The Classical and Christian Origins of American Politics Book contents
- The Classical and Christian Origins of American Politics
- The Classical and Christian Origins of American Politics
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 God and Nature’s Law in the Pamphlet Debates
- 3 Thomas Jefferson, Nature’s God, and the Theological Foundations of Natural-Rights Republicanism
- 4 Reason, Revelation, and Revolution
- 5 Providence and Natural Law in the War for Independence
- 6 Reason, Will, and Popular Sovereignty
- 7 The Law of Nature in James Wilson’s Lectures on Law
- 8 Conclusion
- Index
8 - Conclusion
Classical Christian Natural Law and the American Political Order
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 December 2022
- The Classical and Christian Origins of American Politics
- The Classical and Christian Origins of American Politics
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 God and Nature’s Law in the Pamphlet Debates
- 3 Thomas Jefferson, Nature’s God, and the Theological Foundations of Natural-Rights Republicanism
- 4 Reason, Revelation, and Revolution
- 5 Providence and Natural Law in the War for Independence
- 6 Reason, Will, and Popular Sovereignty
- 7 The Law of Nature in James Wilson’s Lectures on Law
- 8 Conclusion
- Index
Summary
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the public political theology of the founding faces fundamental ideological challenges. Progressive politics is marked by a pre-Christian paganism that sees divinity as imanent in the world while conservative politics is increasingly influenced by resurgent forms of Christian, and particularly Catholic, integralism, which seeks to reintegrate elements of spiritual and temporal authority that were separated in the modern era. We consider what relevance the classical Christian natural-law tradition has as we consider the legacy of the American founding today.
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- The Classical and Christian Origins of American PoliticsPolitical Theology, Natural Law, and the American Founding, pp. 210 - 238Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022