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 | The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right |
ADDITIONAL REVIEWS: "Jon A. Shields makes a substantial contribution to the literature on the Christian right. . . . Shields should be praised for his efforts, since all too often, scholarly work in religion and politics is devoid of theory and is instead simply a superficial description of the political behavior of various religious groups. . . . Shields's book, despite some limitations, represents a major step forward in the scholarship in the Christian right. It is well written and has an engaging narrative that weaves throughout the entire book. Most importantly, the book should serve as a jumping-off point for scholars and media members to better understand the Christian right movement."--Matthew K. DeSantis, Political Science Quarterly "The book's sophisticated argument makes it essential reading for scholars of American religion, politics, and social movements, but it is accessible enough to interest nonspecialists as well. . . . Whether or not readers agree with all of Shields's interpretations, his challenging claims about faith and politics provide a highly relevant perspective on our uncivil times."--Joseph Kip Kosek, Journal of Church and State "This work is thought-provoking and impressive. . . . This is a strong piece of scholarship. Not everyone will agree with Shields's conclusions, but anyone interested in the American polity will be well served by carefully considering this work."--Mark D. Brewer, Review of Politics "Among other virtues, The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right is both careful and clear enough to interest scholars and provocative and relevant enough to engage students with little background. This is both a courageous work, and, in many ways, a classic. It deserves to start a great many arguments, and there is little doubt that it will."--Andrew Sabl, Society "Shields reminds us that the rational-choice, interest-based model of politics dominating most political science departments treats a morally passionate politics as a distortion, even a menace. . . . Using participant-observer interviews and techniques, visiting college campuses and other sites of political action, conducting surveys and consulting other forms of empirical data . . . he finds that Christian leaders are, in fact, committed to rational argument and democratic deliberation."--Jean Bethke Elshtain, Claremont Review of Books "For all those interested in the mingling religion and politics, Shields' book has much to teach about the American political scene and the uses of deliberative democracy by religious groups committed to precepts whose ultimate source is their God."--Nancy L. Honicker, Journal of American Studies of Turkey ADDITIONAL ENDORSEMENTS: "Jon Shields manages to take the moral claims of pro-life activists seriously while subjecting their movement and organizations to rigorous social scientific analysis. While hardly neglecting the media-based opportunists and zealous, sometimes violent extremists, Shields also shows how mainstream pro-life leaders have developed non-confrontational tactics and non-religious arguments to more effectively challenge pro-choice policies. He then demonstrates how such deliberative tendencies reflect the interplay of Christian values and the organizational incentives facing pro-life activists in a variety of settings. This book will certainly not please everyone, but it should remind all of us of the tensions between reason and passion that any responsible political actor must inevitably negotiate."--Peter Skerry, Boston College "This is among the best books on the practice of deliberation in American politics, and for many readers it will also be one of the most surprising. Shields shows that antiabortion activists--far more than their pro-choice counterparts--bend over backwards to engage respectfully with opponents and promote high standards of democratic discourse. They do so both as an obligation of Christian love and as a matter of hardheaded political strategy. Liberal academics and commentators will resist his thesis but it will stand up to rigorous scrutiny."--Paul J. Quirk, University of British Columbia File created: 1/6/2012 | |
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