Prophecy without Contempt: Religious Discourse in the Public Square - Hardcover

Kaveny, Cathleen

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9780674495036: Prophecy without Contempt: Religious Discourse in the Public Square
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0674495039 ISBN 13: 9780674495036
Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2016

Synopsis

American culture warriors have plenty to argue about, but battles over such issues as abortion and torture have as much to do with rhetorical style as moral substance. Cathleen Kaveny reframes the debate about religion in the public square by focusing on a powerful stream of religious discourse in American political speech: the Biblical rhetoric of prophetic indictment.

Throughout American history, reformers of all political persuasions and for all manner of causes―abolitionists, defenders of slavery, prohibitionists, and civil rights leaders―have echoed the thundering condemnations of the Hebrew prophets in decrying what they see as social evils. Rooted in the denunciations of Puritan sermons, prophetic rhetoric has evolved to match the politics of an increasingly pluralistic society. To employ prophetic indictment in political speech is to claim to speak from a position of unassailable authority―whether God, reason, or common sense―in order to accuse opponents of violating a fundamental law.

The fiery rhetoric of prophetic indictment operates very differently from the cooler language of practical deliberation and policy analysis. Kaveny contends that prophetic indictment is a form of “moral chemotherapy”: it can be strong medicine against moral cancers threatening the body politic, but administered injudiciously, it can do more harm than good. Kaveny draws upon a wide array of sources to develop criteria for the constructive use of prophetic indictment. In modern times, Martin Luther King Jr. exemplifies the use of prophetic rhetoric to facilitate reform and reconciliation rather than revenge.

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About the Author

Cathleen Kaveny is Darald and Juliet Libby Professor of Law and Theology at Boston College.

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Publisher
Harvard University Press
Publication date
2016
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0674495039
ISBN 13 
9780674495036
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
464
Rating
  • 3.92 out of 5 stars
    13 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780674986879: Prophecy without Contempt: Religious Discourse in the Public Square

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  0674986873 ISBN 13:  9780674986879
Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2018
Softcover