Gift of the Other

We live in an age of global capitalism and terror. In a climate of consumption and fear the unknown Other is regarded as a threat to our safety, a client to assist, or a competitor to be overcome in the struggle for scarce resources. And yet, the Christian Scriptures explicitly summon us to welcome strangers, to care for the widow and the orphan, and to build relationships with those distant from us. But how, in this world of hostility and commodification, do we practice hospitality? In The Gift of the Other, Andrew Shepherd engages deeply with the influential thought of French thinkers Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida, and argues that a true vision of hospitality is ultimately found not in postmodern philosophies but in the Christian narrative. The book offers a compelling Trinitarian account of the God of hospitality - a God of communion who 'makes room' for otherness, who overcomes the hostility of the world though Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, and who through the work of the Spirit is forming a new community: the Church - a people of welcome.

"It [The Gift of the Other] asserts a theology of hospitality that is well argued and enticing, and which avoids falling into sectarian or denominational ghettos along the way. For those who are wrestling with Derrida and Levinas but have eyes also for the cross and the resurrection, The Gift of the Other is a must read and an unavoidable contribution in a lively and important debate." -Nigel Zimmerman, Studies in Christian Ethics, Vol. 29 No. 1, February 2016 "This book offers an imaginative and timely contribution to the oft-neglected theme of welcoming the Other.... The work is heartily recommended for scholars and practitioners who wish to enrich their understanding of the distinct theological foundations of a Christian ethic of hospitality." -Katie R. Leggett, Theological Book Review, Vol. 26 No. 2, 2016 "Sheperd's impressive and hospitable theological deployment of Levinas and Derrida and his drawing out of pastoral applications are greatly to be welcomed." -David Grummet, Religion and Theology, Vol. 24, Issue 2, April 2017

Andrew Shepherd is a researcher and teacher in Theology and Ethics. He is involved in A Rocha Aotearoa New Zealand - a Christian conservation movement - and Servants to Asia's Urban Poor. His previous publications include the volume 'Taking Rational Trouble Over the Mysteries: Reactions to Atheism' (2013), coedited with Nicola Hoggard Creegan.