McElroy, Robert W. Additional Author mixed material bibliography Paulist Press Paulist Press 1988 monographic 0809130513 en English

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Thirty years ago Jesuit theologian John Courtney Murray began to lay the groundwork for what has since become known as "public theology" a shared understanding of the role of religion in a pluralistic society. The late 1950s was a period of growing affluence and secularist tendencies in the United States. Churches were losing their influence over public and private values at the very moment when issues such as the arms race, the population ex-plosion and racism were demanding value-oriented solutions. Murray's contributions to the public theology did not propose concrete answers to such problems. Indeed, in some respects he seemed curiously blind to specific issues. However, his critique of American materialism, coupled with a belief in the innate goodness of the American people, still rings true in our own day. And, according to Robert McElroy, Murray's public theology, based on arguments from natural law, is "an indispensable referent" and "the most compelling and comprehensive foundation for public theology in the United States today." Those who shape a public theology for the 1990s and beyond will return time and again to John Courtney Murray. Robert W. McElroy graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College, earned his M.A. in American history at Stanford University, a doctorate in moral theology at the Gregorian University in Rome and is completing work on a doctorate in political science at StanfordThirty years ago Jesuit theologian John Courtney Murray began to lay the groundwork for what has since become known as "public theology" a shared understanding of the role of religion in a pluralistic society. The late 1950s was a period of growing affluence and secularist tendencies in the United States. Churches were losing their influence over public and private values at the very moment when issues such as the arms race, the population ex-plosion and racism were demanding value-oriented solutions. Murray's contributions to the public theology did not propose concrete answers to such problems. Indeed, in some respects he seemed curiously blind to specific issues. However, his critique of American materialism, coupled with a belief in the innate goodness of the American people, still rings true in our own day. And, according to Robert McElroy, Murray's public theology, based on arguments from natural law, is "an indispensable referent" and "the most compelling and comprehensive foundation for public theology in the United States today." Those who shape a public theology for the 1990s and beyond will return time and again to John Courtney Murray. Robert W. McElroy graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College, earned his M.A. in American history at Stanford University, a doctorate in moral theology at the Gregorian University in Rome and is completing work on a doctorate in political science at Stanford 261.7 Transformatio Library Bandung Theological Seminary 261.7 McE s E09005365 Non Fiction 261.7 McE s Search_for_An_American_Public_Theology.jpg 64345 2014-12-17 10:19:06 2026-02-10 17:15:14 machine generated