Overview

What is the place of faith in public life in the UK? Beyond ‘secularism’ that seeks to relegate faith to the margins of public life, and a ‘Christian nation’ position that seeks to retain, or even regain, Christian public privilege, there is a third way. Faith in Democracy: Framing a Politics of Deep Diversity calls for an approach that maximises public space for the expression of faith-based visions within democratic fora while repudiating all traces of religious privilege. It argues for a truly conversational space, reflecting theologically on the contested concepts at the heart of the current debate about the place of faith in British public life: democracy, secularism, pluralism and public faith.

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9780334060239

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Reviews

'Chaplin provides an accessible and engaging overview of the key institutional and political dynamics shaping church-state relations and the place of religion in public life in Britain today. At the same time, the book sets out constructive arguments for constitutional, liberal democracy and how it accords with his particular vision of Christian democratic pluralism, a vision that draws on rich traditions of Christian reflection while also attending to contemporary political conditions. Underlying the book as a whole is the conviction that politics only serves its true end when it builds up the common good and enables the pursuit of public justice. ' -- Luke Bretherton

'Chaplin provides an accessible and engaging overview of the key institutional and political dynamics shaping church-state relations and the place of religion in public life in Britain today. At the same time, the book sets out constructive arguments for constitutional, liberal democracy and how it accords with his particular vision of Christian democratic pluralism, a vision that draws on rich traditions of Christian reflection while also attending to contemporary political conditions. Underlying the book as a whole is the conviction that politics only serves its true end when it builds up the common good and enables the pursuit of public justice. ' -- Luke Bretherton A fascinating and helpful work for Christians grappling with politics at any level. Engaging confidently with contemporary political theory, Chaplin argues robustly for religiously integrated citizens to engage faithfully in politics. He points out that Desmond Tutu's case against apartheid was stronger, not weaker, for asserting that humans are made in the image of God . And he's right that faithful speech can strengthen politics by opening up public discourse, which - unlike so much today - entails the expression of citizens' deepest motivations. -- Rt Hon. Stephen Timms, MP

'Chaplin provides an accessible and engaging overview of the key institutional and political dynamics shaping church-state relations and the place of religion in public life in Britain today. At the same time, the book sets out constructive arguments for constitutional, liberal democracy and how it accords with his particular vision of Christian democratic pluralism, a vision that draws on rich traditions of Christian reflection while also attending to contemporary political conditions. Underlying the book as a whole is the conviction that politics only serves its true end when it builds up the common good and enables the pursuit of public justice. ' -- Luke Bretherton, Duke Divinity School, USA A fascinating and helpful work for Christians grappling with politics at any level. Engaging confidently with contemporary political theory, Chaplin argues robustly for religiously integrated citizens to engage faithfully in politics. He points out that Desmond Tutu's case against apartheid was stronger, not weaker, for asserting that humans are made in the image of God . And he's right that faithful speech can strengthen politics by opening up public discourse, which - unlike so much today - entails the expression of citizens' deepest motivations. -- Rt Hon. Stephen Timms, MP For 15 years, Theos has been trying to bring a critically supportive voice to our vexed discussions on secularism, on liberalism, on democracy and, above all, on faith in public life - so I am delighted to recommend Jonathan Chaplin's book on the topic. Intelligent, subtle, erudite, faithful, reasonable, Faith in Democracy is what Christian political theology at its best can be: an open, honest and generous contribution to our conversations on how we can live well together. -- Elizabeth Oldfield, Director, Theos Jonathan Chaplin shows himself a widely read and deeply reflective guide for those seeking guidance on how to be faithful democrats - and democrats who are people of faith....[Chaplin proposes] a democracy in which the public ex pressions of faiths of many sorts can play their part without being either privileged over against secular philosophies and each other or pliant : too conformed to a prevailing secularism....[He invites] readers to accept the discomfort and the creativity of the society that his subtitle commends: a politics of deep diversity , one in which faith plays a powerful, vibrant, and, at the same time, non-dominating part....Wide-ranging, radical, topical, and accessible, this is a book to make you clearer in your thinking, and more likely to revise it. -- Peter Selby, Church Times (17/09/2021) Chaplin brings together the considerable fruits of his research in several disciplines - political philosophy, political theology and public theology - distilling then into a comprehensive and comprehensible whole, and thereby providing an accessible handbook for those whose work necessitates an understanding of all these modalities.... The book offers clarity and creative controversy in equal measure... offering... future congregational leaders (and others) a masterclass in how to navigate wisely between exclusivist secularism on the one hand and 'Christian nation' assertiveness on the other. [T]he book serves as a necessary corrective to the more polarised (and less well-informed) manner in which debates about the place of faith in British democracy are usually conducted. -- Anne Tomlinson, LSE Religion and Global Society blog (13/01/2022) Faith in Democracy is a triumph of explanation. Chaplin has distilled a lifetime of reflection on the Christian approach to democratic politics into a digestible handbook and a compelling manifesto for principled pluralism. -- David McIlroy, Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology, The Big Picture (January 2021) [The book] presents the fruits of extensive reading in the field, and crystallizes a programme that can empower citizens of faith and faith-based organizations to engage confidently in public life without having to hide their fundamental convictions or leave them at home. It is encouraging in communicating a hope that a more conversational form of politics is possible, and that debate, however robust it might become, could be focused on real issues of public justice or the common good, and not only the sterile evasion and point scoring that characterizes political debate at present. This book not only provides the encouragement but also equips the reader with some tools for the engagement, and I recommend it highly. -- Patrick Riordan, Studies in Christian Ethics 35.1 (2022)

