Christian Political Ethics – Edited by John A. Coleman, S.J.

cal context in terms of which the world can appear as lovableand delightful.” Throughout, Wirzba mounts deft criticismsof culture and church insofar as these thwart abundantliving. Particularly insightful is the discussion of what hecalls “adventures in artificiality” wherein we fall prey toboredom, “the society of the spectacle,” and the elusivepromises of consumer desire. Neither popular nor technical,but thoroughly ecumenical, interreligious, and interdiscipli-nary, this book on Christian living will appeal broadly toecclesial and university audiences.

John N. ShevelandGonzaga University

SPIRITUALITY AND MYSTICISM: A GLOBALVIEW. By James A. Wiseman. Theology in a Global Perspec-tive. New York: Orbis Books, 2006. Pp. ix-xiv + 242. Paper,$20.00.

This book assesses the value of certain discrete histori-cal expressions of Christian spirituality to contemporaryCatholics. It focuses on the spirituality associated with par-ticular individuals—not on broader patterns of piety. A firstchapter on methodological matters is not integrally con-nected to the bulk of this book; subsequent chapters proceedchronologically from biblical spirituality to the sixteenth-century reformation before turning to Asia, Africa, and theAmericas. Although not a work of original scholarship,Wiseman’s voice is most clearly heard in directing evalua-tions of the spiritualities under review. Wiseman assumesshared conceptions about a “healthy” modern spirituality,where Bernard of Clairvaux’s affective religiosity is “prob-lematic” and Eckhart’s understanding of unitas indistincta is“troublesome.” Wiseman juxtaposes approbatory remarks(Pope John Paul II on Francis of Assisi) and critical com-ments (Ratzinger on Gustavo Gutierrez) to inform the read-er’s appropriation of the spiritualities under discussion.While liberal use of often beautiful block quotations is evoca-tive, Wiseman conveys little of the variety and complexity ofChristian spirituality: Francis figures prominently, but wehear nothing of Peter Waldes; Clare is “the person who mostclosely adhered to Francis’ own ideal,” but students will notlearn that she was prohibited from following the friar in themendicant life. Appropriate, with critical guidance, forlower- and upper-level undergraduate courses on contempo-rary Catholic spirituality.

Anna HarrisonLoyola Marymount University

EthicsTROUBLED WATERS: RELIGION, ETHICS, ANDTHE GLOBAL WATER CRISIS. By Gary L. Chamberlain.Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. Pp. ix + 227. Cloth$72.00, paper $27.95.

Thanks to human population increase, climate change,and other ecological factors, water has been at the center of

all sorts of recent prognostications. Thus, filled with infor-mation on the complexity of contemporary water resourceissues, Chamberlain’s book is a well-timed addition to theliterature on religion and ecology. The first few chaptersdescribe the symbolism and use of water in indigenous,Asian, and Abrahamic religious traditions. Because he seeksto show how a new cosmological understanding is needed inorder to deal with environmental crises (in this case, watershortages and pollution), his treatment uses rather broadstrokes to show how water has been a perennial religiousconcern. The middle of the book catalogues the environmen-tal, political, and economic issues associated with humanwater use and, in many cases, our mismanagement andexcess. Final chapters raise the question of what a religiouswater ethos and ethics would entail. His important insight isthat our distribution of water must account for and draw onfrequently occurring cultural and religious associations withwater. At the same time, Chamberlain’s book covers a greatdeal of territory, which means that many topics are notcovered in great depth. As a well-organized starting point forhow religious thought might discuss the topic of water, thisbook provides an overview of the subject for both scholarsand students.

Forrest ClingermanOhio Northern University

FAITH AND FORCE. By David L. Clough and BrianStiltner. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press,2007. Pp. vii + 304. $26.95.

