Christian Realism and the New Realities

by Robin W. Lovin

Overview

Are religion and public lifed really separate spheres of human activity? Should they be? In this book, Robin Lovin criticises contemporary political and theological views that separate religion from public life and advocates a more integrated understanding of modern society. Drawing on the work of two influential twentieth-century theologians, Reinhold Niebuhr and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, he argues that: *'Christian realism' encourages responsible engagement with social and political problems *Political commitment is not confined to the sphere of law and government *The decisions of individuals influence global ethics

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521841948
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/14/2008
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Robin W. Lovin is Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, where he previously served as Dean of the Perkins School of Theology. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and Harvard University and an ordained minister of the United Methodist Church. He was previously Dean at the Theological School of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, and has also taught at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. His previous books include Reinhold Niebuhr and Christian Realism (1994).

Table of Contents

1. Reflections on the end of an era; 2. A short history of Christian realism; 3. Contexts of responsibility; 4. Unapologetic politics; 5. A global order; 6. Human goods and human dignity.

Editorial Reviews

'Robin Lovin offers an informative history of Christian realism followed by an appraisal of its contemporary state and prospects … particularly refreshing is the wide conception of politics he sketches, located in several interlocking spheres, orders, contexts, places of responsibility, or, following Bonhoeffer, mandates: work, family, government, church and culture.' Theology

From the Publisher