Religion in Political Life

My research in religion in political life has largely been inspired by my time at the University of Manchester, where this was a major research theme of the Religion and Civil Society Network led by Graham Ward, Michael Hoelzl and Peter Scott.

Currently, religion and globalization seem to be working towards opposite ends. As Mark Juergensmeyer has noted, while religiously invoked terrorism fragments society, the Internet, cell phones and the media industry foster the formation of an increasingly global social fabric. But religion is not a single faceted phenomenon. As much as there are prophets of violence such as Osama bin Laden, there are prophets of peace and reconciliation such as Bishop Desmond Tutu. How a civil society might be configured in relation to the inherent ambiguity surrounding religious traditions remains difficult to discern. How might Christian traditions make a positive contribution to this context? Answering this question shows up in a number of areas of my work, however, most directly I’ve addressed it in terms of a dialogue between Jürgen Habermas’s theory of civil society and the politico-ethical theology of Karl Barth. As well, I continue to speak and teach on the contemporary new visibility of religion within political culture today, and blog on it here.

Publications and Presentations

“Karl Barth and Jürgen Habermas: Transcendental Aporias of Global Civil Society.” Political Theology vol. 9, no. 4 (September, 2008): 477-502. 

“Karl Barth and Jürgen Habermas: Christian Mission and Global Civil Society,” Paper presented at The American Academy of Religion 2006 Annual Conference, Washington, DC, November 18-21, 2006.

Radio Panelist for a “Sunday Breakfast Discussion of Religion in American Politics,” BBC Greater Manchester Radio FM 95.1, November 7, 2004.

 

Marizio Cattelan, “Ave Maria,” 2007, Tate Modern

“Translated as ‘Hail Mary,’ the title seems to contradict the macho power of the salutes, referring instead to the catholic tradition of revering Mary the mother of Christ, who is saluted by the angel in the annunciation. Although this right-armed salute is believed to have originated as a form of military courtesy for the Romans, it became synonymous with right-wing or extremist political movements in the twentieth century. Placed alongside works dating from the early years of the century with classical or a-political concerns, this intervention may act as jarring reminder of the troubles to come.” - From the display caption in the Tate Modern