Emphasizing the Judeo-Christian roots of their convictions, civil rights leaders saw their ultimate purpose as building a “beloved community” on earth. In their quest for social justice, the radical idea of Christian love, through the practice of nonviolence, would transform the social and political realities of twentieth-century America.
As theologian Charles Marsh shows, the same spiritual vision that animated the civil rights movement remains a vital-and growing-source of moral energy today. In moving prose, Marsh traces the history of this vision over the past four decades, from the racial reconciliation movement in American cities to the intentional communities that church groups have founded.