Few texts on the ethics of peace and war engage readersin an open-ended debate between authors who representdiffering streams in Christian ethics. Clough, a principledpacifist, and Stiltner, a contemporary Just War advocate,challenge each other about the war in Iraq, humanitarianinterventions, weapons of mass destruction, and weaponsproliferation in the face of terrorism. Stiltner, a RomanCatholic, embraces a historically conscious natural law posi-tion that rejects both the Christian Realism of ReinholdNiebuhr and those pacifists who refuse engagement in thepublic policy debate. Clough, an English Methodist, acceptsthe principle of discrimination taken over from natural lawinto international law but grounds his position in discern-ment of scripture, religious tradition, experience, andreason. Both search scripture and Christian tradition as wellas other historical sources for common ground. Clough situ-ates his own pacifist position in relation to other streams andargues a qualified acceptance of some military humanitarianinterventions after peace-building practices have failed.Stiltner agrees that such practices as well as more limitedmilitary action might have prevented the genocides inRwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Both argue for preven-tive controls on weapons materials and greater consistencyin treatment of friendly and enemy nations that haveacquired nuclear capability. They also cite inconsistency inhuman rights policy toward Saddam Hussein as a moral anddiplomatic failure. Faith and Force models a framework for

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public dialogue that could be transformative for studentsand theological ethicists.

Rosemarie E. GormanFairfield University

CHRISTIAN POLITICAL ETHICS. Edited by John A.Coleman, S.J. From The Ethikon Series in Comparative Ethics,series editor Carole Pateman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Uni-versity Press, 2008. Pp. xvii + 289. $21.95.

This edited collection, comprised by an interdisciplinarygroup of scholars representing diverse Christian theologicalcommitments, explores a wide range of topics under thebroader heading of “Christian political engagement.” Dividedinto five sections (state and civil society, boundaries andjustice, pluralism, international society, war and peace), thevolume’s thirteen essays by luminaries such as M. Stack-house and N. Biggar provide lucid accounts of the thornyengagements between politics and theology. Part of PrincetonUP’s series on comparative ethics, the volume offers diver-gent opinions on the five topics present in the book to providethe reader with an account of the state of the question in eachcase. That being said, while the majority of the essays are wellcrafted and poignant reflections on pressing political-theological themes, the volume as a whole struggles to coverthe ground it sets before it. With only thirteen essays dividedinto five sections, each section consists of opposing view-points on the topic, with some sections covering their groundmore adequately than others. The section on war and peace isparticularly well covered, while the section on boundaries ismore inadequate, despite excellent essays by N. Biggar andR. B. Miller. The volume serves as a good supplementary textfor a course on political theology or religion and civic engage-ment. The diverse views on each topic will serve to spark goodconversation in the classroom setting in particular.

Myles WerntzBaylor University

DEFENDING PROBABILISM: THE MORAL THEOL-OGY OF JUAN CARAMUEL. By Julia Fleming. Washing-ton, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2006. Pp. xi + 201.$44.95.

Historical studies of significant seventeenth centurytheologians like Caramuel are few because of the lack ofcritical editions and difficulties in translating some Latintexts from microfilm. The Spanish Cistercian and bishopwho was called the “prince of laxists” by enemies hasretained that title due to A. Liguori’s willingness to acceptthe opinions of others in the absence of an accessible corpus.Fleming’s effort to set the record straight and make availablean important moral theologian’s defense of provisionalmoral knowledge is motivated by historical interest and theconviction that “probable opinion,” once a factor in peniten-tial practice, offers us key insights in the face of new tech-nologies and contemporary debates. Caramuel’s battles withJansenists and sympathy for German Protestants took onpolitical significance. The juridical view of absolution linked

to a metaphor of law seems strange today, yet princesrequired legitimation. Fleming offers a fascinating accountof Caramuel’s defense of the Peace of Westphalia, whichsurrendered Catholic properties in order to save lives. Cara-muel displayed an admirable willingness to admit errors inhis evolving theology. In her moving Afterward, Flemingasks whether Caramuel’s compassion to penitents in theface of uncertainties and the impossibility to do otherwisemight tell us something about the God in whom he believed.“God’s love for all, and desire to save all, is the first theologi-cal key for ethical analysis.” Moral theologians will findthis critical retrieval of Caramuel’s works an importantcontribution.


