Classical and Protestant Liberalism

Classical and Protestant Liberalism
Author: Daniel Dei
Publisher: WestBow Press
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2021-05-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1664231781

Classical and Protestant Liberalism: Similarities and Differences compares classical liberalism with Protestant liberalism. The book discusses similarities and differences between the philosophical propositions of these two liberal strands. The central argument is that Protestant liberalism has incorporated some key elements of classical liberalism to redefine essential elements of the Christian faith to appeal to the contemporary individual’s sense. Protestant liberal version of Christianity sharply deviates from conventional Christianity. Classical liberal notions of natural rights, social contract, individualism, pluralism, secularization, and utilitarian perspective on ethics sustain this version of Christianity. Protestant liberals present essential aspects of Christianity to contemporary individuals through these classical liberal existential views. Protestant liberal views on the immanence of God; anthropocentrism; Jesus as an ethical example; evolutionary view of the Bible; philosophical optimism; salvation; the church as an instrument of social progress; the kingdom of God; religious authority; continuity; modernism; and reduction of Christianity to its unchanging essence reveal classical liberal influences.

Classical and Protestant Liberalism

Classical and Protestant Liberalism
Author: Daniel Dei
Publisher: WestBow Press
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2021-05-25
Genre:
ISBN: 9781664231795

Classical and Protestant Liberalism: Similarities and Differences compares classical liberalism with Protestant liberalism. The book discusses similarities and differences between the philosophical propositions of these two liberal strands. The central argument is that Protestant liberalism has incorporated some key elements of classical liberalism to redefine essential elements of the Christian faith to appeal to the contemporary individual's sense. Protestant liberal version of Christianity sharply deviates from conventional Christianity. Classical liberal notions of natural rights, social contract, individualism, pluralism, secularization, and utilitarian perspective on ethics sustain this version of Christianity. Protestant liberals present essential aspects of Christianity to contemporary individuals through these classical liberal existential views. Protestant liberal views on the immanence of God; anthropocentrism; Jesus as an ethical example; evolutionary view of the Bible; philosophical optimism; salvation; the church as an instrument of social progress; the kingdom of God; religious authority; continuity; modernism; and reduction of Christianity to its unchanging essence reveal classical liberal influences.

After Cloven Tongues of Fire

After Cloven Tongues of Fire
Author: David A. Hollinger
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2013-04-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 0691158428

The important role of liberal ecumenical Protestantism in American history The role of liberalized, ecumenical Protestantism in American history has too often been obscured by the more flamboyant and orthodox versions of the faith that oppose evolution, embrace narrow conceptions of family values, and continue to insist that the United States should be understood as a Christian nation. In this book, one of our preeminent scholars of American intellectual history examines how liberal Protestant thinkers struggled to embrace modernity, even at the cost of yielding much of the symbolic capital of Christianity to more conservative, evangelical communities of faith. If religion is not simply a private concern, but a potential basis for public policy and a national culture, does this mean that religious ideas can be subject to the same kind of robust public debate normally given to ideas about race, gender, and the economy? Or is there something special about religious ideas that invites a suspension of critical discussion? These essays, collected here for the first time, demonstrate that the critical discussion of religious ideas has been central to the process by which Protestantism has been liberalized throughout the history of the United States, and shed light on the complex relationship between religion and politics in contemporary American life. After Cloven Tongues of Fire brings together in one volume David Hollinger's most influential writings on ecumenical Protestantism. The book features an informative general introduction as well as concise introductions to each essay.

Reviving the Invisible Hand

Reviving the Invisible Hand
Author: Deepak Lal
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2010-12-16
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1400837448

Reviving the Invisible Hand is an uncompromising call for a global return to a classical liberal economic order, free of interference from governments and international organizations. Arguing for a revival of the invisible hand of free international trade and global capital, eminent economist Deepak Lal vigorously defends the view that statist attempts to ameliorate the impact of markets threaten global economic progress and stability. And in an unusual move, he not only defends globalization economically, but also answers the cultural and moral objections of antiglobalizers. Taking a broad cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach, Lal argues that there are two groups opposed to globalization: cultural nationalists who oppose not capitalism but Westernization, and "new dirigistes" who oppose not Westernization but capitalism. In response, Lal contends that capitalism doesn't have to lead to Westernization, as the examples of Japan, China, and India show, and that "new dirigiste" complaints have more to do with the demoralization of their societies than with the capitalist instruments of prosperity. Lal bases his case on a historical account of the rise of capitalism and globalization in the first two liberal international economic orders: the nineteenth-century British, and the post-World War II American. Arguing that the "new dirigisme" is the thin edge of a wedge that could return the world to excessive economic intervention by states and international organizations, Lal does not shrink from controversial stands such as advocating the abolishment of these organizations and defending the existence of child labor in the Third World.

