Christopher J. Insole

Between Kin and Cosmopolis

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“Biggar writes with the full command of a capacious and prudential theological tradition, without ever being obscure, jargonistic, or dry. He is never afraid of strong judgements, but also never fails to give all his reasoning respectfully. The result is a forceful, well-paced text that commands attention and respect.”

Liturgy, Theurgy, and Active Participation

Theology

“This is a striking, important, and original book. It makes the case that the liturgy is a divine work and not a human action. ‘Participation’ in the liturgy should be construed as a participation in the divine work, rather than in a more sociological and congregational sense of ‘being practically involved.’ This leads to an understanding of metaphysics as the original source of practices. The thesis of the book is bold and distinctive and is presented with great clarity and charity.”

Speak Thus

Philosophy

“"Hovey's finely crafted collection of essays --both persuasive and contentious--manages to combine great clarity with nuance. Apparently opposed positions are exposed as sharing common presuppositions, with Hovey frequently being able to provide an alternative positive conception or perspective. In an un-showy but impressive way, Hovey's writing is richly informed by the tradition and practices to which he is committed. The voice that emerges is passionate, urgent and wry.”

The Ways of Judgement

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“The Ways of Judgment is political theology as it used to be done, and as it should not be attempted at home. In a no-nonsense way, we are simply told what certain concepts mean, and instructed in what the proper shape of political order ought to be. All this without extensive qualification, justification, commentary on the literature, or academic caution. . . It is meant as a high compliment to say that The Ways of Judgment is a deeply and astonishingly unfashionable book. . . A glory of this book is that everyone — liberals, conservatives, communitarians, socialists, libertarians — will likely be offended by something.”