Christianity and Freedom: Volume 1, Historical Perspectives

Leading historians uncover the unappreciated role of Christianity in the development of freedoms from antiquity through today.

Timothy Samuel Shah (Edited by), Allen D. Hertzke (Edited by)

9781107124585, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 April 2016

426 pages, 1 b/w illus.
23.4 x 15.7 x 2.6 cm, 0.71 kg

'A particular strength of this collection of essays is that none of the authors denies that Christians and Christian institutions have on many occasions violated the rightful freedoms of others. This frank acknowledgment, however, is accompanied by an argument that permeates many of the papers: that it was, for the most part, Christianity that provided the moral, theological, and cultural principles upon which Christians and others have drawn to condemn unjust coercion.' Samuel Samuel Gregg, The Public Discourse

In Volume 1 of Christianity and Freedom, leading historians uncover the unappreciated role of Christianity in the development of basic human rights and freedoms from antiquity through today. These include radical notions of dignity and equality, religious freedom, liberty of conscience, limited government, consent of the governed, economic liberty, autonomous civil society, and church-state separation, as well as more recent advances in democracy, human rights, and human development. Acknowledging that the record is mixed, scholars document how the seeds of freedom in Christianity antedate and ultimately undermine later Christian justifications and practices of persecution. Drawing from history, political science, and sociology, this volume will become a standard reference work for historians, political scientists, theologians, students, journalists, business leaders, opinion shapers, and policymakers.

Introduction. Christianity and freedom: ancient roots and historical innovations Timothy Samuel Shah
1. God and freedom: biblical roots of the Western idea of liberty Rémi Brague
2. Theological and secular arguments for religious freedom in early Christian thought Timothy Samuel Shah
3. The Christian roots of religious freedom Robert Louis Wilken
4. Lactantius on religious liberty and his influence on Constantine Elizabeth DePalma Digeser
5. Augustine and religious freedom John Rist
6. Christianity and the roots of human dignity in late antiquity Kyle Harper
7. Liberty of conscience and freedom of religion in the medieval canonists and theologians Ian Christopher Levy
8. Faith, liberty, and the defense of the poor: Bishop Las Casas in the history of human rights David M. Lantigua
9. Calvinist contributions to freedom in early modern Europe John Witte, Jr
10. Constitutional protection of the freedom of conscience in colonial America: the Rhode Island and Pennsylvania experiments David Little
11. Christianity and freedom in the American founding Matthew J. Franck
12. Vibrant Christian pluralism and the evolution and defense of religious liberty in America Judge Kenneth Winston Starr
13. Orthodox Christian contributions to freedom: historical foundations, contemporary problematics Elizabeth H. Prodromou
14. Christianity: a straggler on the road to liberty? Daniel Philpott
15. Protestant missionaries and the centrality of conversion attempts for the spread of education, printing, colonial reform, and political democracy Robert D. Woodberry.

Subject Areas: International human rights law [LBBR], Legal history [LAZ], Law & society [LAQ], Law [L], Christianity [HRC], History of religion [HRAX], Religion & beliefs [HR]