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How Christianity Affects Public Policy
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How Christianity Affects Public Policy

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 8560

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bernard James Mauser

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Philosophy Department, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Charlotte, NC 28277, USA
Interests: Christian faith

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fields of religion, public policy, public administration, and its development have been interrelated throughout history. The context of how Christianity has shaped the area of public policy, law, administration, and behavior has great significance. This Special Issue allows scholars with various viewpoints to share developments in their work and research to help promote the advancement of scholarship in the interrelationship of these disciplines on the Christian influence on Public Policy.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this issue in sharing your research from the different disciplines which include public administration, economics, social work, philosophy, political science, theology, public choice theory, Austrian economics, and law as it relates to how Christianity influences or has influenced policy. There are a range of topics to which this can extend which is not limited to approaches of the death penalty, abortion, taxation, euthanasia, war and peace, along with many other issues that concern our society. We invite contributions that can be beneficial in advancing our knowledge and understanding in these areas and others that are pertinent as it relates to them. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

The ultimate purpose of this Special Issue is to contribute to the body of knowledge about how Christianity may continue to contribute and speak to these areas and even how we may have to recognize the debates within different Christian traditions as it relates to policies going forward.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Bernard James Mauser
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • religion
  • economics
  • political science
  • political philosophy
  • public Health
  • government
  • social welfare and social work
  • sociology & social history
  • law
  • education

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 239 KiB  
Article
The Imago Dei and the Market Economy: Libertarian Tensions in Michael Novak’s Political Theology
by Timothy A. Yonts
Religions 2024, 15(7), 761; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070761 - 24 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1037
Abstract
The paper explores Michael Novak’s understanding of the human person and his normative case for the market economy, specifically its points of agreement and tension with natural rights libertarianism. For Michael Novak, the imago dei provides the strongest account for the relationship between [...] Read more.
The paper explores Michael Novak’s understanding of the human person and his normative case for the market economy, specifically its points of agreement and tension with natural rights libertarianism. For Michael Novak, the imago dei provides the strongest account for the relationship between the market economy, human dignity, and natural rights. Rationalistic attempts, such as those within libertarianism, cannot adequately ground human dignity or sustain free institutions capable of serving the common good, the market economy, and political liberty. However, Novak’s affinity to his libertarian interlocutors presents an opportunity for dialogue on the necessity of economic freedom and related theological influences on natural rights theory for securing human flourishing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Christianity Affects Public Policy)
14 pages, 286 KiB  
Article
Christian Citizens in a Democratic State: Is a True Separation of Church and State Really Possible?
by David Haines
Religions 2024, 15(3), 262; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15030262 - 21 Feb 2024
Viewed by 2420
Abstract
In many North American Protestant circles, especially those with Baptist or Free Church roots, the notion of the total separation of church and state is presented as the ideal to be attained in all church and state relations. We are told that the [...] Read more.
In many North American Protestant circles, especially those with Baptist or Free Church roots, the notion of the total separation of church and state is presented as the ideal to be attained in all church and state relations. We are told that the state should have no legislative power to ordain anything in relation to church doctrine or practice, and that the church should be entirely excluded from all political, secular, or state actions. In this paper, we are going to suggest that such an approach to church–state relations (even though some might think that it flows from or is necessary for democracy) is, in fact, impossible in a true democracy. We will first consider the nature of the church and the state, and present three principles that Maritain suggests are first principles in this debate. We will then look at the classical notion of the “Citizen”. We will conclude by arguing that based upon the nature of a citizen, of the church, and of the state, a strict separation of church and state is, in fact, impossible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Christianity Affects Public Policy)
8 pages, 165 KiB  
Article
A Moderate Proposal: Jonathan Dickinson and Benjamin Franklin Debate Freedom, Conscience, and Consensus
by Rusty Roberson
Religions 2024, 15(1), 121; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15010121 - 17 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1317
Abstract
In matters of twenty-first century public policy, age-old questions surrounding freedom of conscience and both personal and civic liberties remain in perennial tension with the necessary demands for civic conformity, custom, and consensus. These questions were also of critical importance in early eighteenth-century [...] Read more.
In matters of twenty-first century public policy, age-old questions surrounding freedom of conscience and both personal and civic liberties remain in perennial tension with the necessary demands for civic conformity, custom, and consensus. These questions were also of critical importance in early eighteenth-century colonial America. In the first half of the eighteenth century, a hotbed of religious, intellectual, and cultural diversity was fomenting considerable conflict in Philadelphia, setting the stage for a vital debate over the nature and parameters of religious liberty and freedom of conscience in the colonies. Within this context of the eighteenth-century religious and cultural landscape of colonial Philadelphia, this article will examine a debate between Jonathan Dickinson and Benjamin Franklin whereby two distinctly different interpretations of religious liberty and freedom of conscience were established. Left to themselves, these two interpretations lead to sharply divergent trajectories. Nonetheless, by considering these two viewpoints in dialogue with one another, the Franklin–Dickinson pamphlet debate can serve as a useful tool for conceptualizing twenty-first century public policy issues related to freedom of conscience: policies that preserve the essential aspects of what constitutes each person’s humanity while simultaneously respecting the broader exigencies for public order and responsible policy in the aggregate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Christianity Affects Public Policy)
20 pages, 303 KiB  
Article
A Libertarian Anarchist Analysis of Norman Geisler’s Philosophy of Government
by Anthony Michael Miller
Religions 2024, 15(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15010023 - 22 Dec 2023
Viewed by 2277
Abstract
There are numerous approaches and conclusions regarding church and state relations and how Christianity affects public policy. Yet the purpose of this study is to question some of the philosophical assumptions and biblical interpretations that Christians hold to which support the state as [...] Read more.
There are numerous approaches and conclusions regarding church and state relations and how Christianity affects public policy. Yet the purpose of this study is to question some of the philosophical assumptions and biblical interpretations that Christians hold to which support the state as a morally legitimate authoritative institution in the first place. This article will argue that various presuppositions regarding the state’s moral legitimacy are untenable, if not self-refuting. The philosophical commitments of a form of Christian Conservatism exemplified by Norman L. Geisler will be analyzed and critiqued by the Christian Libertarian Anarchist school of thought, represented by Gerard Casey. Geisler’s views on first principles, God’s moral law, social contracts, consent, anarchy, the distinction between vices and crimes, preconditions for virtue, and the common good will be examined. Then, Geisler’s interpretation of classic biblical texts supporting the alleged moral legitimacy of the state will also be assessed. This article will contend that if one were to consistently apply some pertinent principles found in Geisler’s prolegomena to theology when reasoning from natural revelation and the relevant biblical data, one will find that the conclusions are more compatible with the political theology of Christian Libertarian Anarchism. Hence the one who questions how Christianity affects public policy should take into consideration the reasons to deny that divine revelation affirms the state as a morally legitimate authoritative institution. If this is the case, the question ought to be reframed to determine how Christianity affects public policy within a state that has no legitimate moral grounds for authority. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Christianity Affects Public Policy)

