Product Description
Carl R. Trueman and Other Christian Evangelical Scholars Examine the Life and Work of Renowned Catholic, Social Conservative Thinker Robert P. George
Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, is one of the most influential conservative intellectuals of his generation. Among many honors and accolades, George received the US Presidential Citizens Medal from President George W. Bush and served as chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Though a Catholic himself, George’s influence has transcended traditional religious categories to shape evangelical discourse on politics, ethics, and political philosophy throughout his career.
In this thorough introduction and careful analysis of George’s work for Protestant audiences, editor Andrew T. Walker gathers essays from high profile evangelical writers and academics—including Carl R. Trueman, Hunter Baker, Jennifer Marshall Patterson, and Scott Klusendorf—to explore subjects such as faith and reason, George’s New Natural Law theory, and how to collaborate across ideological lines. Social Conservatism for the Common Good helps Christian evangelicals understand George’s philosophy and apply it to their own cultural engagement and public witness.
- Biography of Influential Conservative Scholar Robert P. George: Explores the breadth of his political philosophy and activism, as well as his relevance to the evangelical community
- Engaging Political Analysis from a Biblical Perspective: With a foreword by US Senator Ben Sasse, this book covers important cultural and academic topics including human rights, social and public ethics, and pro-life issues
- Ideal Resource for Evangelical Scholars and Thinkers: Written for pastors, students, and those interested in politics, this robust book appeals to readers of Carl R. Trueman’s The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self
Hardcover, 400 pages
Publication Date: February 2023
Table of Contents
Foreword -- Senator Ben Sasse
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Tenacious Civility: The Spirit of Robert P. George for Contemporary Times
Andrew T. Walker
Chapter 1: A Socrates for Our Athenian Age: A Short Life of Robert P. George
John D. Wilsey
Chapter 2: From Separatism to Cobelligerency: Evangelicals, Other Christian Traditions, and the Common Good
David S. Dockery
Chapter 3: Son of Thomas, Heir of Theoden: Faith and Reason in the Work of Robert P. George
Carl R. Trueman
Chapter 4: Robert P. George and (New) Natural Law Ethics: Philosophical and Biblical Considerations
Andrew T. Walker
Chapter 5: Making Men Moral: Government, Public Morality, and Moral Ecology
Micah J. Watson
Chapter 6: Robert P. George versus John Rawls: On Public Reason and Political Liberalism
Hunter Baker
Chapter 7: Human Dignity and Natural Rights: Robert P. George’s Work and Virtue
Adeline A. Allen
Chapter 8: Bringing Body and Soul Together (Again): Robert P. George, Oliver O'Donovan, and the Place of Resurrection in Body Ethics
Matthew Lee Anderson
Chapter 9: A Person Is a Person, No Matter How Small: Robert P. George and the Pro-Life Movement
Scott Klusendorf
Chapter 10: Taking Courage in the Truth about Marriage: Robert P. George and the Defense of the Family
Jennifer Marshall Patterson
Chapter 11: For Such a Time as This: Robert P. George on Religious Freedom
J. Daryl Charles
Chapter 12: Robert P. George on Justice and Democracy: Natural Law, Classical Liberalism, and Prospects for a Protestant Political Theory
Mark Tooley
Chapter 13: To Caesar (Only) What Is Caesar’s: The Jurisprudence of Robert P. George
Adam J. MacLeod
Chapter 14: Partners in Truth Seeking: Robert P. George and Cornel West
Paul D. Miller
Afterword: Seeking the Truth, Speaking the Truth: A Dialogue between Robert P. George and Andrew T. Walker
Robert P. George Selected Bibliography
Contributors
General Index
Scripture Index
Endorsements
“Everything about this book is wonderful: the contributors, the essays they’ve written, the topics they address, and their main subject, Robert P. George. Social Conservatism for the Common Good is a must-read for any believing Christian interested in bringing faith and reason together to advance human dignity, human flourishing, and human rights.”
