Evangelicals in the Public Square: Four Formative Voices on Political Thought and Action
Publisher: Baker Book House
Author: Budziszewski, J.
ISBN-10: 0801031567 | ISBN-13: 9780801031564
Binding: Paperback
List Price: $24.00
Westminster Bookstore: $21.60
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Staff Review: Evangelicals in the Public Square makes available papers presented at a September 2003 conference sponsored by the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Since then, political events have only heightened the need for a discussion of evangelical political engagement. The bulk of the volume consists of Budziszewski's review of the political thought of four influential 20th-century evangelical thinkers interwoven with his argument for a comprehensive evangelical political philosophy embracing the tradition of natural law. Following Budziszewski's assessment, scholars sympathetic to each thinker respond, such as William Edgar, professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary, discussing the political thought of Francis Schaeffer.
While Budziszewski's argument for natural law may prove unsatisfying, Evangelicals in the Public Square excels as a sustained reflection on evangelical political thought. As several contributors note, evangelical political philosophy would be well-bolstered by a more robust theology of creation together with "common grace" political speech. For Reformed readers, Professor Edgar's discussion of Schaeffer may be worth the purchase price. Plus, Jean Bethke Elshtain's thoughtful, "non-evangelical" afterword provides the literary equivalent of a refreshing after-dinner mint. - Matthew Harmon, Westminster Bookstore Staff, July 2006
Publisher Description: While history shows that evangelical political engagement in America has been consistent, its impact has been checkered. This new work offers a brief history of evangelical political thought over the past fifty years and assesses recent evangelical forays into politics.
J. Budziszewski examines the theological, political, and ethical reflections of four key figures--Carl F. H. Henry, Abraham Kuyper, Francis Schaeffer, and John Howard Yoder--to whom today's evangelical political perspectives can be traced. While appreciative of the contributions of each of these thinkers, Budziszewski feels each failed to develop a systematic political theory as compelling as those offered by the secularist establishment. He then offers his recommendations for the evangelical political movement, arguing that, in addition to Scripture, the evangelical political movement should be informed by the tradition of natural law.
Summary chapters from four expert respondents follow: David L. Weeks (Azusa Pacific University) responds on Henry, John Bolt (Calvin Seminary) comments on Kuyper, William Edgar (Westminster Theological Seminary) responds to the Schaeffer section, and Ashley Woodiwiss (Wheaton College) offers remarks on the Yoder portion. The book includes an introduction by Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and an afterword by Jean Bethke Elshtain, who summarizes the dialogue and offers her own keen observations. |
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