Democracy and Christianity Not Opposed to Each Other; Modern Democracy is Inspired by Christianity
Contact: Rose Trabbic, Publicist, Ignatius Press, 239-867-4180, rose@ignatius.com
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 15, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- For many elite thinkers today, Christianity and democracy are at odds with each other. Not so, says the great twentieth century philosopher Jacques Maritain. In his newly re-released "Christianity and Democracy and the Rights of Man and the Natural Law", he argues that Christianity provided the "evangelical inspiration" for democratic government. That inspiration, he insists, continues to be necessary, in order for democratic societies to resist despair in the face of contemporary evils and to uphold respect for human dignity and genuine freedom.
Today, a militant secularism now questions the compatibility of Christianity and democracy, with secularists claiming that the principles of a democratic society contradict Christianity and its claims of an objective, publically-accessible natural law. Many who now defend "democracy" hold radically different views of it from that of Maritain. Their hostility to democracy's Christian inspiration has led to the despair and the undermining of human dignity and freedom as Maritain predicted. Meanwhile, a radical, militant Islam challenges the idea of democracy from a theocratic perspective, which also threatens human dignity and freedom.
Perhaps even more than when published as two separate works in 1942 and 1943, "Christianity and Democracy and the Rights of Man and the Natural Law" provides key insights for Christians in shaping the political and social orders.
Dr. Raymond Dennehy, a professor of philosophy at the University of San Francisco, and author of the Foreword of this new edition, says, "The decision to reissue the single-volume edition of Maritain's classic works, 'Christianity and Democracy and the Rights of Man and the Natural Law,' could not have come at a more urgent time, a time when, perhaps as never before, the future of democracy hangs in the balance."
To request a review copy or an interview with Dr. Raymond Dennehy, please contact:
Rose Trabbic, Publicist, Ignatius Press (239)867-4180 or rose@ignatius.com