'Chaplin provides an accessible and engaging overview of the key institutional and political dynamics shaping church-state relations and the place of religion in public life in Britain today. At the same time, the book sets out constructive arguments for constitutional, liberal democracy and how it accords with his particular vision of “Christian democratic pluralism,” a vision that draws on rich traditions of Christian reflection while also attending to contemporary political conditions. Underlying the book as a whole is the conviction that politics only serves its true end when it builds up the common good and enables the pursuit of “public justice.”' -- Luke Bretherton, Duke Divinity School, USA ""A fascinating and helpful work for Christians grappling with politics at any level. Engaging confidently with contemporary political theory, Chaplin argues robustly for “religiously integrated citizens” to engage faithfully in politics. He points out that Desmond Tutu’s case against apartheid was stronger, not weaker, for asserting that humans are “made in the image of God”. And he’s right that “faithful speech” can strengthen politics by opening up public discourse, which – unlike so much today – entails “the expression of citizens’ deepest motivations.” -- Rt Hon. Stephen Timms, MP “For 15 years, Theos has been trying to bring a critically supportive voice to our vexed discussions on secularism, on liberalism, on democracy and, above all, on faith in public life - so I am delighted to recommend Jonathan Chaplin’s book on the topic. Intelligent, subtle, erudite, faithful, reasonable, Faith in Democracy is what Christian political theology at its best can be: an open, honest and generous contribution to our conversations on how we can live well together.” -- Elizabeth Oldfield, Director, Theos ""Jonathan Chaplin shows himself a widely read and deeply reflective guide for those seeking guidance on how to be faithful democrats — and democrats who are people of faith....[Chaplin proposes] a democracy in which the public ex pressions of faiths of many sorts can play their part without being either privileged over against secular philosophies and each other or “pliant”: too conformed to a prevailing secularism....[He invites] readers to accept the discomfort and the creativity of the society that his subtitle commends: a “politics of deep diversity”, one in which faith plays a powerful, vibrant, and, at the same time, non-dominating part....Wide-ranging, radical, topical, and accessible, this is a book to make you clearer in your thinking, and more likely to revise it."" -- Peter Selby, Church Times (17/09/2021) ""Chaplin brings together the considerable fruits of his research in several disciplines — political philosophy, political theology and public theology — distilling then into a comprehensive and comprehensible whole, and thereby providing an accessible handbook for those whose work necessitates an understanding of all these modalities.... The book offers clarity and creative controversy in equal measure... offering... future congregational leaders (and others) a masterclass in how to navigate wisely between exclusivist secularism on the one hand and ‘Christian nation’ assertiveness on the other. [T]he book serves as a necessary corrective to the more polarised (and less well-informed) manner in which debates about the place of faith in British democracy are usually conducted."" -- Anne Tomlinson, LSE Religion and Global Society blog (13/01/2022) ""Faith in Democracy is a triumph of explanation. Chaplin has distilled a lifetime of reflection on the Christian approach to democratic politics into a digestible handbook and a compelling manifesto for principled pluralism."" -- David McIlroy, Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology, The Big Picture (January 2021) ""[The book] presents the fruits of extensive reading in the field, and crystallizes a programme that can empower citizens of faith and faith-based organizations to engage confidently in public life without having to hide their fundamental convictions or leave them at home. It is encouraging in communicating a hope that a more conversational form of politics is possible, and that debate, however robust it might become, could be focused on real issues of public justice or the common good, and not only the sterile evasion and point scoring that characterizes political debate at present. This book not only provides the encouragement but also equips the reader with some tools for the engagement, and I recommend it highly."" -- Patrick Riordan, Studies in Christian Ethics 35.1 (2022)

Author Information

Jonathan Chaplin is an Associate Fellow at the think tank Theos and a member of the University of Cambridge Divinity Faculty. He is the author or editor of numerous publications on faith and politics in Britain and beyond, including The Future of Brexit Britain: Anglican Reflections on National Identity and European Solidarity (2020) and God and the EU: Faith in the European Project (2016).

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