The Hauerwas Reader

Stanley Hauerwas author Michael Cartwright editor John Berkman editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Duke University Press

Published:23rd Jul '01

Should be back in stock very soon

The Hauerwas Reader cover

Provides a comprehensive introduction to Hauerwas' work

Stanley Hauerwas is one of the most widely read and oft-cited theologians writing today. A prolific lecturer and author, he has been at the forefront of key developments in contemporary theology, ranging from narrative theology to the "recovery of virtue." This book represents all the different periods and phases of Hauerwas' work.Stanley Hauerwas is one of the most widely read and oft-cited theologians writing today. A prolific lecturer and author, he has been at the forefront of key developments in contemporary theology, ranging from narrative theology to the “recovery of virtue.” Yet despite his prominence and the esteem reserved for his thought, his work has never before been collected in a single volume that provides a sense of the totality of his vision.
The editors of The Hauerwas Reader, therefore, have compiled and edited a volume that represents all the different periods and phases of Hauerwas’s work. Highlighting both his constructive goals and penchant for polemic, the collection reflects the enormous variety of subjects he has engaged, the different genres in which he has written, and the diverse audiences he has addressed. It offers Hauerwas on ethics, virtue, medicine, and suffering; on euthanasia, abortion, and sexuality; and on war in relation to Catholic and Protestant thought. His essays on the role of religion in liberal democracies, the place of the family in capitalist societies, the inseparability of Christianity and Judaism, and on many other topics are included as well.
Perhaps more than any other author writing on religious topics today, Hauerwas speaks across lines of religious traditions, appealing to Methodists, Jews, Anabaptists or Mennonites, Catholics, Episcopalians, and others.

The Hauerwas Reader is of specific importance for the ethical discourses in the European context. Hauerwas forcefully presents a church-oriented social ethics in ways that help to rediscover the critical impact of a forgotten tradition on mainstream protestant ethics. Because of his innovative theological revision of the moral issues in the ethical discourse of our present time, the serious engagement of Hauerwas’s work is a must for European ethicists.”—Hans G. Ulrich, Institut für Systematische Theologie, University Erlangen-Nuernberg
“Covering a range of ethical concerns from healthcare to warfare, these essays show again how Stanley Hauerwas brings together Evangelical and Catholic foundations for an ethics based on faith. The articles ring true, which is to say they speak first of Christ and only then of life in Him.”—Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago
“For decades now Stanley Hauerwas has been the most eloquent voice proclaiming the morality of particularism and the immorality of universalism. In a liberal culture that voice is heard as both alien and unreasonable, accusations Hauerwas no doubt cherishes.”—Stanley Fish, author of The Trouble with Principle
“For many years Stanley Hauerwas has been lobbing peaceable bombs into the moral theologians’ playground, awakening them from their undogmatic slumbers to the importance of truthful action. The best of these bombs are here, in a wonderful arsenal of Hauerwas’s essays. Beware! Hauerwas is always challenging, provocative, illuminating, exasperating, disturbing, and fresh.”—Duncan Forrester, New College, The University of Edinburgh
“If Kierkegaard knew Hauerwas, he would have seen that it is possible, after all, for one person to be a close friend of Jesus and of Socrates‚ at the same time. On behalf of all of us in the Abrahamite traditions, Hauerwas cracks open modern society’s lazy moral speech and lets us see, lying neglected inside it, God’s commanding word. In this way, he helps clear a space in contemporary America for Jews, and I trust Muslims, as well as Christians to narrate their stories of what God wants of us. If you don’t know Hauerwas yet, this fine collection is the way to begin, along with its wonderful introductions and guides to Hauerwas‚ work. If you do know him, well, then, you already know that each reading and re-reading will bring surprises. And blessings.”—Peter Ochs, Bronfman Professor of Modern Judaic Studies, University of Virginia
“If you don’t know Hauerwas yet, this fine collection is the way to begin, along with its wonderful introductions and guides to Hauerwas’s work. If you do know him, well, then, you already know that each reading and re-reading will bring surprises. And blessings.”—Peter Ochs, Bronfman Professor of Modern Judaic Studies, University of Virginia
“It would be hard to overestimate the value of Stanley Hauerwas’s contributions to theological conversation and religious life in today’s world. Alternately brilliant and exasperating, his work is indispensable in helping us find our way in a dark time. This wonderful reader is the best introduction to Hauerwas currently available.”—Robert N. Bellah, coauthor of Habits of the Heart
“Stanley Hauerwas challenges, informs, provokes, and inspires anyone who reflects seriously on faith and life. The Hauerwas Reader is an invitation to accompany one of today’s most provocative and creative thinkers on a transforming theological journey beyond our comfortable idolatries.”—Bishop Kenneth L. Carder, Mississippi Episcopal Area, The United Methodist Church

ISBN: 9780822326915

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 1043g

752 pages