A Theology of Public Life

What has Washington to do with Jerusalem? In the raging debates about the relationship between religion and politics, no one has explored the religious benefits and challenges of public engagement for Christian believers - until now. This book defends and details Christian believers' engagement in contemporary pluralistic public life not from the perspective of some neutral 'public', but from the particular perspective of Christian faith, arguing that such engagement enriches both public life and Christian citizens' faith themselves. As such it offers not a 'public theology', but a 'theology of public life', analysing the promise and perils of Christian public engagement, discussing the nature of civic commitment and prophetic critique, and the relation of a loving faith to a liberal politics of justice. Theologically rich, philosophically rigorous, politically, historically and sociologically informed, this book advances contemporary discussion of 'religion and public life' in fundamental ways.

Author: Charles T. Mathewes, Mathewes Charles T.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 10/14/2008
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.24lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.85d
ISBN: 9780521539906

Review Citation(s):
Christian Century 11/04/2008 pg. 34

About the Author
Mathewes, Charles T.: - Charles T. Mathewes is Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia. His other publications include Evil and the Augustinian Tradition (2001).

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