Transforming Society

""Situated as they are within the Philippine Evangelical tradition, yet supported by wide reading in other traditions, the reflections of Melba Padilla Maggay come through to the Roman Catholic reader as both strikingly similar to and interestingly different from our own tradition. The similarities stem from the fact that we all see the same issues and problems in the world around us, and the same approaches to them; moreover, we share a common Christian concern for our less fortunate brothers and sisters. The main difference lies in the methodology: Maggay focuses strongly on Scripture in building a case for social involvement and in evaluating possible approaches; the Catholic would look also to the body of social thought developed by the Popes over the past 100 years or so. Yet for the Catholic the emphasis on Scripture can itself be refreshing and stimulating, and an incentive to dialogue with the Evangelical tradition. ""The book makes other interesting contributions as well. It brings to the fore the ferment now taking place within the Philippine Evangelical churches. And it offers useful reflections on attitudes and strategies, dangers and traps in the arena of social involvement. In particular it offers a timely reminder to keep our focus on God and His work in the world, in the midst of our own 'worldly' involvement. Finally, it all rings true as coming from one who has been deeply involved in that same work."" --Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ President, Ateneo de Manila University ""Dr. Melba Maggay writes on the Church as an agent for transforming society from her experience of Martial Law and her participation in the 1986 EDSA Revolution. She disavows being a theologian but she only means she is not an academic theologian! Or perhaps that she is not a dogmatic/systematic theologian. Despite her disavowal, what we have in this book is an outstanding piece of theological writing on the task of the Church in the world, particularly in Philippine society. She has no simple solutions to complex social situations. But she dares to dream because she knows that the Kingdom of God has come, and will yet come in blazing splendor when King Jesus returns. Meanwhile, in her words, she is 'one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread to sustain the journey towards liberation and social justice and righteousness.' I commend these essays wholeheartedly."" --Dr. Isabelo F. Magalit President, Asian Theological Seminary ""Transforming Society is the kind o