Ronald "Ron" Sider, author of "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger," died Wednesday night following a cardiac arrest. He was 82.
According to a Christianity Today article, the author's book sold 400,000 copies and was translated into nine languages.
More importantly, the seminal book served as a guiding light to several generations of Christians, mostly youth.
Sider was also best remembered for his efforts to rally behind the poor and for urging evangelicals to show them compassion.
Champion Of The Poor
The report said that the author's advocacy to fight for the poor spanned close to 50 years.
During these times, Sider reportedly rallied fellow Christians to care for others in their quest for salvation.
The article also said that Sider pushed for a deeper understanding of how sin includes acts that tolerate injustice, as well as inequality.
Sider argued that salvation entails other things, not just having a renewed and appropriate link to God through his forgiveness.
"It's a new, transformed lifestyle that you can see visible in the body of believers," Sider said.
Social Action Advocate
According to SNBC13, Snider founded the Christians for Social Action (CSA).
The report said that the group comprises scholars and activists who aim to 'stir the imagination' to improve society's justice system and achieve 'fuller Christian faithfulness expression.
CSA was also a "do" tank instead of a "think" tank. The group reportedly aimed to offer faith-based engagement on "justice issues."
The article said that Sider "pushed people to think" and showed integrity by 'living his life as he taught.'
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About Ron Sider
Sider hails from Fort Erie in Ontario. He was born in 1939 to a family who lived on a 275-acre farm.
Sider's farmed their land and preached at the Brethren Christ in Church.
According to the Christianity Today report, Sider pursued higher education and kept his belief that his Christianity was meant to mold his entire existence and was not just a means to achieve intellectual growth.
Sider reportedly took history at Ontario's Waterloo Lutheran University with John Warwick Montgomery, a Christian apologist.
He also attended Yale and studied Reformation under Jaroslav Pelikan, a historian.
His dissertation centered on Martin Luther's contemporary Andreas Karlstadt, who espoused simplicity by doing away with honorifics and dressing like a peasant.
Sider reportedly mimicked Karlstadt's lifestyle and point of view.
The article revealed that Sider took his young family to Connecticut black community and immersed himself in the African American community.
He also participated in the civil rights movement in his community and assisted in voter registration for black activists whom he had befriended.
Sider reportedly taught at Messiah College in Philadelphia and Palmer Theology Seminary of Eastern University.
In Germantown, Sider zeroed in on social issues such as poverty, racial injustice, and war for his classes.
He likewise supported George McGovern's political run by establishing the Evangelicals for McGovern.
McGovern was an anti-war South Dakota senator whose enemies termed as a "candidate for acid, amnesty, and abortion," the report said.
Details about Sider's funeral are not yet available as of writing.
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