Church, State and Civil Society

This book reassesses church-state relations in the US and UK, particularly the First Amendment and Anglican disestablishment.

David Fergusson (Author)

9780521822398, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 2 December 2004

222 pages
21.6 x 14 x 1.6 cm, 0.43 kg

'… an elegant, accessible and measured discussion about the potential role of the church in contributing to cicil society in the twenty-first century. The writing is scholarly, marked by precision, based on a deep and smoothly assimilated knowledge of church history, and displaying an ironic and ecumenical spirit. Undergraduates and intelligent members of the public, as well as more advanced students and specialists in the field of religion and politics, will find much of interest to reflect upon here. … offers guidance for Christians who seek ways to combine fidelity in their discipleship with a critical and creative engagement as citizens; it shows them they can be confident and constructive in this double task. It also offers reassurance to those outside of religious faith that efforts to influence society by religious groups do not constitute a front for, nor need lead inevitably to, theocratic intrusion, unwarranted interference of the defence of narrowly sectarian interests.' The Heythrop Journal

At a time when secular liberalism is in crisis and when the civic contribution of religion is being re-assessed, the rich tradition of Christian political theology demands renewed attention. This book, based on the 2001 Bampton Lectures, explores the relationship of the church both to the state and civil institutions. Arguing that theological approaches to the state were often situated within the context of Christendom and are therefore outmoded, the author claims that a more differentiated approach can be developed by attention to the concept of civil society. The book offers a critical assessment of the effect of the First Amendment in the USA and, in a concluding chapter, it defends the case for continuing disestablishment in England and Scotland.

1. The politics of scripture
2. Church and state: theological traditions
3. Crises of liberalism
4. The Theological case for toleration
5. Moral formation: the church's contribution
6. Modern social theology: Barmen and Vatican II
7. Church and nation
8. In the twilight of establishment.

Subject Areas: Christian theology [HRCM], Social & political philosophy [HPS]