Building Peace in a Culture War
Christian Witness in a Polarized Society
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12663178 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Russell Johnson (0000-0001-6303-912X, Divinity School, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 228-247 |
| Publication date | 2021-03-23 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Theology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1462-317X • E-ISSN: 1743-1719 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1462317x.2021.1905333 |
| OpenAlex | W3137958188 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 21 |
This article argues that Christians committed to peace must attend more fully to the political and discursive climate of democratic society. In social conflicts characterized by mutual distrust, voices of dissent are routinely distorted or dismissed. Polarization is one of the biblical “powers” that oppose and obscure the Reign of God. Drawing on conflict transformation literature and Anabaptist ecclesiology, I argue that political theologians must address the political processes and discursive factors that prevent dissenting voices from being heard rightly. Christian witness in divided societies must be simultaneously prophetic and reconciling, not standing apart from political organizations but working to challenge the resentment and chronic misrepresentation that often undermine activism and the pursuit of justice and peace. Given their emphasis on nonviolence and dialogue, Mennonites in particular are well-positioned to address polarization as a theological problem
Democracy · Dissent · Dissenting opinion · Distrust · Political science · Political theology · Politics · Sociology · Witness · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2023 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |