Richard Amesbury

Christians in the Public Square

Ethics, Culture & Social Issues

“On many of the pressing issues of the time--ranging from immigration to gun control--lines have been drawn, and there appears to be little room for reasoned discourse. How ought Christians respond? The conventional wisdom is that 'religion' only compounds the problem of public discourse, but it is something of a fantasy to suppose that it can simply be set aside or bracketed as inessential to our political selves. In Christians in the Public Square, Ellen Ott Marshall acknowledges the dangers posed by the politics of division, the rhetoric of certitude, and the claim of divine endorsement. The remedy to these vices, she contends, is not the exclusion of religion from the public sphere, but the cultivation of three corresponding Christian virtues--love, appreciation of moral ambiguity, and theological humility. By performing the virtues she recommends, Marshall issues a call to transform politics. Christians in the Public Square is a contemporary classic of Christian political ethics.”

Virtue

Philosophy

“Olli-Pekka Vainio's Virtue offers a concise and entertaining invitation to the tradition of virtue ethics. Paying special attention to the development of virtue theory (particularly in its Western forms), Vainio deftly guides the reader through historical and contemporary debates, which he illustrates with abundant examples and thought experiments. An ideal introductory text for students of philosophy and theology, Virtue is, so to speak, its own reward: a learned but enjoyable reflection on the good life.”