HOW JUST IS THE WAR ON TERROR? A QUESTIONOF MORALITY. By Eileen P. Flynn. New York: PaulistPress, 2007. Pp. ix + 121. $14.95.

In this popular treatment, Flynn primarily examinespersonal ethics in war. She writes from entirely within theJust War tradition with the aim of encouraging people, espe-cially soldiers, to take its restraints seriously, and therebydiscourage them from committing crimes against innocents.She briefly describes the Just War tradition, then shows howthe tradition protects and depends upon the consciences ofindividual soldiers. She argues that rules of engagementmust take into account Just War restraints and concludeswith an examination of the special considerations raised bythe war on terror. She does suggest that military personnelought to believe that wars in which they participate arejustified, and, while normally they will give their leaders thebenefit of the doubt, their evaluation of the justice of theircause may change as the war progresses. Examples takenfrom recent events (such as Abu Ghraib) enhance her dis-cussion. Each chapter has questions for discussion and acase study, although some of her case studies may lackcredibility, especially among soldiers. Flynn’s writing isuneven but accessible. This book is suitable for high schoollibraries and non-scholarly discussion groups.

Glenn M. HardenBaker College

WAR & ETHICS: A NEW JUST WAR THEORY. ByNicholas Fotion. New York: Continuum, 2007. Pp. viii + 178.Cloth $90.00, paper $16.95.

In this work, Fotion both defends and proposes revisionsto Just War theory. He sidesteps the philosophical and theo-logical sources for the tradition and instead focuses on prac-tical criticisms made by both realists and pacifists. Hegenerously admits that most criticisms contain some truthbut resists the idea that Just War theory is fatally flawed. Hismost significant contribution to the tradition is to divide thetheory into two parts; one part applies to wars betweenstates, while the other applies to irregular wars between astate and non-national groups. While some aspects of the


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theory remain the same for each—respect for noncombatants,for example—other aspects reflect the asymmetrical natureof irregular wars. Thus, rebellion does not need a legitimateauthority to declare war, although it still needs a just cause.More controversially, Fotion argues that a just cause couldresult from an accumulation of many causes, each by them-selves unworthy of war, but that together meet the just causecriterion. He also recognizes the possibility that preventativewars might be permitted in cases that involve weapons ofmass destruction. He does not defend the Iraq war as just,although he recognizes that some believed it so, and notwithout reason. Fotion’s writing is accessible and recom-mended for most college libraries.

Glenn M. HardenBaker College

JOHN CUTHBERT FORD: MORAL THEOLOGIAN ATTHE END OF THE MANUALIST ERA. By MarceloO. Genilo. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press,2007. Pp. ix + 217. $49.95.

In 1944, American manualist, J. C. Ford published hisinfluential condemnation of obliteration bombing, whichcontributed to a change in Roman Catholic teaching at theSecond Vatican Council. Ford also addressed the possibilitythat a Catholic might, in conscience, refuse participation insuch acts or claim selective conscientious objector status.Gaudium et spes (1965) affirmed the rights of conscientiousobjectors and condemned all counter population strikes.Ford evaluated psychological arguments on addiction as aguide to pastoral practice. His acceptance of rhythm as wellas surgical removal of a weakened uterus to protect themother reversed earlier manualist teachings that had deter-mined confessional practice. Yet, Genilo demonstrates fromFord’s private meeting notes that the Jesuit also influencedPaul VI’s decision to ignore his theological commission’smajority opinion on contraception. In a fascinating accountof Ford’s behind-the-scenes actions to have theologiansremoved from the commission who supported doctrinalchange and his efforts to convince the Pope that Pius XI’sCasti connubii was an infallible teaching, Genilo revealsanother side of this manualist. He contrasts J. Fuchs’s trans-formation during hearings on women’s experiences to Ford’sinsistence that a moral crisis existed. Genilo’s treatment ofthe two moralists illustrates a significant shift from the tra-ditional manualist to a historically conscious moral theology.This important historical study should interest professorsand graduate students in ethics.


