Democracy and Tradition

Reviews / Votes

[Stout's] vision of democracy is compelling, simultaneously inspiring and comforting. Stout speaks to us as citizens, asks us to read him as citizens, and encourages us to reflect on what sorts of citizens our theologies invite us to be. -- Lauren F. Winner Books & Culture [A] book that is important by any reckoning... [It] will significantly advance discussion of liberalism and democracy... At its strongest, Stout's case refreshes with its view of democracy-not simply a 'notion' but a robust tradition that none should abandon. -- Craig R. Hovey Theology Today Appearing at a time when religion and politics 'run perpetually into one another' with great visibility, violence, and import, [this book] should become this generation's seminal work of political philosophy. -- Eugene McCarraher Cresset Stout's book offers many sophisticated and well-argued insights on liberal political philosophy, Christian theology, and the relations between them. It combines historical analysis with illuminating observations regarding current affairs. Its project--to reconcile democracy and religion--is both theoretically fascinating and politically urgent. -- Yaacov Ben-Shemesh Social Theory and Practice Stout invites us into a vigorous local democracy in which kids play soccer and a diverse and dedicated group of neighbors team up to protect their community from the encroachment of a large, bureaucratic medical center... Though Stout is fully aware that the social reality is often more bleak, he confronts injustice with a passion born out of his awareness that something much better is not only possible but already exists. If his underlying optimism about American democracy is right, it's hard to refuse his invitation to religious people to participate in it. -- Robin W. Lovin The Christian Century Stout anchors his argument on the question of what role religious premises should play in the reasoning citizens use when they make and defend political positions. His provocative answer is that citizens of a democracy have the right to freedom of thought and expression that includes whatever religious motivations they might have. Choice A spirited defense of democratic values and practices in disheartening times. This volume not only offers a philosophical analysis but also an exemplary instance of democratic discourse... This is a wonderful book. -- Timothy A. Beach-Verhey Political Theory