With new material included throughout, Archbishop Charles Chaput presents an uncompromising manifesto for the serious Christian citizen seeking guidance in the confusing world of contemporary politics in Render Unto Caesar (Image Books, Aug. 14, 2012).
Faith Should Play a Role in Politics
Archbishop Chaput urges Christians to take their beliefs to the polls
Chaput applies Catholic understanding of the relationship between church and state for an American audience in desperate need of moral direction, providing a road map for faithful Christians who face competing claims on their loyalty to faith and country.
Drawing from a strong background in theology and history, Chaput shows Catholics how to bring a philosophically grounded morality to national debates, providing a foundation for pursuing the common good to which all sound government must be committed. While faith has the potential to corrupt government and government has the potential to corrupt faith, Chaput writes that when freedom of religion and a commitment to democracy unite, the combination of freedom and respect for the human person that has made our nation great is reinforced.
Chaput is conservative on social issues such as abortion but progressive on issues of peace and justice, and so is beholden to neither Republican nor Democrat. The unique moral position he sees for faith in America and his goal of redefining politics around values rather than parties should find a receptive audience among Christians who feel their priorities have been neglected in the platforms of both the Democratic and Republican parties.
CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M., is Archbishop of Philadelphia. Raised in a Native American and French-Canadian household in a small town on the plains of Kansas, he has moved beyond his humble origins to become one of the American Catholic hierarchy’s most visible and outspoken leaders. Chaput consistently involves himself in the great moral debates of the nation, from abortion to the war in Iraq. In 2004, he attracted major attention when he identified abortion as a non-negotiable issue for Catholic voters in a controversial interview given to the New York Times. He belongs to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Click here to read an excerpt!
