In Pursuit of Justice: Christian-Democratic Explorations

(Paperback)

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This is a series of eight essays on diverse public policy concerns that asks the questions: what does racial justice, or environmental protection, or family policy look like when approached from a Christian-democratic perspective And what about the civil-society questions of welfare, education, and political participation The author, James W. Skillen, argues that the roots of a Christian-democratic approach are neither liberal nor conservative, but pluralistic, opening the way to a healthy regard for both social complexity and government's responsibility to uphold political community.

Reviews

This is a timely book about the relation of theory to practice and of Christian faith to politics. Its author first crafts a case for a Christian-democratic understanding of person, polity, and justice, and then explores possible implications of this worldview for various U.S. policy issues. The book is brief but thought provoking, written in clear and engaging prose and surveying an impressive range of scholarly literature. Among the chief merits of In Pursuit of Justice are its interdisciplinary character and its breadth. The arguments advanced should interest practitioners of many fields within political science, including political theory, American politics, policy studies, constitutional law, and religion and politics. -- Mary M. Keys, University of Notre Dame * Perspectives on Politics *
...Although one might quibble with Skillen on specifics - for example, on which forms of educational choice or PR to adopt - overall his emphasis on government's role in protecting the commons, as well as the diverse nongovernmental responsibilities properly belonging to God's image-bearers, is one that is sorely needed in a North American society caught between polarizing approaches of individualism and statism. -- David T. Koyzis * Christian Social Thought *

Author Bio

James W. Skillen is the president of The Center for Public Justice, an Annapolis, Maryland-based independent civic education and policy research organization that grounds its research, publications, training, and advocacy in a comprehensive Christian political perspective.