UNITED STATES WELFARE POLICY. A CATHOLICRESPONSE. By Thomas Massaro. Washington, DC:Georgetown University Press, 2007. Pp. v + 257. Cloth$59.95, paper $26.95.

The 1996 welfare reform act abolished the existing Aidto Families with Dependent Children program in favor

of a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families initiative.Massaro explores the mixed and conflicting results of thispublic policy change through the lens of Catholic socialteaching, especially in light of Pope Paul VI’s shift from adeductive method grounded in universal principles to aninductive method that combines observation of experience atthe local level with appeals to norms. Initially, Massarolocates his argument for prudential judgments that mightguide policies both within the Catholic social encyclical tra-dition, and within J. Ryan and J. Murray’s applications of thistradition. Massaro then weaves his case for humanizingpolicy changes from the English poor houses and theirimpact on US culture, through Ryan’s support for New Dealreforms, and finally to the US Catholic bishops’ pastoralletter on the economy. His advocacy for public policies thatmight better protect women and children from sporadicperiods of impoverishment and incentives to unstable mar-riages or abortion are based on careful empirical researchand grounded in Catholic teaching. He offers a nuanced casefor those who need further job training and interim supportas well as care for women who lack the capacity to becomeself supporting. Massaro’s careful analysis of empiricalstudies makes this an important text for ethicists, theiradvanced students and policy makers.


CAN A HEALTH CARE MARKET BE MORAL? ACATHOLIC VISION. By Mary J. McDonough. Washington,DC: Georgetown University Press, 2007. Pp. vii + 256.$29.95.

Skyrocketing health care insurance premiums forcesome nonprofit institutions, small businesses, and individu-als to choose plans with less coverage or even to forfeit whatthe Catholic social tradition considers a basic right to healthcare. As a former advocate for Legal Services who has heldoffice in the Montana State House of Representatives,McDonough writes about the need to balance a criticaljustice claim with the availability of funding in the face oftechnological advances. She makes the case that marketforces can contribute to cost containment, but the marketalone fails to afford justice to average citizens. CatholicSocial Teaching rejects the notion of the isolated, atomisticindividual who purchases basic services in a competitivesociety; rather, it treats justice and the common good asgoals of civil society. McDonough synthesizes the founda-tional claims of CST and then examines the history of medi-cine’s relationship to economic limits; considers Europeanand Canadian efforts to balance health care justice withincentives for cost containment; and explores four econo-mists’ arguments that the market can be compatible withaccess to basic care. For example, she notes how D. Callahanurges an acceptance of limits for an aging population thatrequires basic health care, yet ought to accept the need tocontain costly technological interventions. McDonoughalso puts Callahan’s work in dialogue with that of the late R.


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McCormick and concludes with a theological exploration ofsuffering. This book should interest ethicists, policy makers,and advanced students.


WHERE IS THE GOD OF JUSTICE? BIBLICAL PER-SPECTIVES ON SUFFERING. By Warren McWilliams.Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2005. Pp. xxvii +259. $16.95.

This biblical approach to theodicy surveys a broad rangeof suffering, including social discrimination and animal suf-fering. McWilliams seeks to dislodge the view that others’suffering is retribution for sin. While this may be how believ-ers may wish to interpret their own pain, with respect toothers, “God alone . . . should make the connection betweensin and suffering.” McWilliams prefers that believers askinstead if their sin has contributed to others’ suffering.Believers may attribute their own suffering to natural forcesor Satan or perceive it as a test of faith or a path to whole-ness. McWilliams recommends responding to suffering withcreative labor and discipleship to a faithful God who “wooshis people back to him.” He reviews recent works in theodicybut rarely offers critique or assessment. The book’s breadthis purchased at the expense of depth and, hence, is recom-mended for lay readers who will find his opening and closingchapters most helpful in framing the question.

Judith W. KayUniversity of Puget Sound

EYE FOR AN EYE. By William Ian Miller. New York:Cambridge University Press, 2006. Pp. xiii + 266. Cloth$28.00, paper $19.99.

