Public Intellectuals and the Common Good - by Todd C Ream & Jerry A Pattengale & Christopher J Devers (Paperback)

About the Book

In the midst of a divisive culture, public intellectuals speaking from an evangelical perspective have a critical role to play--within the church and beyond. Representing the church, higher education, journalism, and the nonprofit sector, these world-class scholars and practitioners cast a vision for intellectuals who promote human flourishing.

Book Synopsis

Evangelical Christians are active across all spheres of intellectual and public life today. But a disconnect remains: the work they produce too often fails to inform their broader communities. In the midst of a divisive culture and a related crisis within evangelicalism, public intellectuals speaking from an evangelical perspective have a critical role to play--within the church and beyond. What does it look like to embrace such a vocation out of a commitment to the common good?

Public Intellectuals and the Common Good draws together world-class scholars and practitioners to cast a vision for intellectuals who promote human flourishing. Representing various roles in the church, higher education, journalism, and the nonprofit sector, contributors reflect theologically on their work and assess current challenges and opportunities. What historically well-defined qualities of public intellectuals should be adopted now? What qualities should be jettisoned or reimagined?

Public intellectuals are mediators--understanding and then articulating truth amid the complex realities of our world. The conversations represented in this book celebrate and provide guidance for those who through careful thinking, writing, speaking, and innovation cultivate the good of their communities.

Contributors:

• Miroslav Volf
• Amos Yong
• Linda A. Livingstone
• Heather Templeton Dill
• Katelyn Beaty
• Emmanuel Katongole
• John M. Perkins and David Wright

Review Quotes

"Public intellectual and common good are two terms that have lost much of their valence in our frayed and polarized culture. While acknowledging the gap, the essays in this volume call for a renewal of these ideals and present concrete ways to reengage for the good of us all. A book of wisdom worth serious attention."

--Timothy George, research professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

"We are alive at a time of profound disorientation. We know instinctively the pace of change is accelerating and that we can't comprehend the scope of overlapping crises everywhere we turn. It's a moment that cries out for public intellectuals--truth tellers who help light our way forward. Yet as our society fragments and diversifies, it is increasingly difficult for us to agree on what truth even is. Because I am a journalist, I grapple constantly with this call to truth telling. How do we get to truth, and how do we inform the world? After reading Public Intellectuals and the Common Good, I am now reconsidering and expanding how I view this role. It may not be enough for us simply to tell truthful stories--we also have an active role to play as moral contributors to the common good."

--Deborah Caldwell, chief executive officer and publisher, Religion News Service

"While some fear that the role of the public intellectual has been overpowered by social media platforms on which anyone can claim to be an authority or influencer, Public Intellectuals and the Common Good makes the case for pursuing and honoring the vocation of the public intellectual. Whether as theologians, scholars, journalists, or social activists, Christians have been called to identify and argue for a vision of human flourishing that crosses religious and cultural boundaries, making complex ideas accessible for all citizens. These provocative essays explore both the theoretical views and personal practices of Christian public intellectuals in the United States, who serve as prophetic voices in an age of incivility."

--Susan VanZanten, assistant vice president of mission and spiritual life and dean of Christ College, Valparaiso University

About the Author

Todd C. Ream is professor of higher education at Taylor University, publisher of Christian Scholar's Review, and a senior fellow with the Lumen Research Institute.

Christopher J. Devers is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University in the School of Education and a senior fellow with the Lumen Research Institute.

Jerry A. Pattengale holds special appointments at Indiana Wesleyan University, the Lumen Research Institute, the Museum of the Bible, Excelsia College, the Sagamore Institute, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Tyndale House, Cambridge.