Social Conservatism for the Common Good: A Protestant Engagement with Robert P. George

by Andrew Walker, Ben Sasse (Foreword by), John Wilsey (Contribution by), David S. Dockery (Contribution by), Carl R. Trueman (Contribution by)

Overview

Edited by Andrew T. Walker, these thoughtful essays from Christian evangelical scholars examine the political philosophy and ethics of influential Catholic social conservative scholar Robert P. George.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433580635
Publisher:	Crossway
Publication date:	02/07/2023
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Andrew T. Walker (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate professor of Christian ethics and public theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and an associate dean in the School of Theology. He is a fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center and managing editor of WORLD Opinions. He resides with his wife and three daughters in Louisville, Kentucky.

David S. Dockery (PhD, University of Texas System) serves as president of the International Alliance for Christian Education as well as president and distinguished professor of theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Previously, he served as president of Union University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is a much-sought-after speaker and lecturer, a former consulting editor for Christianity Today, and the author or editor of more than forty books. Dockery and his wife, Lanese, have three married sons and seven grandchildren.

Carl R. Trueman (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College. He is a contributing editor at First Things, an esteemed church historian, and a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Trueman has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including Strange New World; The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self; and Histories and Fallacies. He is a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Hunter Baker (PhD, Baylor University; JD, University of Houston) serves as provost and dean of faculty at North Greenville University in South Carolina. Baker also serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Markets and Morality and as a contributing editor for Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity. He is also a research fellow of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Scott Klusendorf (MA, Biola University) is the president of Life Training Institute, where he trains pro-life advocates to persuasively defend their views. A passionate and engaging platform speaker, Scott's pro-life presentations have been featured by Focus on the Family, Truths That Transform, and American Family Radio.

J. Daryl Charles (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is an affiliated scholar of the John Jay Institute and the author, editor, or co-editor of fourteen books.

Jennifer Patterson (MA, Reformed Theological Seminary) is director of the Institute for Theology and Public Life at Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. She is a doctoral candidate in moral theology/ethics at the Catholic University of America. She is a member of a PCA congregation in northern Virginia.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction: Tenacious Civility 1

The Spirit of Robert R George for Contemporary Times

1 A Socrates for Our Athenian Age 11

A Short Life of Robert P. George

2 From Separatism to Cobelligerency 33

Evangelicals, Other Christian Traditions, and the Common Good

3 Son of Thomas, Heir of Theoden 55

Faith and Reason in the Work of Robert P. George

4 Robert P. George and (New) Natural Law Ethics 71

Philosophical and Biblical Considerations

5 Making Men Moral 97

Government, Public Morality, and Moral Ecology

6 Robert P. George versus John Rawls 115

On Public Reason and Political Liberalism

7 Human Dignity and Natural Rights 133

Robert P. George's Work and Virtue

8 Bringing Body and Soul Together (Again) 149

Robert P. George, Oliver O'Donovan, and the Place of Resurrection in Body Ethics

9 A Person Is a Person, No Matter How Small 169

Robert P. George and the Pro-Life Movement

10 Taking Courage in the Truth about Marriage 185

Robert P. George and the Defense of the Family

11 For Such a Time as This 205

Robert P. George on Religious Freedom

12 Robert P. George on Justice and Democracy 223

Natural Law, Classical Liberalism, and Prospects for a Protestant Political Theory

13 To Caesar (Only) What Is Caesar's 243

The Jurisprudence of Robert P. George

14 Partners in Truth Seeking 261

Robert P. George and Cornel West

Afterword: Seeking the Truth, Speaking the Truth 283

Robert P. George Selected Bibliography 311

Contributors 315

General Index 319

Scripture Index 333

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Everything about this book is wonderful: the contributors, the essays they’ve written, the topics they address, and their main subject, Robert P. George. Social Conservatism for the Common Good is a must-read for any believing Christian interested in bringing faith and reason together to advance human dignity, human flourishing, and human rights.”
—Ryan T. Anderson, President, Ethics and Public Policy Center; author, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment

“Robert P. George is not only, as he is often called, one of today’s leading public intellectuals; he is also a devout Catholic who has much to teach the whole body of Christ, including evangelical Protestants, as these splendid essays attest. In the best tradition of Chuck Colson and Richard John Neuhaus, Robby George helps us, Catholics and evangelicals alike, live faithfully on our difficult journey toward a common mission.”
—Timothy George, Distinguished Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University; General Editor, Reformation Commentary on Scripture

“The pro-life movement in America today has rarely had an advocate as articulate and intellectually commanding as Robert P. George. A professor of law at Princeton and a constitutional scholar, George has collaborated closely with a number of evangelical thinkers, including my late friend Chuck Colson. Even more, he’s a true role model of how we can treat those who oppose us in the culture with civility while defending our most cherished and sacred beliefs.”
—Jim Daly, President, Focus on the Family

“This volume is not just a celebration of and deep engagement with Robert P. George’s work; it is also worthy of that work. Which is to say that it is rigorous, illuminating, and concerned, above all, with discerning the truth. It is an important contribution to the essential project of sustaining a Christian morality in the public square.”
—Rich Lowry, Editor in Chief, National Review

“Few thinkers of any age have been as influential in as many ways as Robert P. George. On paper, George is something of an enigma: an Ivy League professor who has not only remained a faithful Catholic but has become one of America’s foremost intellectual leaders on the sanctity of life, marriage, and religious freedom. Remaining a member in good standing in the academy and the church is unusual today, but George has managed to do that, which likely explains his ability to appeal across many would-be divides. The Protestant contributors to this volume effectively engage with George’s moral, political, and legal philosophy and make a case for why it must be taken seriously in the public square. George’s work, undaunted courage, charitable heart, and energetic willingness to do the right things, even if hard, offer the next generation hope and a model to influence the culture for good while faithfully bearing witness to Christ.”
—Kristen Waggoner, CEO, President, and General Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom

“It’s no easy task to assemble a collection of essays on important topics that are serious, informed, and fair, but Andrew Walker has accomplished this in Social Conservatism for the Common Good. While my own conclusions about natural law and political theory have sometimes differed from Robert P. George’s, reading his work has always stretched me intellectually and inspired me to think better about whatever subject was at stake. Evangelicals wishing to think sharply and be good citizens do well to grapple with George’s work, and those looking for an appreciative analysis of it have picked up the right book.”
—David VanDrunen, Robert B. Strimple Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics, Westminster Seminary California

“In Social Conservatism for the Common Good, readers will find not only a well-deserved homage to Robert P. George, one of the greatest political theorists of our time, but also a compendium on how to understand liberalism and social conservatism in an age diametrically opposed to all we hold dear.”
—Alexandra DeSanctis, fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center; coauthor, Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing

“What an incredible resource! Not only does this book provide the best summary of Robert P. George’s significant contributions to Christian conservative thought (as if that would not be enough), it also offers an incredible collection of scholars engaging, rejoining, critiquing, and clarifying his ideas. Andrew Walker has given us all quite a gift.”
—John Stonestreet, President, Colson Center; coauthor, A Practical Guide to Culture

“Andrew Walker has assembled a brilliant collection of essays that engage fruitfully with the pioneering and courageous work of Robert P. George. This is the rare multicontributor book in which every chapter shimmers with insight and wisdom.”
—Trevin Wax, Vice President of Resources and Marketing, North American Mission Board; Visiting Professor, Cedarville University; author, The Thrill of Orthodoxy and The Gospel Way Catechism