Overview

We live in the wealthiest and most heavily defended world in history, so why do we feel so insecure? In a secular world, what does Christian theology have to say about this problem? Security after Christendom combines practical examples, social scientific research, and an ecumenical approach to political theology to answer these questions. It argues that Christendom was a plural phenomenon of imagined security communities of East and West whose unravelling continues to have implications for global politics today, as dramatically illustrated by Russia's war in Ukraine. While notions of a new Christendom are idolatrous and delusional, secular imaginaries of national security or the liberal international order are both destructive and unstable. True security--radical inclusion, nonviolent protection, and abundant provision--is an eschatological phenomenon, inaugurated by Christ. Security after Christendom is neither found in faithful government nor an exclusive church-as-polis approach but in relations of tension where the fallen powers are continuously confronted by prophetic practices. A post-Christendom community expresses its love for the world by seeking its security, providentially limiting the disorders of the secular age, and offering glimmers of a new earth.

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9781532615351

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Reviews

"""Too many theological books about politics are written by authors whose primary reference points are other theology books rather than the real world. Bucking this trend, John Heathershaw has produced an astonishing interplay between the theological and social sciences, informed by extended personal engagement in the mucky business of politics over three continents and three decades. Security after Christendom is essential reading for anyone wishing to think through the political role of the church in our century."" --Nick Megoran, professor of political geography, Newcastle University ""John Heathershaw has produced a fascinating and deeply original book on security after Christendom, one which provides theological responses not just to questions of war and peace, but also to broader challenges, from human rights violations to looming environmental threats."" --Jason Sharman, professor of international relations, University of Cambridge ""Security after Christendom offers a much-needed response to contemporary Christianism and its openness to violence, addressing religious support for Putin's war in Ukraine, the insurrection at the US Capitol, and the risk of armed conflicts arising from neo-Christendoms in the Global South. Writing from within the Christian tradition, John Heathershaw demonstrates the potential of Protestant political thought when it combines theological commitment with scholarly engagement of politics and international relations."" --Marietta van der Tol, postdoctoral research fellow, University of Oxford"

"""Too many theological books about politics are written by authors whose primary reference points are other theology books rather than the real world. Bucking this trend, John Heathershaw has produced an astonishing interplay between the theological and social sciences, informed by extended personal engagement in the mucky business of politics over three continents and three decades. Security after Christendom is essential reading for anyone wishing to think through the political role of the church in our century."" --Nick Megoran, professor of political geography, Newcastle University ""John Heathershaw has produced a fascinating and deeply original book on security after Christendom, one which provides theological responses not just to questions of war and peace, but also to broader challenges, from human rights violations to looming environmental threats."" --Jason Sharman, professor of international relations, University of Cambridge ""Security after Christendom offers a much-needed response to contemporary Christianism and its openness to violence, addressing religious support for Putin's war in Ukraine, the insurrection at the US Capitol, and the risk of armed conflicts arising from neo-Christendoms in the Global South. Writing from within the Christian tradition, John Heathershaw demonstrates the potential of Protestant political thought when it combines theological commitment with scholarly engagement of politics and international relations."" --Marietta van der Tol, postdoctoral research fellow, University of Oxford"

Author Information

John Heathershaw is professor of international relations at the University of Exeter and a doctoral student at Bristol Baptist College. He is co-author of Dictators without Borders (2017).

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