A Christian Perspective on Political Thought

by Mott, Stephen Charles

• ISBN13: 9780195071214
• ISBN10: 0195071212
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1993-05-27
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Arguing that Americans make political choices in terms of a general notion of right and wrong, yet lack a sound, objective foundation for such values, evangelical scholar Stephen Mott formulates a Christian political theory that supplies such norms. Drawing on theological and biblical sources, Mott thoroughly develops the biblical and theological foundations for politics and political evaluation. Mott proposes that political philosophies should be evaluated in light of Christian theological and ethical values--specifically the understanding of power, human nature, the nature of group life, justice and love, government, and time. He then applies this critical framework in an evaluation of political ideologies, including traditional conservatism, liberalism, democracy, laissez-faire conservatism, Marxist socialism, and democratic socialism. He gives special attention to their classical exponents and ideas. Asserting that political visions ultimately depend on cultural values that themselves require vigorous religious faith in a particular society, Mott's study offers a valuable introduction to Christian political thought as well as an illuminating look at the connection between politics and religion.

Author Biography

Stephen Charles Mott is Professor of Christian Social Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 3
Focusing Theologically
The Goodness and Corruption of Power	p. 13
Doing Human Nature Justice	p. 26
Groups in Society: Danger and Deliverance	p. 42
To Seek and to Distrust Government	p. 58
The Challenge of Biblical Justice	p. 74
Love Is Not All You Need	p. 89
The Politics of Time	p. 97
Observing the Visions
The Grace of the Common Life: Traditional Conservatism	p. 115
Flourish in Freedom: Liberalism	p. 131
A Space in the Public Place: Democracy	p. 150
Prosperity Through Unfettered Competition: Laissez-Faire Conservatism	p. 162
Unfolding the Possibilities of Humanness: Marxist Socialism	p. 183
Participatory Ideals Encountering Human Nature: Socialism	p. 198
Epilogue: Are We Better Prepared?	p. 219
Notes	p. 229
Bibliography	p. 301
Name Index	p. 327
Subject Index	p. 335
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.