James Turner Johnson

James Turner Johnson (PhD, Princeton), was the Distinguished Professor of Religion and Associate of the Graduate Program in Political Science at Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey, where he was on faculty for more than forty years. His research and teaching have focused principally on the historical development and application of the Western and Islamic moral tradition related to war, peace, and the practice of statecraft. He is a contributing editor to Providence.

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Hamas and History

A striking feature of the news media coverage of the current Gaza war has been its failure to relate this present conflict to its historical context

Just War and the Changing Face of Armed Conflict

Understanding the Chinese idea of Just War is essential to understanding Chinese military doctrine.

The Just War Idea and America’s Wars: Eric Patterson’s Just American Wars: Ethical Dilemmas in US Military History

Eric Patterson’s Just American Wars is not only a book about America’s wars. It is also a book about the ongoing moral effect of just war tradition on American values and behavior.

Paul Ramsey and the Recovery of the Just War Idea
Paul Ramsey and the Recovery of the Just War Idea

There are three important reasons why Paul Ramsey’s “The Just War” should be remembered and read by those who haven’t yet encountered it, or reread by those who have.

Reading Augustine
Reading Augustine

Augustine’s influence runs deep and broad through Western Christian doctrine and ethics. This paper focuses on two particular examples of this influence: his thinking on political order and on just war.

Is the Catholic Church About To Abandon Its Just War Teaching?

No – though The National Catholic Reporter would apparently like you to think it is.

just war vatican catholic
A Roman Catholic Conference on Nonviolence & Just Peace

A three day conference in Rome, co-convened by a Vatican council and Catholic peacemakers groups, is taking another look at an old debate

Augustine of Hippo by Sandro Botticelli
Christian Ethics & the Realm of Statecraft: Divisions, Cross-Currents, & the Search for Connections

In what follows I will first lay out some of the most important obstacles, the challenges they pose, their respective weaknesses, and some thoughts on opportunities they offer; then I will offer some thoughts on how best to bring Christianity into engagement with American foreign policy.

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