Paul Ramsey and Reinhold Niebuhr on a Public Theology of Tragedy and the Problem of Dirty Hands

مرکز و کتابخانه مطالعات اسلامی به زبان های اروپایی

منو

" Paul Ramsey and Reinhold Niebuhr on a Public Theology of Tragedy and the Problem of Dirty Hands "
Adam Edward Hollowell, John K. Burk, Adam Edward Hollowell, et al.

Document Type	:	AL
Record Number	:	1069536
Doc. No	:	LA113165
Call No	:	‭10.1163/156973211X595943‬
Language of Document	:	English
Main Entry	:	Adam Edward Hollowell
	:	John K. Burk
Title & Author	:	Paul Ramsey and Reinhold Niebuhr on a Public Theology of Tragedy and the Problem of Dirty Hands [Article]\ Adam Edward Hollowell, John K. Burk, Adam Edward Hollowell, et al.
Publication Statement	:	Leiden: Brill
Title of Periodical	:	International Journal of Public Theology
Date	:	2011
Volume/ Issue Number	:	5/4
Page No	:	458–475
Abstract	:	Modern discussions of the problem of ‘dirty hands’ often draw upon a tradition of thinking in American public theology that wrestles with political conflicts between moral limitations and responsibilities. This article examines the problem of dirty hands through the way two significant figures in the field, Paul Ramsey and Reinhold Niebuhr, employ concepts of tragedy in their public theological writings. The analysis suggests that Ramsey and Niebuhr provide several starting points for describing the ambiguous realities of the political context and establishing limits on morally permissible political behaviour. This offers a significant challenge to the idea that ‘tragedy’ can be used to describe the liberal failings of either scholar and asserts the potential helpfulness of their arguments as the church seeks to exchange reasons in a democratic culture. Modern discussions of the problem of ‘dirty hands’ often draw upon a tradition of thinking in American public theology that wrestles with political conflicts between moral limitations and responsibilities. This article examines the problem of dirty hands through the way two significant figures in the field, Paul Ramsey and Reinhold Niebuhr, employ concepts of tragedy in their public theological writings. The analysis suggests that Ramsey and Niebuhr provide several starting points for describing the ambiguous realities of the political context and establishing limits on morally permissible political behaviour. This offers a significant challenge to the idea that ‘tragedy’ can be used to describe the liberal failings of either scholar and asserts the potential helpfulness of their arguments as the church seeks to exchange reasons in a democratic culture.
Descriptor	:	dirty hands
Descriptor	:	Niebuhr
Descriptor	:	political realism
Descriptor	:	Ramsey
Descriptor	:	tragedy
Location & Call number	:	‭10.1163/156973211X595943‬