90 books in 90 days -- uncommon decency

Just the title of Uncommon Decency gives a hint at the direction of his argument.  Mouw is encouraging Christians in particular, to practice a method of social interaction that is not typical in the history of our communities.  Decency unfortunately, is not a trait popularly attributed to Christians.  That is not only a disparaging statement, it is a factual one that recognizes a real past of accumulated social interaction, and the difficulty of living a life of conviction in a sinful and increasingly pluralist world.  The problem is made clear when he talks about convictions:  "Typically people who are good at being civil often lack strong convictions and people who have strong convictions often lack civility" (p. 12).  In an effort to promote a better way of being Christians, Mouw advocates a "convicted civility" (p. 12).

Convictions, Mouw argues, are beliefs that are held with a passionate intensity and without willingness to compromise (pp. 11-12).  Civility is public politeness in recognition of the humanity of all people. It involves cultivating empathy (p. 62), and the ability to learn from cultural and religious others without fear of being lost in the process.  Convicted civility is the recognition that God in Christ is sovereign over all of creation, while resisting the temptations of imperialism or belief that we can have any sort of "God's eye view".  Instead, Christians must seek to serve Christ in the world through caring interaction, learning from others as well as witnessing to the reign of God in Christ by the practice of empathy, and recognition of God's care for all of humanity.  This is an argument that correspond with Stassen's basic convictions dimension, and his Christlikeness/justice variable.  It matches with an understanding of incarnational discipleship -- entering into the experience of others as Christ entered our life and world -- and can accommodate the practice of delivering love.

Convicted civility enables Christians to live relevant lives in an increasingly diverse society.  For, though we believe in one God, and one savior of all, we also embrace pluralism.  But we do so, not to advocate relativism, not promoting different views of reality, but different viewings of the world (p. 77).  Our outlooks upon life derived from within our various Christian communities, will vary as the result of many different factors (race, gender, class, language, geography) and will influence the way we see reality.  But these differences do not give us different notions of truth and goodness (although I believe they do influence our priority of truths, and experiences of goodness.  That God values the poor and the outcast is a truth that liberation theologians may give priority over an emphasis on chastity for example.)  Thus, in a plural world, as people of convictions, we never have the right to be less than civil people.  As a people espousing convicted civility, we must keep the conversation going, in recognition of our common humanity, and common condition as sinful people loved by our creator, always making an effort towards empathic relations.  That is being Christian and practicing an uncommon decency.