Using the words "church" and "civil rights" in the same sentence may seem unusual. But in "The Church and Civil Rights," author and pastor Thomas Searcy Jr. explains how these two are closely intertwined and how faith and religious beliefs should impact behavior in everyday life.

For this discussion, Searcy defines civil rights as fruit of the spirit operating in one's life. It is important to provide love and assistance to the world's oppressed as commissioned by Jesus. Expanding upon the message of "loving our neighbor as much as ourselves," Searcy shows how churches need to work...