What Are You Doing About It?

“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