelicals, and operating as 1% of the population while being overshadowed by a large and very socially active Catholic Church. The purpose of this book is to deal with the context of Irish evangelicalism and to articulate an applied theology of evangelical social action. For illustrative purposes, three church leaders from different settings (rural, suburban and inner-city) were interviewed. These interviews illustrate the reality of social engagement in Ireland. The contention is that such a coherent, worked-out and applied theology would greatly enhance and further the Irish church's mission. This book is intended to engage with and challenge Irish pastors, church leaders and any reflective Christians desiring to navigate and make a difference in this area of ministry.