There has long been a tradition in the Christian church which has discerned in the scriptures an imperative towards radical political action. Beginning with the Fathers and their writings on the community of goods, it can be traced through the mystics of the middle ages and radical reformers and Puritans of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, to Christian socialists, liberation theologians and social activists of more recent times.
Though remarkable for their incisiveness, originality and distinctive theological perspective, these writings have often failed to reach a wide readership. Bradstock and Rowland have now brought more than sixty extracts together in this one volume, including some which have been newly translated and many which have long been unavailable. This has resulted in a unique and immensely valuable resource, which includes letters, sermons, poems, liturgies and other writings from the third- to the twenty-first century.

This volume, which fills a gap in the current literature, will be an essential resource for third-year undergraduates and above in Biblical studies, political theology, Church history and political theory.