Ryan T. Anderson, President, Ethics and Public Policy Center; author, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment
“Robert P. George is not only, as he is often called, one of today’s leading public intellectuals; he is also a devout Catholic who has much to teach the whole body of Christ, including evangelical Protestants, as these splendid essays attest. In the best tradition of Chuck Colson and Richard John Neuhaus, Robby George helps us, Catholics and evangelicals alike, live faithfully on our difficult journey toward a common mission.”
Timothy George, Distinguished Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University
“The pro-life movement in America today has rarely had an advocate as articulate and intellectually commanding as Robert P. George. A professor of law at Princeton and a constitutional scholar, George has collaborated closely with a number of evangelical thinkers, including my late friend Chuck Colson. Even more, he’s a true role model of how we can treat those who oppose us in the culture with civility while defending our most cherished and sacred beliefs.”
Jim Daly, President, Focus on the Family
“This volume is not just a celebration of and deep engagement with Robert P. George’s work; it is also worthy of that work. Which is to say that it is rigorous, illuminating, and concerned, above all, with discerning the truth. It is an important contribution to the essential project of sustaining a Christian morality in the public square.”
Rich Lowry, Editor in Chief, National Review
“Few thinkers of any age have been as influential in as many ways as Robert P. George. On paper, George is something of an enigma: an Ivy League professor who has not only remained a faithful Catholic but has become one of America’s foremost intellectual leaders on the sanctity of life, marriage, and religious freedom. Remaining a member in good standing in the academy and the church is unusual today, but George has managed to do that, which likely explains his ability to appeal across many would-be divides. The Protestant contributors to this volume effectively engage with George’s moral, political, and legal philosophy and make a case for why it must be taken seriously in the public square. George’s work, undaunted courage, charitable heart, and energetic willingness to do the right things, even if hard, offer the next generation hope and a model to influence the culture for good while faithfully bearing witness to Christ.”
Kristen Waggoner, CEO, President, and General Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom
“It’s no easy task to assemble a collection of essays on important topics that are serious, informed, and fair, but Andrew Walker has accomplished this in Social Conservatism for the Common Good. While my own conclusions about natural law and political theory have sometimes differed from Robert P. George’s, reading his work has always stretched me intellectually and inspired me to think better about whatever subject was at stake. Evangelicals wishing to think sharply and be good citizens do well to grapple with George’s work, and those looking for an appreciative analysis of it have picked up the right book.”
David VanDrunen, Robert B. Strimple Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics, Westminster Seminary California
“In Social Conservatism for the Common Good, readers will find not only a well-deserved homage to Robert P. George, one of the greatest political theorists of our time, but also a compendium on how to understand liberalism and social conservatism in an age diametrically opposed to all we hold dear.”
Alexandra DeSanctis, fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center; coauthor, Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing
“What an incredible resource! Not only does this book provide the best summary of Robert P. George’s significant contributions to Christian conservative thought (as if that would not be enough), it also offers an incredible collection of scholars engaging, rejoining, critiquing, and clarifying his ideas. Andrew Walker has given us all quite a gift.”
John Stonestreet, President, Colson Center; Host, BreakPoint
“Andrew Walker has assembled a brilliant collection of essays that engage fruitfully with the pioneering and courageous work of Robert P. George. This is the rare multicontributor book in which every chapter shimmers with insight and wisdom.”
Trevin Wax, Vice President of Research and Resource Development, The North American Mission Board; Visiting Professor, Cedarville University; author, The Thrill of Orthodoxy; Rethink Your Self; and This Is Our Time
Author:
Andrew T. Walker (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate professor of Christian Ethics at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and an associate dean in the School of Theology. He serves as the executive director of the Carl F. H. Henry Institute for Evangelical Engagement and as managing editor of WORLD Opinions. He is a fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the author or editor of several books on Christian ethics and public theology. He resides with his wife and three daughters in Louisville, Kentucky.
