Augustine

Michael Cromartie Speech at Providence Launch Event
Michael Cromartie’s Speech at Providence Launch Event

In memory of Michael Cromartie, who passed away yesterday, here is his speech at Providence’s launch event in November 2015.

Jean Bethke Elshtain: An Augustinian at War
Jean Bethke Elshtain: An Augustinian at War

Jean Bethke Elshtain (1941-2013) was an American political theorist, ethicist, and public intellectual who made scholarly contributions to various debates, and especially on the just war tradition.

Reinhold Niebuhr and the Problem of Paradox
Reinhold Niebuhr and the Problem of Paradox

Against pacifist sentiment and calls for isolationism, Reinhold Niebuhr insisted on a realistic Christian response to political crises, one willing to dirty its hands to avoid catastrophic evil. However, his dialectic between love and justice produces a catastrophic paradox.

The Local Church and the War
The Local Church and the War

This article about the morality and justification of World War II and the Church was originally published in Christianity & Crisis in 1942.

The U.S. “Abstention” on U.N. Resolution 2334 Condemning Israeli Settlements: Who Won?
The U.S. “Abstention” on U.N. Resolution 2334 Condemning Israeli Settlements: Who Won?

Because the U.N. does not have the power of the sword, the U.S. abstention in the recent U.N. vote has not weakened Israel at all; it has weakened the U.N.

The Fifth Image: Seeing the Enemy with Just War Eyes
The Fifth Image: Seeing the Enemy with Just War Eyes

In the Christian view, the normative grounding from which the tradition of just war casuistry springs is the dominical command to love.

Just War Theory & Terrorism
Just War Theory & Terrorism

This essay provides a brief overview of the just war tradition and then applies the framework to the problem of contemporary terrorism.

Seek the City’s Peace and Prosperity

Under the next administration, Christians ought to seek the peace and prosperity of our nation by praying for its blessing as well as providing criticism.

King Jesus and the Rule of Nations
King Jesus and the Rule of Nations

The most glaring weakness in the Declaration, by my lights, is the failure to reckon with and address the kingship of Jesus Christ.