In this fascinating and provocative popular book, Millerreflects on the lex talionis–“an eye for an eye, a tooth for atooth, measure for measure”—as a legal ethical principle. Aprofessor of law, he explores Jewish and Christian scripture,Icelandic sagas, Shakespeare’s plays, Clint Eastwoodmovies, and ancient and current legal codes. Miller arguesthat by using the body as the unit of measure, the talionencourages respect for life and is a form of corrective justicethat can lead to peace. A social ethical problem arisesbecause talionic societies are usually “honor” cultures inwhich only “honorable life” is not cheap. But in such cul-tures, the poor, widow, and orphans are avenged by God, asseen, for example, in the Psalms and the Prophets. To theJewish idea of talionic justice, Miller adds “the Christian ideaof Incarnation, of transforming spirit and abstraction intoflesh so that it can be sacrificed and paid over to satisfy anangry Creditor.” His discussion of “Jew hating” in the“Merchant of Venice” is particularly insightful. Recom-mended for biblical scholars, theologians, and ethicistsinterested in rethinking our current understandings ofjustice. A list of biblical citations is included in the index.

Pamela K. BrubakerCalifornia Lutheran University

AFRICAN AMERICAN BIOETHICS: CULTURE,RACE, AND IDENTITY. Edited by Lawrence Prograis Jr.and Edmund D. Pellegrino. Washington, DC: GeorgetownUniversity Press, 2007. Pp. vii + 169. Cloth $44.95, paper$26.95.

Are cultural values that influence health care choicesan important consideration for bioethicists? In this text, aninterdisciplinary group of contributors explores the ques-tion: “Is there a distinctive African-American bioethics?” R.Peniston argues: “If there is a true and recognizableAfrican-American perspective, it certainly and fundamen-tally includes a concern for justice, and its denial to peopleof color.” C. Sanders treats the case of the anthrax contami-nations and five deaths following 9/11, in which nine postalworkers contracted anthrax before testing and treatmentwere made available. A high percentage of postal workersin Washington, DC are African American; most laterrefused the vaccine out of a fear of becoming guinea pigs.Some put confidence in faith healers whose rituals had sus-tained communities. In light of the findings from theHuman Genome Project, it appears that race is less helpfulas a category than biogeographical ancestry; therefore,certain genetic differences associated with diseases such aspremature heart disease may be best related to ancestry.Debate for or against developing genomic medicines raisesquestions of costs: what might be the impact of specializedmedicines on the cost of health care and its consequentavailability to all? Would African-American bioethicistsjudge the possibilities for targeted cures worth the cost?Authors of eight articles in this volume contribute provoca-tive questions for anyone interested in bioethics; profes-sionals in the field and graduate students might find it moststimulating.


LET THEM GO FREE: A GUIDE TO WITHDRAWINGLIFE SUPPORT. By Thomas A. Shannon and Charles N.Faso. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2007.Pp. v + 61. $6.95.

In the wake of the T. Schiavo case, many families expe-rience greater confusion about decisions regarding thewithdrawal of life-sustaining medical technologies. Ethicaldebate about patients who are not terminally ill yet exist ina persistent vegetative state is available to bioethicists andtheir students, but average Christians are often perplexed.Am I killing my loved one if I do not decide to continuetheir use of life supports? What would she want? Shannonand Faso have written a simple guide for pastoral caregiv-ers and families that includes a historical overview of theearlier medical ethics and newer questions related to life-prolonging means that were not available to older genera-tions. The guide allows average families to weigh positionsparticularly in Catholic bioethics. It is pastoral in scope andshows sensitivity to the patient’s family members without


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offering one solution. Artificial feeding of nonterminalpatients is carefully treated with a listing of both posi-tions. The decision to donate organs is included. The smallguide concludes with an ecumenical prayer service thatmost Christian families might find appropriate as theypray with a loved one before the medical technology isdiscontinued.

This booklet should be widely available to those withpastoral roles in the community.


SOCIAL SELVES AND POLITICAL REFORM:FIVE VISIONS IN CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANETHICS. By C. Melissa Snarr. New York: T & T Clark Inter-national, 2007. Pp. xxvi + 134. $150.00.

