The System Has a Soul: Essays on Christianity, Liberty, and Political Life

by Hunter Baker

What relevance does Christianity have in our societal system—a system that so often seems to be ordered only by the ultra-complex machinery of state power and corporate strategy? The essays in this volume address that question by considering the relationship of the church to liberty, government, commerce, and education. These reflections reveal that we cannot allow the system to run according to its own internal logic. Rather, it is important for the church to act as a conscience. The church (and the people in it) should provide a living reminder of the God and of the good that transcends our worldly instrumentalities and principalities. The church is the soul of the system.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Hunter Baker, J.D., Ph.D. is the author of three books on politics and religion and many chapters, articles, and essays. He teaches political science at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of wisdom here, written by an intelligent man. Hunter Baker has the skeleton key that unlocks most contemporary cultural snarls, and that skeleton key is his denial of secularism. Very worth while read.

[Jesse]

This book is excellent. I'm a novice in the world of politics, and these short essays ask all of the right questions to a number of related areas. It's a short book, and very readable, so I I highly recommend it.

[Brian Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed reading these essays from Dr. Hunter Baker, a professor at Union University. Many of these essays, several of which were first published in journals and magazines, concern religious freedom and the relationship between state and society. There are two essays on higher education and another on Christian schools.

I think Baker has a number of important things to say, and I hope he says more. (I have already read his little book on political philosophy; I have yet to read The End of Secularism.) One of the reasons I don't give this book five stars is because I wanted him to go into more depth. There are times he would write, "Augusine shared this perspective . . ." and "Aristotle held the same position . . ." (p. 80) without citing sources. I suppose this is typical for magazine articles, but it left me wanting more.

At any rate, I believe Baker's positions are right ones. The church is the soul of the system. Freedom requires a limited government and a flourishing society, including religious freedom.

[Adam T. Calvert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is compendium of very thoughtful essays on some "hot topic" political matters for today and how to evaluate and then deal with them from a Christian perspective.

While I certainly appreciate his commanding understanding of Christian-based capitalism, my favorite chapters were probably the ones toward the end that spoke of the future of education. Some really great insight into where the "education model" is heading as far as brick-and-mortar schools/online schools and the concept of "accreditation."

Truly a great read!

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of essays from Dr. Baker. I really like the clarity with which Hunter writes. He tackles complex and often difficult subjects but he manages to write for the informed but not expert reader without dumbing things down or oversimplifying. Anyone interested in issues surrounding religious liberty, secularism, or the ideas that underlie our current political debates will enjoy this collection.