Christianity and Democracy A Theology for a Just World Order [Paperback]

Important study of the relationship between Christian theology and the development of democracy.Examining the role of Christianity in the development of democracy, this study traces the relationship from early Christendom to its virtual breakdown as democracy became the polity of modernity. It focuses on five 20th-century case studies, including Nazi Germany and South Africa.Examining the role of Christianity in the development of democracy, this study traces the relationship from early Christendom to its virtual breakdown as democracy became the polity of modernity. It focuses on five 20th-century case studies, including Nazi Germany and South Africa.In this important study John de Gruchy examines the past, present and future roles of Christianity in the development of democracy. He traces the relationship from its gestation in early Christendom to its virtual breakdown as democracy becomes the polity of modernity, and focuses on five twentieth-century case studies, including Nazi Germany and South Africa, which demonstrate the revival of the churches as a force in the struggle for democracy. His conclusions point the way to the development of a theology for a just world order.Introduction; Part I. The System and the Vision: 1. Democracy: an open-ended tradition; 2. The prophetic vision; Part II. Historical and Theological Connections: 3. The Christian matrix; 4. The polity of modernity; Part III. Churches and the Struggle for Democracy: 5. Civil rights and liberation in the Americas; 6. The post-colonial struggle for democracy in sub-Saharan Africa; 7. Midwives of democracy in East Germany and South Africa; Part IV. Critical Theological Reflection: 8. A theology for a just democratic world order. De Gruchy has made an excellent contribution to a burgeoning field of research and a thoughtful offering to churches as they reflect on their future role in democratizing societies. Religion and Values in Public Life After a helpful conceptual schematization, de GrulӜ