The Emphatic Christian Center: Reforming Christian Political Practice

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 discourse and praxis that is found neither in the extremes of the Right or Left, or even somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Rather, what is required is an ethic that is centered, or grounded, in a body of thought, commitments, and values that define human relations, culture, and institutions in a way that allows for effective political practice. For Christians, a particular Christian political practice is advocated that is rooted in an emphatic Christian centralism, a body of reflection and action that takes the language and realities of sin, love, and power seriously, and employs them as criteria for reforming political practice. Sure to prompt reflection and critique from traditional conservatives and liberals, both religious and secular, The Emphatic Christian Center also offers a contemporary political agenda based on these principles that addresses the pressing and interrelated problems of poverty, the family, sexual violence, and the environmental crisis.