Related Papers
Journal of International Relations and Development
Introduction: Political Theologies of the International: The Continued Relevance of Theology in International Relations
2019 •
Vassilios Paipais
This contribution is an introduction to the special issue ‘Political Theologies of the International’ pointing to the continued relevance of theology in International Relations
Doctoral Dissertation
Political Theology and Social Hope
2017 •
John-Mark Hart
This dissertation intervenes in political theology to offer a constructive and wide-ranging theological proposal for Christian cultural engagement and peacemaking in the context of the globalization, perpetual violence, widespread economic inequity, and religious pluralism that characterize geopolitics in the twenty-first century. Drawing upon the biblical concept of shalom, it argues that the church’s peacemaking vocation involves not only mediating conflict, but also pursuing human flourishing at the local, national, and international levels. The dissertation engages with influential classic and contemporary texts of Christian theology as well as the work of leading secular cultural theorists in order to reassess the meaning of three major concepts—evil, justice, and love—that are central for any coherent vision of Christian political praxis. Building upon this analysis, it advocates for the spiritual disciplines of lament and “prophetic imagination,” whereby the church learns to name the world’s evils while also cultivating new visions of human flourishing that can guide and sustain social action. In order to flesh out the principles and tactics of the church’s peacemaking mission, the dissertation also analyzes the thought and action of exemplary modern peace activists, notably Martin Luther King Jr., John M. Perkins, Desmond Tutu, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The central argument is that the church is called to resist evil and cultivate shalom in the present world order through counter-cultural love, which is expressed by (1) radical practices of reconciliation across demographic barriers, (2) assets-based development strategies aimed at promoting comprehensive flourishing in under-resourced communities, and (3) nonviolent direct action that challenges injustice at the structural level while promoting a biblically-rooted vision of human solidarity.
Journal of Law and Religion
CIVIL GOVERNMENT AND THE NATIONS - Politics after Christendom: Political Theology in a Fractured World. By David VanDrunen. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2020. Pp. 400. $29.99 (paper); $19.99 (digital). ISBN: 9780310108849
2021 •
Nicholas Aroney
Adopting a human rights based approach to international Christian development
Dr Stanley Arumugam
It is only in the past decade that religion has been recognised as critical to ensuring sustainable international development efforts. This is due in large part to the failure of the dominant development paradigm of Western secularism in the global South. This article focuses on the significant historical contribution of evangelical Christianity in international development and explores some of the ideological tensions that challenge partnership with secular organisations. The resulting separate and parallel efforts of evangelical Christianity and the international non-governmental organisations (INGO) sector are costly and counter-productive in serving the poor. Recently, many INGOs have adopted the human rights-based approach underpinned by its commitment to social justice and solidarity with the poor – values also central to the Bible. It will be argued that this shared approach could provide the necessary bridge to facilitate deeper engagement in the form of social action between secular development actors and evangelicals. The critical role of evangelical Christianity in addressing poverty as a human rights issue in South Africa is also dealt with briefly.
Routledge Handbook on Historical International Relations
Political Theology and Historical International Relations
Choice Reviews Online
Against the grain: Christianity and democracy, war and peace
2008 •
George Weigel
Theology and World Politics Metaphysics, Genealogies, Political Theologies Editors: Paipais, Vassilios (Ed.)
The Nation, the Nations, and the Third Nation: The Political Essence of Early Christianity
2020 •
Gyorgy (George) Gereby
Christianity has been from its very beginning a missionary religion. Its role on the “international” level arises from its original universal calling articulated in the gospels: “make disciples of all the nations.” (Mt 28:19) The object of the mission is the conversion of the nations. This mandate arises not from some kind of “colonialism,” added later to the original kerygma, and neither is it individual spirituality. The Christian idea of nationhood differs from modern concepts since it relies on the Biblical history of humanity conceived as a history of salvation, lasting from the creation to the end of times. The central role of nationhood emerges as a key theological concept, which is tied to the Biblical events of Babel and Pentecost. The kingdom of God is anticipated (but not yet realised) by the idea of the church, as a “third nation” over the “two nations”, the Jews and the Gentiles into the new nation of God. The reconstruction of these central concepts shows remarkable co...
The Kenarchy Journal
Towards a political theology of nations
2022 •
Roger Haydon Mitchell
This paper distinguishes between an apocalyptic and a messianic perspective on the theology of nations. With reference to the gospel emphasis on Jesus' peripatetic strategy of opening the land to the nations, it proposes that the fullness of expression of a nation manifests when tribes, tongues, and people come together in all their unique variety and chronological history in relationship with a particular geography and pursue a politics of love. It suggests that this is the work of the kingdom of
International Theory
A neo-Weberian approach to religion in international politics
2009 •
Cecelia Lynch
Current approaches for understanding and analyzing religion in international politics insufficiently incorporate the role of ethics in the practices of religious actors. Primordialist approaches essentialize religion, instrumental approaches consider it to be an epiphenomenon, and cosmopolitan approaches a priori downgrade alternative ethical constructs as insufficiently universalist. An approach to religion that begins with a constitutive understanding of religious belief and economic, social, and political practice as outlined in Weber’s Sociology of Religion, is more helpful. However, because Weber’s method insufficiently addresses ethical intentionality, the ‘neo-Weberian’ approach I advance here incorporates the concepts of ‘common good’ and ‘popular casuistry’ into socio-historical contextualization. This approach provides a way to understand and theorize how religious adherents connect religious guidelines to moral action that avoids the essentialization of religion which is ...
Journal of Global History
Editorial – the theory and practice of ecumenism: Christian global governance and the search for world order, 1900–80
Elisabeth Engel