In this lucid and timely book, Snarr discusses and evalu-ates the work of “five important 20th century ProtestantChristian ethicists,” each representative of one of five majortrajectories in contemporary Christian ethics: W. Rauschen-busch (social gospel), Reinhold Niebuhr (realist), S. Hauer-was (communitarian), B. Harrison (feminist), and E. Townes(womanist). Her project aims to contribute to “a moralanthropology for Christian political ethics that is descrip-tively accurate of moral formation and dynamics of institu-tional change.” Snarr concludes with “six core convictionsfor the social self,” drawing on the strengths and weaknessesof these ethicists. Overall, her assessment of each is percep-tive, well supported, and useful for her project. However,Snarr’s claim that Harrison’s “work for reform focuses oneconomic priorities” and only occasionally discusses thepolitical process is flawed by her neglect of Harrison’s majorwork, Our Right to Choose: Toward a New Ethic of Abortion(1983). There, Harrison astutely analyzes “abortion politics”and morally advocates for bodily integrity and procreativechoice as essential to women’s—and to everyone’s—well-being. For Harrison, as for Townes, the social self is also anembodied self. I would recommend this work for seminarylibraries.


THE GLOBALIZATION OF ETHICS: RELIGIOUSAND SECULAR PERSPECTIVES. Edited by William M.Sullivan and Will Kymlikca. The Ethikon Series in Compara-tive Ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007.Pp. vii + 305. Cloth $80.00, paper $27.99.

This impressive volume consists of contributions byeleven eminent scholars examining a range of influentialethical traditions including international law, Judaism,Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Confucianism, Thomisticnatural law, liberalism, and feminism. An Appendixincludes key historical documents on global ethics andhuman rights. In his “Introduction,” W. Kymlicka

distinguishes between the ethics of globalization and the glo-balization of ethics. Much is being written these days aboutthe ethics of globalization—about the moral costs and benefitsof those technological, economic, political, and culturalchanges that are shaping the era in which we live. Less hasbeen written about the globalization of ethics—about theongoing efforts by activists, academics, and governmentofficials around the world to discover or create a commonmoral vocabulary that will enable people to discuss theirethical concerns about globalization across religious, cul-tural, and national boundaries. While the chapters in thisvolume do report on ethical debates within each traditionabout the nature and consequences of globalization, theirmain focus is on how each tradition views the possibilityand desirability of articulating and implementing a set ofmoral values and guidelines that can be shared by theworld’s diverse peoples. Each chapter also addresses thediversity that exists within as well as among the traditionsunder discussion. Through its analysis of disparateapproaches to ethical universalism and particularism, thisbook makes an important contribution to the theory andpractice of global ethics and to the comparative study ofreligious and secular ethics.

Bruce GrelleCalifornia State University, Chico

JUSTICE EDUCATION: FROM SERVICE TO SOLI-DARITY. By Suzanne C. Toton. Milwaukee, WI: MarquetteUniversity Press, 2006. Pp. 184. $20.00.

Toton draws on twenty years of experience in socialethics and justice education to contend that “Christian andCatholic” colleges and universities must move beyondupholding the idea of justice to “participating in its cre-ation.” She develops a “working theology” for justice educa-tion that will “identify with the poor and marginalized ofsociety, stand in solidarity with them, and accompany themin the struggle for justice and peace.” Toton presents theLatin American Church as an example of “a church workingfor justice” and the University of Central America (UCA) inSan Salvador as a “university working for justice.” Shediscusses the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), focusingon East Brooklyn Congregations and Philadelphia Inter-faith Action (of which she is a member), to make “a localconnection” to US congregations working in solidarity withthe “poor with spirit.” Toton powerfully makes her case forthe move from service to solidarity. Her discussion of thelimits of many community service and service-learningprograms is insightful. However, she does not discuss waysof connecting US educational institutions to IAF groups,even though her discussion of UCA offers the reader a usefulexample on which to draw. Recommended for college andseminary professors interested in service-learning andjustice education.



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Christian Political Ethics – Edited by John A. Coleman, S.J.

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