Theology, Political Theory, and Pluralism: Beyond Tolerance and Difference

Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine

by Kristen Deede Johnson

How can we live together in the midst of our differences? This is one of the most pressing questions of our time. Tolerance has been the bedrock of political liberalism, while proponents of agonistic political thought and radical democracy have sought an answer that allows a deeper celebration of difference. Kristen Deede Johnson describes the move from tolerance to difference, and the accompanying move from epistemology to ontology, within political theory. Building on this 'ontological turn', in search of a theological answer to the question, she puts Augustine into conversation with recent political theorists and theologians. This theological option enables the Church to envision a way to engage with contemporary political society without losing its own embodied story and practices. It contributes to our broader political imagination by offering a picture of rich engagement between the many different particularities that constitute a pluralist society.

Genres: Theology, Politics

292 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2006

About the author

Kristen Deede Johnson (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is associate professor of theology and Christian formation at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. She was the founding director of the Studies in Ministry minor and the Center for Ministry Studies at Hope College, programs dedicated to upholding the significance of theological formation, spiritual growth, cultural engagement, and vocational discernment.

Reviews

[Michael Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to get to this one for a couple months now, and it has not disappointed so far. I'm just a little over one chapter in so I'll write a full review after I finish, and I might even do updates throughout just to stay on track with the argument. So far the book has been fantastic, and I'm glad it exists 1) because I've wanted to read something like it for a long time and 2) if it didn't exist, I would have to put in the research and work to write it because I've wanted to read something like it for so long. (That said, I think there is need for a book of this type on a more popular or accessible level).

The book is attempting to speak theologically into political theory, and as the title indicates, move around the inevitable dead ends that the tolerance of political liberalism leads us to. This project excites me for many reasons: our nation is constituted of fractured tribes, increasingly unable to converse and coexist; mission drift for Christians is a real problem (particularly when tempted with political power); the watchword of tolerance from the progressive left carries a lot of assumed baggage that ultimately has no place for orthodox religious beliefs or any thoughtful conservatism. This paragraph from the opening chapter gives me a lot of hope for the work:
"It might, indeed, help remind Christians that they have a crucial role to play in the development of communities in which unity and diversity can come together through participation in the reconciling work of the Triune God. And it might help Christians to see ways to love God and neighbor in the church and in the "earthly city," by providing them with the theological resources to be engaged in the social and political structures and institutions of this world without compromising or forgetting that they are first and foremost citizens of the Heavenly City...These concerns for the Church provide much of the impetus for this work, so that while it is a sustained engagement with political theory, it is nevertheless primarily and unapologetically theological" (pg. 5).

Deede Johnson has her work cut out for her. She's interacting with John Rawls and working from Augustinian tradition, and forecasts a heavy dose of Barth at the end. I'm eager to see how she can help the church think and act theologically about engaging politically, especially if she's pulling resources from such heavy hitters while engaging the most important advancer of liberalism in the 20th century.

[Xavier Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent critique of liberalism (from its Rawlsian to its contemporary forms), specifically that contemporary legal political society does not allow for debate over questions of the good as it "operates with a conception of the good that supposed, ironically, that there is no overriding good" (p 232), and it also hinders true open debate as it presumptively excludes opinions which it deems "unreasonable", such as comprehensive doctrines that contain "transcendent principles" that override its "political values" (p 55). The book also provides an introduction to St Augustine's political thought, such as the distinction between earthly and heavenly city and how only in the heavenly city can there be true unity in difference as we all partake in the unity of the Trinity (and, relatedly, citizens of the heavenly city should not look to the earthly city for what only the heavenly city can provide). While the book is insightful at multiple points, I think it could have been written in a much clearer way. I was not clear on what the author's vision of a political society was almost throughout the entire book, as the book goes through various critiques and brings in figure after figure that have contributed to political theory and theology. Even at the end, the book admits that it has not submitted an "all-encompassing political theory", but rather "a picture in which differences come together in rich conversation in a pluralist society." (p 248) I found this "picture" vague and abstract, which very unfortunately (I think) limits the utility of Johnson's thesis – which is a huge pity, as the vision she paints is an overall positive one. I just question how it is to be put into practice, or what it means for the Christian reading her message.