Theology and Public Philosophy

Edited by Kenneth L. Grasso and Cecilia Rodriguez Castillo - Contributions by Charles Taylor; Fred Dallmayr; William Schweiker; Nicholas Wolterstorff; J. Budziszewski; Jeanne Heffernan Schindler; Joshua Mitchell; Robin Lovin; Charles Mathewes; Jonathan Ch

This volume brings together eminent theologians, philosophers and political theorists to discuss such questions as how religious understandings have shaped the moral landscape of contemporary culture; the possible contributions of theology and theologically informed moral argument to contemporary public life; the problem of religious and moral discourse in a pluralistic society; and the proper relationship between religion and culture.

Introduction"Theology and the American Civil Conversation"Kenneth L. GrassoPart I: Religion, Morality, and Modernity's Discontents"The Perils of Moralism"Charles TaylorResponses"Ockham's Children: Nomolatry, Nominalism and Contemporary Moral Culture"Kenneth L. Grasso"Nomolatry and Fidelity"Fred Dallmayr"Moralism and Its Traps"William SchweikerPart II: Theology and the Foundations of Political Authority"'For the Authorities are God's Servants': Is a Theistic Account of Political Authority Still Viable Or Have Humanist Accounts Won the Day?"Nicholas WolterstorffResponses:"Two Theories, Not One"J. Budziszewski"On the Origin and Nature of Political Authority"Jeanne Heffernan Schindler"Is Consent a Theological Category?"Joshua MitchellPart III: Religion, Culture and Public Dialogue"Consensus and Commitment: Real People, Religious Reasons and Public Discourse"Robin LovinResponses:"Reframing the Conversation"Charles Mathewes"Why We Can Talk to Each Other"Jonathan Chaplin"Liberal Democracy: An Alternative to the Idolatry of the Nation State?"Michael L. BuddePart IV: The Problem of Pluralism"Moral Traditions"Jean PorterResponses:"Adjudicating Moral Inquiry: Scientific Reason and/or Dialogical Encounters"Eloise A. Buker"Alasdair MacIntyre: Closet Liberal"Christopher Beem"Taking the American Moral Tradition Seriously"Peter BerkowitzEpilogue:"Concluding Reflection"Jean Bethke Elshtain