Description
Book SynopsisChristian ethics has addressed moral agency and culture from the start, and Christian social ethics increasingly acknowledges the power of social structures. However, neither has made sufficient use of the discipline that specializes in understanding structures and culture: sociology. In Moral Agency within Social Structures and Culture, editor and contributor Daniel K. Finn proposes a field-changing critical realist sociology that puts Christian ethics into conversation with modern discourses on human agency and social transformation. Catholic social teaching mischaracterizes social evil as being little more than the sum of individual choices, remedied through individual conversion. Liberation theology points to the power of social structures but without specifying how structures affect moral agency. Critical realist sociology provides a solution to both shortcomings. This collection shows how sociological insights can deepen and extend Catholic social thought by enabling ethicists to analyze more precisely how structures and culture impact human decisions. The book demonstrates how this sociological framework has applications for the study of the ecological crisis, economic life, and virtue ethics. Moral Agency within Social Structures and Culture is a valuable tool for Christian ethicists who seek systemic change in accord with the Gospel.
Trade Review[A] brief, accessible and enthusiastic introduction to a method that will surely be of benefit to many. * Studies in Christian Ethics *
This book does a good job of applying the conceptual insights of critical realism to large, real-world issues. * Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies *
Table of ContentsParticipants Introduction Part One: Overviews Who Gets to Decide what Freedom Is? A Christian Perspective C. Rosalee Velloso Ewell God-Given Freedom: An Islamic Point of View Tuba Işik Freedom in the Contemporary Context: Trends in Intersections of Religion, Development, and Foreign Policy Azza Karam Part Two: Islamic Texts on Freedom Aspects of Human Freedom: Reflections on Selections from the Quran and Hadith Abdullah Saeed The Quran and Hadith on Freedom: Selections for Dialogue Freedom as a Theme in Islamic Thought: An Introduction to Selected Pre-Modern Texts Lejla Demiri Pre-Modern Islamic Writings on Freedom: Selected for Dialogue Modern Muslim Elucidations and Contentions on Freedom: An Introduction to Texts for Dialogue Martin Nguyen Islamic Thought from the Modern Period: Texts for Dialogue About Freedom Part Three: Christian Texts on Freedom Freedom in the Hebrew Bible: From Exodus to Ezekiel, by way of Reba McEntire and Rage against the Machine Christopher M. Hays Old Testament Texts About Freedom: Selections for Dialogue The Motif of Freedom in New Testament Texts: An Introduction Susan Eastman New Testament Texts About Freedom: Selections for Dialogue Thematic Dimensions of Freedom: Christian Texts from the Classical Period Jonathan Chaplin Christian Thought on Freedom in the Classical Period: Selected Texts for Dialogue Freedom in Modern Christian Thought: Introduction to Selected Texts Peniel Jesudason Rufus Rajkumar Christian Writings from the Modern Period: Selections for Dialogue About Freedom Part Four: Reflections Conversations on the Theme of Freedom: Reflections on the Building Bridges Seminar at le Château de Bossey Lucinda Mosher Subject Index Scriptural Citation Index About the Editor
