Thomas A James

A Philosophy of Christian Materialism offers a new religious engagement with the public sphere via means of interdisciplinary analysis and empirical examples, developing what the authors call a Relational Christian Realism building upon interaction with contemporary Philosophy of Religion. The book argues that the current discourse on public religion is inadequate in addressing the issues now to be faced, including: material religious practice in the sphere of education; the growth of alternative political movements and the developing awareness of environmental concerns and urban social justice. Key concepts that support this strategic analysis are: entangled fidelities (the form of a materialist religious practice); the possibility of a relational Christian realism (including new developments in how we interpret key categories of doctrine including God and creation, salvation and humanity), and the post-secular public sphere (including the emerging phenomenon of postsecular rapprochement - namely the coming together of both religious and secular actors in methodologies and politics of pragmatism as well as ethical discourse for the sake of the public commons). Co-authored by theologians in both the USA and the UK, this book represents an exciting contribution to philosophy and practice of religion on both sides of the Atlantic and aspires to be sufficiently interdisciplinary to also appeal to readerships engaged in the study of modern political and social trends.

A Philosophy of Christian Materialism offers a new religious engagement with the public sphere via means of interdisciplinary analysis and empirical examples, developing what the authors call a Relational Christian Realism building upon interaction with contemporary Philosophy of Religion. The book argues that the current discourse on public religion is inadequate in addressing the issues now to be faced, including: material religious practice in the sphere of education; the growth of alternative political movements and the developing awareness of environmental concerns and urban social justice. Key concepts that support this strategic analysis are: entangled fidelities (the form of a materialist religious practice); the possibility of a relational Christian realism (including new developments in how we interpret key categories of doctrine including God and creation, salvation and humanity), and the post-secular public sphere (including the emerging phenomenon of postsecular rapprochement - namely the coming together of both religious and secular actors in methodologies and politics of pragmatism as well as ethical discourse for the sake of the public commons). Co-authored by theologians in both the USA and the UK, this book represents an exciting contribution to philosophy and practice of religion on both sides of the Atlantic and aspires to be sufficiently interdisciplinary to also appeal to readerships engaged in the study of modern political and social trends.

This study of the work of noted liberal theologian Gordon Kaufman tracks his career from his first published book, Relativism, Knowledge, and Faith (1960) through his 2006 book, Jesus and Creativity, in light of recent conversations about divine action and modern scientific knowledge. James interprets Kaufman's mature position as a sophisticated reconstruction of divine activity that makes use of recent scientific theory and its naturalistic assumptions in order to revitalize a theocentric frame of reference rooted in classical theological tradition. Though there are costs to be paid in the construction of a theology of ""radical naturalism,"" particularly with respect to the relation between divine action and the human good, Kaufman's program offers a distinctive way forward. After developing a critical analysis of the limitations and possibilities of Kaufman's mature position, James suggests that a christological reconsideration of the meaning of human flourishing offers the prospect of an even more radically naturalistic and theocentric theology. ""In this fine book James gives a sympathetic albeit critical analysis of Kaufman's constructive theology. James has thereby paid Kaufman the highest compliment any theologian can hope to receive, namely, to have his work taken with utter seriousness by a first-rate mind. This study is a model of intellectual clarity and incisive argument."" -Paul E. Capetz Professor of Historical Theology United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities Thomas A. James is Assistant Professor of Theology at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.