"Gregory has shaped the parameters of future discussion and offers a compelling argument that must be taken seriously."
This challenging and erudite book has much to offer both to those concerned with the relationship of Christianity to liberal democracy and those seeking to understand the Christian imperatives to love God and neighbor.
— Christopher R. Helton
This is a phenomenal piece of scholarship. . . . Gregory respects no disciplinary boundaries and draws deeply from a number of different wells. Understanding the giants of Christian thought requires no less. Also, his reading of Augustine is astute and promisingly embedded in larger theological themes. Let Gregory's work be a model for how to read great Christian thinkers on various topics, including politics and social theory.
— Geoffrey C. Bowden
History of Political Thought
A joy to read . . . a return to an Augustine that Augustine himself would have recognized.
— Jason Byassee
"Gregory has shaped the parameters of future discussion and offers a compelling argument that must be taken seriously."
-- "Choice" (4/1/2009 12:00:00 AM)"Gregory's learning and authority range widely enough to include the complex ramifications of the thought of Augustine and at the same time the nuances of contemporary debate in political theory. This impressive book will shape and advance the dialogue of political philosophy in our time precisely because it is so well and calmly rooted in ancient learning."
--James J. O'Donnell, Georgetown University, author of Augustine: A New Biography " James J. O'Donnell""Eric Gregory is one of the best young thinkers in the field of Christian ethics, and this book shows remarkable erudition and scholarly judgment. I learned a ton from Politics and the Order of Love and am in Gregory's debt for the fairness with which he discusses those with whom he agrees but also those with whom he disagrees."
--Stanley Hauerwas, Duke University"Eric Gregory shows complete command of several immense scholarly literatures--on liberal citizenship, on religion and politics, and on Augustine--and he uses that mastery to make a compelling case for his own proposal of an Augustinian 'civic liberalism.' Most exciting for this reader are the potential alliances he teases out between putative rivals such as secular feminist 'ethics of care' theorists, prophetic religious figures such as Gustavo Gutierrez, Martin Luther King Jr., and Augustinian moralists, noting provocative consonances and potential affiliations between them. This is a work by which secular political thinkers of various stripes cannot help but be instructed, theologians of different traditions cannot help but be illuminated, and citizens--religious and otherwise--of liberal polities cannot help but be invigorated. Take and read!"
--Charles Mathewes, University of Virginia"In his learned proposal for a liberal politics of love, Eric Gregory draws heavily on the inspiration of Augustine of Hippo and shows us how liberalism can be both democratic and psychologically profound. His aim is not to liberalize Augustine but to use Augustine to free liberalism from its traditional fear of deep waters. Politics and the Order of Love is the most important book on Augustinian politics since Saeculum ."
--James Wetzel, Villanova University"Perhaps one book in three manages to advance a discussion significantly. Perhaps only one book in ten that discusses Augustine in relation to contemporary thought does justice to both its ancient and its modern concerns. Eric Gregory's book does both of these things. It is the kind of work that can arise only from living with the discussions for a long time and hearing every participant out. It will leave us all rethinking the way we ask our questions."
--Oliver O'Donovan, University of Edinburgh"We live in a golden age of Augustinian scholarship. Eric Gregory's book stands out as a glittering example of that scholarship at its most balanced, provocative, and erudite. Politics and the Order of Love is, quite simply, required reading."
--Jean Bethke Elshtain, University of Chicago
"This challenging and erudite book has much to offer both to those concerned with the relationship of Christianity to liberal democracy and those seeking to understand the Christian imperatives to love God and neighbor."
Interpretation - Christopher R. Helton
Eric Gregory shows complete command of several immense scholarly literatures—on liberal citizenship, on religion and politics, and on Augustine—and he uses that mastery to make a compelling case for his own proposal of an Augustinian ‘civic liberalism.’ Most exciting for this reader are the potential alliances he teases out between putative rivals such as secular feminist ‘ethics of care’ theorists, prophetic religious figures such as Gustavo Gutierrez, Martin Luther King Jr., and Augustinian moralists, noting provocative consonances and potential affiliations between them. This is a work by which secular political thinkers of various stripes cannot help but be instructed, theologians of different traditions cannot help but be illuminated, and citizens—religious and otherwise—of liberal polities cannot help but be invigorated. Take and read!”
". . . . Gregory offers an energizing contribution that is richly theological, philosophical, and sensitive to concrete reality by the very terms of his argument."
"Gregory's learning and authority range widely enough to include the complex ramifications of the thought of Augustine and at the same time the nuances of contemporary debate in political theory. This impressive book will shape and advance the dialogue of political philosophy in our time precisely because it is so well and calmly rooted in ancient learning."
Eric Gregory is one of the best young thinkers in the field of Christian ethics, and this book shows remarkable erudition and scholarly judgment. I learned a ton from Politics and the Order of Love and am in Gregory’s debt for the fairness with which he discusses those with whom he agrees but also those with whom he disagrees.”
Perhaps one book in three manages to advance a discussion significantly. Perhaps only one book in ten that discusses Augustine in relation to contemporary thought does justice to both its ancient and its modern concerns. Eric Gregory’s book does both of these things. It is the kind of work that can arise only from living with the discussions for a long time and hearing every participant out. It will leave us all rethinking the way we ask our questions.”
We live in a golden age of Augustinian scholarship. Eric Gregory's book stands out as a glittering example of that scholarship at its most balanced, provocative, and erudite. Politics and the Order of Love is, quite simply, required reading.”
"Liberals of all stripes, and even non-liberals, need to read this book."
Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
". . . . if non-religious political theorists have one chance to hear an Augustinian voice, it should be Eric Gregory’s. This is a major contribution to contemporary discussions in religion and politics…anyone interested in Christian theology’s engagement with public life ought to read it."
". . . . in the ranks of the most important studies in contemporary Augustinian political theology."
In his learned proposal for a liberal politics of love, Eric Gregory draws heavily on the inspiration of Augustine of Hippo and shows us how liberalism can be both democratic and psychologically profound. His aim is not to liberalize Augustine but to use Augustine to free liberalism from its traditional fear of deep waters. Politics and the Order of Love is the most important book on Augustinian politics since Saeculum .”
"This is a phenomenal piece of scholarship. . . . Gregory respects no disciplinary boundaries and draws deeply from a number of different wells. Understanding the giants of Christian thought requires no less. Also, his reading of Augustine is astute and promisingly embedded in larger theological themes. Let Gregory's work be a model for how to read great Christian thinkers on various topics, including politics and social theory."
History of Political Thought - Geoffrey C. Bowden
"A joy to read . . . a return to an Augustine that Augustine himself would have recognized."
Christian Century - Jason Byassee
