Religion after Deliberative Democracy

<p><em>Religion after Deliberative Democracy</em> responds to gaps exposed by the case of religion in deliberative democratic theory.</p><p>Religion's persistent visibility in political life has called for new solutions for healing deeply divided societies. In response, the author begins with Jeffrey Stout’s pragmatist vision of democracy before providing a series of supplements in subsequent chapters. Past legacies are refigured in a rapprochement with Jürgen Habermas’s work which is differentiated from the distinctive relevance of Hannah Arendt’s <i>Vita Activa</i>. New developments in comparative political theology are complemented by recent systems theory approaches to institutional interactions. Peaceful protest movements are reframed in light of the trust-building capacities of minipublics. The result is reason for renewed confidence in democratic practices attuned to fostering political plurality and capable of responding to persistent religious partisanship.</p><p>This book fills a crucial space in the literature on religion and democracy and will be of interest to students and scholars of philosophy of religion, theology, pragmatism, and political theory.</p> <p><em>Introduction </em>1. Pragmatist Faith in Deliberative Democracy 2. The Public Sphere as Utopia 3. Applying Arendt’s <i>Vita Activa</i> to Religion 4. Comparative Political Theology of Sovereignty 5. Religion in Deliberative Democratic Systems Theory<i> Conclusion Epilogue: Bonhoeffer’s Anti-Judaism</i></p>