"This book makes a very ambitious proposal. The proposal is that Catholic social thought can contribute significantly to revivifying the American experiment in liberal democracy. That there is a need, and urgent need, for such a revival is today widely recognized by thinkers across the political and philosophical spectrum. Some of the essays here are polemical and others apologetic, but the book taken all in all is a proposal. As such, it must make its case sometimes in conversation with and sometimes against other proposals that are advanced in the public square of democratic discourse." [Foreword].

This vigorous debate between two distinguished philosophers presents two views on a topic of worldwide importance: the role of religion in politics. Audi argues that citizens in a free democracy should distinguish religious and secular considerations and give them separate though related roles. Wolterstorff argues that religious elements are both appropriate in politics and indispensable to the vitality of a pluralistic democracy. Each philosopher first states his position in detail, then responds to and criticizes the opposing viewpoint. Written with engaging clarity, Religion in the Public Square will spur discussion among scholars, students, and citizens.

In recent decades, the Netherlands and Flanders have faced challenges in how to deal with a multicultural society. As far as worldviews are concerned, the question arises whether the state should guarantee a maximum level of choice concerning religion and humanism to individuals or leave a free space to the religious and humanist communities. This study explores in how far committed Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and humanist youth agree with different models of the relationship between worldviews and the state against the backdrop of their religious and humanist beliefs, as well as social determinants. It does so by drawing on quantitative and qualitative empirical research. The analyses show that, overall, most religious and humanist youth prefer the state to guarantee a maximum level of choice to individuals, but also want the state to respect a substantial free space for communities. Above all, they want the state to treat worldviews equally before the law. Their religious and humanist beliefs are the most significant determinants. Jeroen Jans (*1990) works at the Diocese of Hasselt and is a visiting researcher at Radboud University. He performed his doctoral research at the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies.

Sheed & Ward proudly presents the first of two volumes in a groundbreaking series called American Catholics in the Public Square. The result of a three-year study sponsored by Pew aimed at understanding the contributions to U.S. civic life of the Catholic, Jewish, mainline and evangelical Protestant, African-American, Latino, and Muslim communities in the United States, the two volumes in this series gather selected essays from the Commonweal Colloquia and the joint meetings organized by the Commonweal Foundation and The Faith and Reason Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington.

Offers a Christian proposal for radical social transformation. / Daniel Izuzquiza here proposes a vibrant interdisciplinary theology from the unique perspective of the "least of these" the poor and extends an invitation to mystical, political, and ecclesial engagement. / In Rooted in Jesus Christ Izuzquiza analyzes the language of theology, the role of social sciences, the transformation of culture, and the church s approach to politics. To that end he dialogues with some of the main theological proposals of the late twentieth century, from Latin American liberation theology to radical theology in the English-speaking world to European political theology. He also offers a more systematic development of radical ecclesiology, analyzing the sources of the proposal as alternative Christian practices. The result is a groundbreaking call to action and change for the entire church. / In this groundbreaking book Daniel Izuzquiza offers a vibrant Christian proposal for radical social transformation. His wide-ranging study explores the relationship between church and society by dialoguing critically and constructively with major theological currents of our day. Izuzquiza s interdisciplinary theology from the perspective of the poor is truly radical at once in a political, ecclesial, and mystical sense. / We need a way forward beyond our well-worn and tired debates. Daniel Izuzquiza offers just that. His splendid book engages and assesses postliberalism, radical orthodoxy, Anabaptist witness, liberation theology, and the role of the Jesuits in Christianity in order to show the need for a radical ecclesiology that is unapologetically Christocentric, socially attuned, and ecumenically generous. For anyone not invested in the current structures of power in the church, university, or nation-state, this book offers wisdom. For those of us so invested, this book shows a viable alternative preserving the good and challenging the rest. We should all pay attention. D. Stephen Long / author of Speaking of God: Theology, Language, and Truth / I am happy to recommend Daniel Izuzquiza s Rooted in Jesus Christ: Toward a Radical Ecclesiology to serious readers in the English-speaking world who may have dared to wonder if the traditional church of our time is what Jesus really had in mind. And if not, what might a church rooted in the Christ of the Incarnation look like? . . . Rather than superficially inspiring his readers, Izuzquiza brings us face-to-face with what the body of Christ could be by responding more fully to the truly amazing grace of God that has come to us in Jesus of Nazareth. Traditional Catholics and conservative Protestants alike as well as revolutionaries and political activists for that matter will be confronted and challenged here. . . . And, rather than concerning ourselves so exclusively with tactics and strategies, Izuzquiza reminds us of the importance of simply being the church, radically rooted in Jesus Christ. John Driver / author of Radical Faith: An Alternative History of the Christian Church

In Faithful Reason, noted philosopher John Haldane lays out his thoughts on Christianity in daily life.

This introductory book to Catholic social teaching covers not only the official documents and encyclicals but also gives a sense of the movements and people who embodied the struggle for social justice in the last 100 years.

In the early 1880s, proponents of what came to be called “the social gospel” founded what is now known as social ethics. This ambitious and magisterial book describes the tradition of social ethics: one that began with the distinctly modern idea that Christianity has a social-ethical mission to transform the structures of society in the direction of social justice. Charts the story of social ethics - the idea that Christianity has a social-ethical mission to transform society - from its roots in the nineteenth century through to the present day Discusses and analyzes how different traditions of social ethics evolved in the realms of the academy, church, and general public Looks at the wide variety of individuals who have been prominent exponents of social ethics from academics and self-styled “public intellectuals” through to pastors and activists Set to become the definitive reference guide to the history and development of social ethics Recipient of a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title for 2009 award

Drawing on corpus linguistic methods of analysis, this book critically examines the "rhetorical God gap" in American political discourse between the Democratic and Republican parties. The volume investigates the claims (which have often not been substantiated by quantitative data in the literature and have tended to focus on particular genres of political discourse) that there is a correlation between a higher degree of religiosity in Republican political discourse and voting preferences for the party and that Democratic politicians should engage in similar discourse toward "closing" the gap. The book adopts a keyword approach, using such techniques as collocation analyses, concordance reading, and Bible-specific N-gram identification, toward the study of a corpus of general campaign speeches over a 50-year period, and links findings from this data with social and cultural contextual factors to provide a more informed understanding of rhetorical patterns in religiously laden political language. The volume showcases the value of corpus linguistic methods in interrogating claims around political language and their broader applicability in linguistic research, making this key reading for students and scholars in corpus linguistics, critical discourse analysis, American politics, and religious studies.

This is a long overdue analysis of Yves R. Simon's profound contribution to the theory and practice of democracy. Prominent scholar Vukan Kuic, who has edited several of Simon's posthumous volumes, analyzes Simon's treatment of the functions of government, his theories of democratic liberty and equality, and his concerns about the problems that modern technology presents for democracy.