Review

Jump to: Research

13 pages, 275 KiB  
Review
The Politics of Christianity in Shaping the Political Dynamics of Zambia
by Timalizge Zgambo
Religions 2024, 15(11), 1379; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111379 - 13 Nov 2024
Viewed by 570
Abstract
Religion can often be very influential in the political system and political actors frequently take advantage of the leverage that it provides. In the Zambian case, Christianity in particular plays a crucial role in politics and policymaking, dating from the pre- to post-colonial [...] Read more.
Religion can often be very influential in the political system and political actors frequently take advantage of the leverage that it provides. In the Zambian case, Christianity in particular plays a crucial role in politics and policymaking, dating from the pre- to post-colonial era. Around 1880, Zambia, then Northern Rhodesia, became a British colony and, at the same time, Christianity was introduced within the context of the European culture. Later, 27 years after independence, Zambia was declared a Christian nation, and all Zambian political leaders have embraced Christianity as the nation’s identity. Thus, Christianity plays a critical function in Zambia’s political sphere. The main aim of this paper is to critically examine how Christianity seeks to direct the political agenda in Zambia’s national politics. It demonstrates the interplay between church and state relations linked to how the state seeks to govern the nation in a Godly manner and the implications on public policymaking in Zambia. This paper explores a multifaceted analysis of the existing literature and the ideas around the politics of the state and religion. It argues that (i) Christianity in Zambia is often used as a political weapon to gain political mileage and (ii) Christianity as a religion has been traditionalised in Zambia. It serves as a “national moral campus”, which compromises the nation’s position as a so-called “democratic” state and suppresses individual freedoms. Thus, it corrupts the very nature of fundamental practices of the religion itself, as it has simply blossomed into more of a norm than a religion. Understanding these dynamics is very crucial, especially in the context of how religion is perceived, experienced and exercised in the political arena to circumvent limited policy options for broader problem solving. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Christianity Affects Public Policy)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: THE IMAGO DEI AND THE MARKET ECONOMY: LIBERTARIAN TENSIONS IN MICHAEL NOVAK’S POLITICAL THEOLOGY
Author: Yonts
Highlights: For Michael Novak, the Imago Dei provides the strongest account for the relationship between the market economy, human dignity, and natural rights. Rationalistic theories, such as those within libertarianism, cannot adequately ground human dignity or sustain free institutions capable of serving the common good, the market economy, and political liberty.

Title: The politics of Christianity and the colonial legacy in Zambia: A case for Africanized Christianity
Author: Zgambo
Highlights: Zambia as a nation is deeply rooted in Christianity (it serves as an instrument for gaining political mileage) and very much forms a critical point of discussion in Zambian politics, government, policy, structures and institutions including social life. Christianity as a religion has particularly influenced the behaviour of political actors in the post-independence era (1964).

Title: The Gospel and Economic Disorder: Ephesus and the Cult of Artemis
Author: Turner
Highlights: This paper will explain the background of how the cult of Artemis is intricately tied to the economy of Ephesus and additionally, how Paul’s preaching of the gospel causes an initial economic disruption during his visit to the city described in Acts 14.

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