This issue of Religion & Liberty in many ways personifies Christ in culture. The lead interview is an analysis of the faith at work movement from one of its leaders, David W. Miller. Miller reminds us of how the Church has lagged behind in integrating faith with work, and quite often many pastoral and church leaders have failed in articulating a strong theology of work. As you will see, some of these reasons are ideological, while some may simply arise from practical reasons. At the same time, faith at work has a significant grassroots following that has decisively shaped various sectors of the business and corporate arena.
Joseph M. Knippenberg offers a different analysis of the much discussed findings by the Pew Forum on Religion and & Public Life Òon the American religious landscape.Ó Knippenberg's analysis is far less dour than what has been reported in some nationwide headlines, which has often emphasized a movement towards secularization. Knippenberg is a professor of politics at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, and is an accomplished writer, widely sought out in academic and popular publications.
Acton's Ray Nothstine reviews The Scandal of Evangelical Politics by Ronald J. Sider, and gives the author some credit for his evolution to a more balanced political and economic understanding in comparison to his earlier works like Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. Sider's understanding that limited state power is advantageous to religious and political freedom is significant, given his enormous influence in the evangelical Protestant community, especially among those who often identify with the evangelical left.
Thomas C. Oden is an important theological scholar who has greatly contributed to the interest and study of the early Church. Oden is a leader of "paleo-orthodoxy," which is influencing Protestants to embrace the early Church over more modern biblical scholarship; modern theology is at times overly influenced by contemporary political and cultural agendas. Oden is providing the tools and thoughts to make this possible for many who have little or no exposure to the Church Fathers. Our executive editor John Couretas reviews Oden's Deeds Not Words: The Good Works Reader.
Finally, it's highly appropriate that William F. Buckley is the featured figure for the recurrent "In the Liberal Tradition" this issue. Buckley, who passed away at the end of February, was well known as a prolific leader in the modern conservative movement. Buckley was a faithful Catholic, who wrote an autobiography of his faith titled Nearer, My God. We are honored to highlight his own views about his faith, which meant so much to him.
