Ebook
In his memoir, What Are You Doing About It?, ethicist and activist David W. Gill takes readers on an exciting inside tour of the academic, cultural, religious, and political landscape in which he has lived and worked for the past several decades. From Berkeley to Bordeaux, Chicago to Boston . . . from the business trenches and the local church to the seminary and the graduate school of business . . . from marching in the streets to the writer's study . . . from entrepreneurial leadership to institutional challenge . . . Gill never wavered in his mission to promote the ethical insights and values of Jesus and Scripture in the workplace as much as the churchplace. This is a story to inspire a new generation of thoughtful activists.
“This memoir takes the reader into the inner workings of the
institutions in each of which Gill has had an important role. . . .
Gill humbly but directly details, analyzes, and confesses both the
good and the bad of what it has meant to be a part of the
educational world of one of the most interesting and diverse
religious movements of the last century—the evangelical Christian
church in America. A great read in every way.”
—Andrew H. Trotter Jr., senior scholar, Consortium of Christian
Study Centers
“In reading this memoir, those who already know David Gill will
revisit with pleasure his generosity, warmth, and enthusiasm.
Others will want to make his acquaintance. David is not just an
activist, a Christian, a professor, an intellectual, an ethicist, a
theologian, and a specialist in the thought of Jacques Ellul, he is
also the living incarnation of that most beautiful thing:
friendship.”
—Patrick Chastenet, University of Bordeaux
“The writer of Ecclesiastes recommends: ‘Whatever your hand finds
to do, do with all your might,’ and David Gill’s rich autobiography
describes an impressive amount of doing! A welcome testament to a
full life which is not ‘full of itself.’ By staying on the margins
(which are often in the dead center of God’s own presence and work
in this world), Gill’s life and work are marked by the hospitable
space which they open up for others.”
—Jacob Marques Rollison, author of A New Reading of Jacques
Ellul: Presence and Communication in the Postmodern World
“David’s memoir is refreshingly honest and engaging. Not only is it
a delightful perusal of his life, but it served to elevate my
respect for and appreciation of this distinguished ‘marginal
activist’ all the more.”
—Gina Casey, acute care chaplain and AME Zion pastor
“I have known David Gill since I was writing a dissertation on the
Bay Area Jesus Movement in the early 1970s. Marginal activist
indeed! He never stopped engaging American Christianity and
re-imagining evangelicalism. . . . Let his record continue to light
the way.”
—Donald Heinz, California State University, Chico
“Dr. Gill was my professor and mentor at Gordon-Conwell Theological
Seminary, now my dearest godfather and friend. If anybody tells me
that Christians are passive, I will recommend they read this
memoir. For ordinary Christians living in an ever more challenging
world, Gill’s life story is an inspirational resource, rich,
relatable, and relevant. Changes never just happen, they start with
someone somewhere, who is inspired to ‘do something about
it.’”
—Ruqiong Tang Walter, former student assistant to David W.
Gill