 | A Culture of Engagement: Law, Religion, and Morality Subjects: Christian ethics -- United States; Catholic Church -- United States -- Doctrines; Law -- Moral and ethical aspects -- United States; Freedom of religion -- United States; Culture conflict -- United States; Kaveny (Law's Virtues), professor of law and theology at Boston College, argues that assimilation and isolation are not the only choices for religious believers. Instead, they can opt for a culture of engagement where different traditions and viewpoints come together in meaningful conversation. With ambitious scope, Kaveny provides a series of examples of this culture at work, tackling complicated legal and ethical questions such as the death penalty, religious freedom under the Affordable Care Act, same-sex marriage, and assisted suicide. For each issue, her legal training and religious commitments weave together smoothly to provide thoughtful and considered answers from a liberal Catholic perspective. The very short chapters (most fewer than three pages) originated as blog posts or columns for Commonweal Magazine, which will frustrate readers looking for a bit more depth. On the other hand, Kaveny's concision makes for easily consumed and clearly argued snippets on urgent concerns. This is a compassionate, committed, highly readable guide to recent rows in the hotly debated intersections among ethics, faith, and the rule of law. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. Cathleen Kaveny is Darald and Juliet Libby Professor at Boston College, a position that includes appointments in both the department of theology and the law school. She holds a joint PhD/JD from Yale University and is the author of Law's Virtues: Fostering Autonomy and Solidarity in American Society (GUP, 2012). The author of many columns and articles for Newsweek , the Washington Post , Commonweal , and other publications, she appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 2012. |
