Is there any hope that America can emerge from the divisive "culture wars" that have torn our social fabric and impoverished our public discourse? This is one of the burning questions of our time. The American public square is increasingly dominated by polarized and highly ideological forces--conservative and liberal--that are bent on following their partisan agendas at all costs. Lacking a common culture, we have abandoned persuasion for the politics of raw power.
But in recent years a reaction to our cultural disintegration has set in; there have been an increasing number of calls for a return to "civility" and a new "politics of meaning." Most of these responses, however, have been either vague or little more than the clever repackaging of old political manifestoes.
Yet in Gregory Wolfe's collection, The New Religious Humanists: A Reader, we find the work of religious intellectuals who have a compelling vision for cultural renewal. In his introduction Wolfe argues that the only viable alternative to the old debates between Left and Right comes from one of the oldest--and most relevant--strains of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Religious humanism, he notes, transcends ideology by striving to balance change and permanence, the individual and the community, human realities and divine imperatives, a tragic sensibility and authentic hope.
The New Religious Humanists calls attention to a wise and vital tradition that is too frequently drowned out by the babel of voices dominating political journalism today. The writers and topics gathered in The New Religious Humanists offer a rich feast for the mind and heart, including moving personal narratives, meditations on the role of faith in public life, and reflections on environmentalism, abortion, biotechnology, and the arts. Here is a book that is sure to spark serious discussion among those who are seeking to address the pressing issues of our time.
To purchase The New Religious Humanists click here
To read the introduction to The New Religious Humanists click here
Reviews
For a review on 'First Things' site click here