Church, State and Public Justice: Five Views

Abortion. Physician-assisted suicide. Same-sex marriages. Embryonic stem-cell research. Poverty. Crime. What is a faithful Christian response?

The God of the Bible is unquestionably a God of justice. Yet Christians have hadtheir differences as to how human government and the church should bring about a just social order. Although Christians share many deep and significant theological convictions, differences that threaten to divide them have often surrounded the matterof how the church collectively and Christians individually ought to engage the public square. What is the mission of the church? What is the purpose of human government? How ought they to be related to each other? How should social injustice be redressed?

The five noted contributors to this Spectrum volume answer these questions from within their distinctive Christian theological traditions, as well as responding to the other four positions. Through the presentations and ensuing dialoguewe come to see more clearly what the differences are, where their positions overlap and why they diverge. The contributors and the positions taken include

• Clarke E. Cochran: A Catholic Perspective
• Derek H. Davis: A Classical Separation Perspective
• Ronald J. Sider: An Anabaptist Perspective
• Corwin F. Smidt: A Principled Pluralist Perspective
• J. Philip Wogaman: A Social Justice Perspective

This book will be instructive for anyone seeking to grasp the major Christian alternatives and desiring to pursue a faithful corporate and individual response to the social issues that face us.

Spectrum Multiview Books offer a range of viewpoints on contested topics within Christianity, giving contributors the opportunity to present their position and also respond to others in this dynamic publishing format.

Clarke E. Cochran is a professor of political science at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas. At Texas Tech, he teaches courses in political philosophy, religion and politics, and public policy. Cochran is very active in his community and serves on the Board of Directors of Covenant Health System, Lubbock, Texas. He has received numerous honors, including the Best Teacher Award from Pi Sigma Alpha, the AMOCO Foundation Distinguished Teaching Award, and others.

Davis is director of the J. M. Dawson Insitute of Church-State Studies at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Smidt is professor of political science and director of the Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Ronald J. Sider is the founder of Evangelicals for Social Action, which publishes Prism magazine. He is also professor of theology, holistic ministry and public policy at Palmer Theological Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. He is the author of many books, including Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger and Just Generosity.

P. C. Kemeny (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary; Th.M., Duke University; M.Div., Westminster Seminary) is professor of religion and humanities at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Princeton in the Nation's Service: Religious Ideals and Educational Practice, 1868-1928 (Oxford University Press).