The Emphatic Christian Center: Reforming Christian Political Practice

360 pages. There is no evidence that politics can be healthy over the long term without being connected to realms beyond politics, i.e., without placing political life in a framework of ultimacy,? write theological ethicists Kyle A. Pasewark and Garrett Paul. What is required is a recovery of emphatic centralism in public di scourse and praxis that is found neither in the extremes of the Right or Left, o r even somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Rather, what is required is an e thic that is centered, or grounded, in a body of thought, commitments, and value s that define human relations, culture, and institutions in a way that allows fo r effective political practice. For Christians, a particular Christian political practice is advocated that is rooted in an emphatic Christian centralism, a bod y of reflection and action that takes the language and realities of sin, love, a nd power seriously, and employs them as criteria for reforming political practic e. Sure to prompt reflection and critique from traditional conservatives and lib erals, both religious and secular, The Emphatic Christian Center also offers a c ontemporary political agenda based on these principles that addresses the pressi ng and interrelated problems of poverty, the family, sexual violence, and the en vironmental crisis.…