​The Teachings of Modern Orthodox Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature

Coeditor, The Teachings of Modern Orthodox Christianity on Law, Politics and Human Nature (New York/London: Columbia University Press, 2007) (with Frank S. Alexander)
Description

The Teachings of Modern Orthodox Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature examines how modern Orthodox Christian thinkers have answered the most pressing political, legal, and ethical questions of our time. It discusses the enduring teachings of important Orthodox Christian intellectuals of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Leading contemporary scholars analyze these thinkers' views on the nature and purpose of law and authority, the limits of rule and obedience, the care of the needy and innocent, the ethics of war and violence, and the separation of church and state, among other themes. A diverse and powerful portrait of Orthodox Christian legal and political thought, this volume underscores the various ways Orthodox Christian intellectuals have shaped modern debates over the family, the state, religion, and society. The book concentrates on Russian philosophers Vladimir Soloviev (1853-1900) and Vladimir Lossky (1903-1958); Russian theologian Nicholas Berdyaev (1874-1948); Russian nun and social reformer Mother Maria Skobtsova (1891-1945); and Romanian theologian Dumitru Staniloae (1903-1993).
Table of Contents

  • Introduction, John Witte, Jr. 
  • Introduction to Modern Orthodoxy, Paul Valliere, Butler University                                                      
  • Vladimir Soloviev (1853-1900), Paul Valliere                                                        
  • Nikolai Berdyaev (1874-1948), Vigen Guroian, Loyola College, Baltimore     
  • Vladimir Nikolaievich Lossky (1903-1958), Mikhail Kulakov, Christ Church, Oxford
  • Mother Maria Skobtsova (1891-1945), Michael Plekon, Baruch College, CUNY
  • Dumitru Stăniloae (1903-1993), Lucian Turcescu, St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia
Reviews

"Rarely have the riches of modern theology and theological anthropology been so incisively analyzed for their insights into the fundamentals of our modern political condition."
-- Jean Bethke Elshtain, University of Chicago

"Crisp, informative, even-handed, and, above all, interesting. It is a joy to learn what riches there are in modern times in the major Christian traditions."
-- Robert N. Bellah, University of California, Berkeley

"A useful resource and a powerful inspiration."
-- Rebecca S. Chopp, President, Colgate University; Former President, American Academy of Religion

"Extraordinary and exciting book, which deserves a wide audience."
-- Adam A.J. DeVille, Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies
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“These essays and excerpts address an extraordinary range of essential theological and political concerns.”
-- Choice

“Liberating and dangerous stuff.”
-- John E. Coons, University of California, Berkeley