Why Church Matters: The Political Theology of Stanley Hauerwas

Abstract

From the beginning of his long career as a theologian and ethicist, Stanley Hauerwas has resisted the accommodation of the Christian church’s distinctive theological convictions and language to the politics of nation-states, especially America. The Christian church’s key political task is to be itself, a servant community capable of living peaceably in a violent world. Although sometimes accused of sectarianism, Hauerwas has demonstrated a settled habit of dialogue with others outside the church, resisting grand political theories while engaging in discussion about formation, virtue, and shared practices.