Resurrecting the Idea of a Christian Society

by R. R. Reno

Overview

America’s two greatest strengths—her liberal democratic culture and her free-market economy—have made her a global superpower. But left unchecked, these two strengths can become great cultural weaknesses, sowing selfishness, recklessness, and apathy. In Resurrecting the Idea of a Christian Society, theologian R. R. Reno argues that America needs a renewal of Christian ideals—ideals that encourage self-sacrifice, responsibility, and solidarity. Drawing on T.S. Eliot’s 1940 essay “The Idea of a Christian Society,” Reno shows how Christianity encourages “an abiding ambition for higher things” and a “moral vision” that can strengthen communities and transform America into a truly great nation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621575658
Publisher:	Skyhorse Publishing
Publication date:	08/02/2016
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	703 KB

About the Author

R. R. RENO, the editor of First Things, a journal of religion and public life, serves on the board of advisers of the Edmund Burke Foundation, the sponsor or the 2019 National Conservatism Conference. After earning his doctorate in religious studies from Yale, he taught theology at Creighton University for twenty years. His previous books include Genesis: A Theological Commentary, Fighting the Noonday Devil, and Resurrecting the Idea of a Christian Society. He lives with his wife in New York City.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 The Need for a Christian Society 9

Chapter 2 Defend the Weak 39

Chapter 3 Raise Up the Poor 65

Chapter 4 Promote Solidarity 87

Chapter 5 Limit Government 113

Chapter 6 Seek Higher Things 139

Chapter 7 The Possibility of a Christian Society 167

Afterword 189

Acknowledgments 193

Index 195

Editorial Reviews

"R. R. Reno understands what many Christian public intellectuals today fail to see: that we live in post-Christian America, and we have to come to terms with that fact. Reno's analysis is sophisticated, but Resurrecting the Idea of a Christian Society is realistic, plainspoken, and compelling. Crucially, the book is not a counsel of despair, but rather a source of hope for faithful Christian resistance because it forthrightly deals with the nation as it truly is, not as old-school culture warriors wish it were."
—ROD DREHER, senior editor of The American Conservative and author of The Benedict Option (forthcoming)


"This call to arms against a postmodern paganism should appeal not only to Christians. This humane, bold, learned book offers a vision of a modern America guided by a proper understanding of freedom. It can help give form and structure to the hopes of those of us who believe that the exhaustion of the West need not be terminal."
—YUVAL LEVIN, editor of National Affairs and author of The Fractured Republic: Renewing America’s Social Contract in the Age of Individualism



"R. R. Reno is a compelling voice helping Christians and others to understand what’s happening in American culture, and why it matters. Reno is especially astute and prophetic on the way marriage and family revisions ravage the poor. This book will help equip the church to navigate the future without fear."
—RUSSELL MOORE, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and author of Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel

From the Publisher