The politics of human frailty : a theological defense of political liberalism

Inspired by the challenge to consider anew the relation of faith and reason that has been posed by the papal encyclical letter of 1998 Fides et ratio, this series is dedicated to paying generous heed to the questions that lie within its scope. The series comprises monographs by a wide range of international and ecumenical authors, edited collections, and translations of significant texts, with appeal both to an academic community and broadly to all those on whom the apologetic task impinges. The studies it encompasses are informed by desire for the mutual engagement of the disciplines of theology and philosophy in the problematic areas of current debate at the highest and most serious level of scholarship. These may serve to illuminate the foundations of faith in the contemporary cultural context and will thus constitute an ecumenical renewal of the work of philosophical theology. The series is promoted by the work of the Society of St. Catherine of Siena, in the spirit of its commitment to the renewal of the intellectual apostolate of the Catholic Church. http://www.caterinati.org.uk/ The latest book in the Faith in Reason series provides a theological defense of a strand of political liberalism that is informed by the theological conviction that the human person is a creature incapable of its own perfection, although nonetheless called to and made for this perfection. Insole questions easy caricatures of liberalism, which tend to describe it as individualistic, hubristic, and relativist. By analyzing the works of Edmund Burke, Lord Acton, Richard Hooker, and John Rawls, Insole shows that a passion to protect the individual within liberal institutions arises not from an illusory sense of self-sufficiency, but from insight into our fallen condition and from an intimation of redemption and divine order. By attending to thinkers such as Richard Hooker, Edmund Burke, Lord Acton, and John Rawls, Insole shows that a passion to protect the individual within liberal institutions can arise not from an illusory sense of self-sufficiency, but from an insight into our fallen condition, characterised by frailty, sin, and complexity. This strand of political liberalism arises from a sense of our solidarity in sin with others, and the hubris of judging our fellow citizens, when judgement belongs to God alone. Such a position would be at odds with theologically over-zealous appropriations of the theme of liberty. Insole investigates how notions of "liberty" employed in England, America, and France have distinct theological lineages, and separates the political liberalism he defends from over-zealous appropriations. He also critiques Radical Orthodoxy, arguing that the Radical Orthodoxy project is politically nave, utopian, and dangerous. The latest book in the Faith in Reason series addresses the fraught and topical issue of the relationship between political liberalism and theology. Political liberalism is frequently denounced by theologians as individualist, relativist, and hubristic. In response, there has been a tendency in recent political theology to attempt the overcoming of political liberalism, with the hope of building a more ecclesiastical, virtuous, or community-oriented space. In an original and well-documented argument, Insole demonstrates that this negative characterisation of political liberalism is inadequate, both conceptually and historically.By attending to thinkers such as Richard Hooker, Edmund Burke, Lord Acton, and John Rawls, Insole shows that a passion to protect the individual within liberal institutions can arise not from an illusory sense of self-sufficiency, but from an insight into our fallen condition, characterised by frailty, sin, and complexity. This strand of political liberalism arises from a sense of our solidarity in sin with others, and the hubris of judging our fellow citizens, when judgement belongs to God alone. Such a position would be at odds with theologically over-zealous appropriations of the theme of "liberty."The book concludes by showing that the proposed alternatives to political liberalism-such as can be found in the influential Radical Orthodoxy movement-are naive, utopian, and dangerous, and in certain respects theologically impoverished. The Politics of Human Frailty addresses the fraught and topical issue of the relationship between political liberalism and theology. Political liberalism is frequently denounced by theologians as individualist, relativist, and hubristic. In response, there has been a tendency in recent political theology to attempt the overcoming of political liberalism, with the hope of building a more ecclesiastical, virtuous, or community-oriented space. In an original and well-documented argument, Insole demonstrates that this negative characterization of political liberalism is inadequate, both conceptually and historically. By attending to thinkers such as Richard Hooker, Edmund Burke, Lord Acton, and John Rawls, Insole shows that a passion to protect the individual within liberal institutions can arise not from an illusory sense of self-sufficiency, but from an insight into our fallen condition, characterized by frailty, sin, and complexity. This strand of political liberalism arises from a sense of our solidarity in sin with others, and the hubris of judging our fellow citizens, when judgment belongs to God alone. Such a position would be at odds with theologically over-zealous appropriations of the theme of "liberty." The book concludes by showing that the proposed alternatives to political liberalism--such as can be found in the influential Radical Orthodoxy movement--are naïve, utopian, and dangerous, and in certain respects theologically impoverished There seems to be almost a consensus in theological circles concerning the nature of the problem with 'liberalism'.