Book: Public Theology for a Global Society

Deirdre King Hainsworth and Scott R. Paeth (editors), "Public Theology for a Global Society: Essays in Honor of Max L. Stackhouse"
(Eerdmans, December 2009):

www.eerdmans.com/shop/product.asp?p_key=9780802865076

Publisher's description: "In these essays [...], leading Christian scholars consider the historical roots and ongoing resources of public theology as a vital element in the church's engagement with global issues. Public Theology for a Global Society explores the concept of public theology and the challenge of relating theological claims to a larger social and political context. The range of essays included here allows readers to understand public theology as both theological practice and public speech, and to consider the potential and limits of public theology in ecumenical and international networks.

"The essays begin by introducing the reader to the development of public theology as an area of study and to the historical interrelationship of religious, legal, and professional categories. The later essays engage the reader with emerging problems in public theology, as religious communities encounter shifting 'publics' that are being transformed by globalization and sweeping political and technological changes. The breadth and scholarship of Public Theology for a Global Society make this volume a fitting tribute to Stackhouse – a central figure in Christian ethics and pioneer in the church's study of globalization."

Deirdre King Hainsworth is Assistant Professor of Ethics and Director of the Center for Business, Religion and Public Life at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Scott R. Paeth is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at DePaul University.