Christianity and the Nation-State
A Study in Political Theology

A theological affirmation of liberalism that critiques state authority, proposes an alternative, and offers suggestions for life under state rule.

Gary Chartier (Author)

9781009344593, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 July 2023

325 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm, 0.608 kg

'Christianity and the Nation-State offers a formidable challenge to the idea of the state itself and forces readers to confront an enduring and alluring temptation, namely, to try to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God by seizing political power. Gary Chartier gives us reasons to resist.' Art Carden, Professor of Economics, Samford University

In Christianity and the Nation-State, Gary Chartier provocatively offers readers unexpected critical distance from some familiar ways of understanding, justifying, and navigating existing political arrangements. People in multiple societies are posing important questions about the authority and functions of the contemporary nation-state and about potential alternatives to this seemingly inescapable institution. Chartier seeks to develop a distinctive theological response to the conditions prompting these questions. Affirming liberalism and cosmopolitanism, he reflects critically on nationalism, localism, religious establishment, and theological accounts of political authority. He highlights links between sin and state power and underscores deficiencies in democratic rhetoric and theory. He rejects the idea of a global government, advocating a nonterritorial alternative he labels 'radical consociationalism. Moreover, he presents concrete suggestions for life under the rule of the state.

Introduction
1. Created diversity
2. State authority
3. Social order
4. Engaging states
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Theology [HRLB]