The System of Liberty

The System of Liberty
Author: George H. Smith
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 237
Release: 2013-04-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1107005078

Liberal individualism, or "classical liberalism" as it is often called, refers to a political philosophy in which liberty plays the central role. This book demonstrates a conceptual unity within the manifestations of classical liberalism by tracing the history of several interrelated and reinforcing themes. Concepts such as order, justice, rights, and freedom have imparted unity to this diverse political ideology by integrating context and meaning. However, they have also sparked conflict, as classical liberals split on a number of issues, such as legitimate exceptions to the "presumption of liberty," the meaning of "the public good," natural rights versus utilitarianism, the role of the state in education, and the rights of resistance and revolution. This book explores these conflicts and their implications for contemporary liberal and libertarian thought.

Inventing the Individual

Inventing the Individual
Author: Larry Siedentop
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 443
Release: 2014-10-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 0674417534

Here, in a grand narrative spanning 1,800 years of European history, a distinguished political philosopher firmly rejects Western liberalism’s usual account of itself: its emergence in opposition to religion in the early modern era. Larry Siedentop argues instead that liberal thought is, in its underlying assumptions, the offspring of the Church. “It is a magnificent work of intellectual, psychological, and spiritual history. It is hard to decide which is more remarkable: the breadth of learning displayed on almost every page, the infectious enthusiasm that suffuses the whole book, the riveting originality of the central argument, or the emotional power and force with which it is deployed.” —David Marquand, New Republic “Larry Siedentop has written a philosophical history in the spirit of Voltaire, Condorcet, Hegel, and Guizot...At a time when we on the left need to be stirred from our dogmatic slumbers, Inventing the Individual is a reminder of some core values that are pretty widely shared.” —James Miller, The Nation “In this learned, subtle, enjoyable and digestible work [Siedentop] has offered back to us a proper version of ourselves. He has explained us to ourselves...[A] magisterial, timeless yet timely work.” —Douglas Murray, The Spectator “Like the best books, Inventing the Individual both teaches you something new and makes you want to argue with it.” —Kenan Malik, The Independent

The Jesus Quest

The Jesus Quest
Author: Ben Witherington III
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 340
Release: 1997-05-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780830815449

Ben Witherington III offers a comprehensive assessment of what scholars such as John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg, Burton Mack and the Jesus Seminar are really saying about Jesus.

Politics after Christendom

Politics after Christendom
Author: David VanDrunen
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2020-04-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310108853

For more than a millennium, beginning in the early Middle Ages, most Western Christians lived in societies that sought to be comprehensively Christian--ecclesiastically, economically, legally, and politically. That is to say, most Western Christians lived in Christendom. But in a gradual process beginning a few hundred years ago, Christendom weakened and finally crumbled. Today, most Christians in the world live in pluralistic political communities. And Christians themselves have very different opinions about what to make of the demise of Christendom and how to understand their status and responsibilities in a post-Christendom world. Politics After Christendom argues that Scripture leaves Christians well-equipped for living in a world such as this. Scripture gives no indication that Christians should strive to establish some version of Christendom. Instead, it prepares them to live in societies that are indifferent or hostile to Christianity, societies in which believers must live faithful lives as sojourners and exiles. Politics After Christendom explains what Scripture teaches about political community and about Christians' responsibilities within their own communities. As it pursues this task, Politics After Christendom makes use of several important theological ideas that Christian thinkers have developed over the centuries. These ideas include Augustine's Two-Cities concept, the Reformation Two-Kingdoms category, natural law, and a theology of the biblical covenants. Politics After Christendom brings these ideas together in a distinctive way to present a model for Christian political engagement. In doing so, it interacts with many important thinkers, including older theologians (e.g., Augustine, Aquinas, and Calvin), recent secular political theorists (e.g., Rawls, Hayek, and Dworkin), contemporary political-theologians (e.g., Hauerwas, O'Donovan, and Wolterstorff), and contemporary Christian cultural commentators (e.g., MacIntyre, Hunter, and Dreher). Part 1 presents a political theology through a careful study of the biblical story, giving special attention to the covenants God has established with his creation and how these covenants inform a proper view of political community. Part 1 argues that civil governments are legitimate but penultimate, and common but not neutral. It concludes that Christians should understand themselves as sojourners and exiles in their political communities. They ought to pursue justice, peace, and excellence in these communities, but remember that these communities are temporary and thus not confuse them with the everlasting kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christians' ultimate citizenship is in this new-creation kingdom. Part 2 reflects on how the political theology developed in Part 1 provides Christians with a framework for thinking about perennial issues of political and legal theory. Part 2 does not set out a detailed public policy or promote a particular political ideology. Rather, it suggests how Christians might think about important social issues in a wise and theologically sound way, so that they might be better equipped to respond well to the specific controversies they face today. These issues include race, religious liberty, family, economics, justice, rights, authority, and civil resistance. After considering these matters, Part 2 concludes by reflecting on the classical liberal and conservative traditions, as well as recent challenges to them by nationalist and progressivist movements.