Theopolitical Imagination (Paperback)

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Product Description

William T. Cavanaugh gives a study of radical implications of Christian believing, and a cultural critique of modern Western civilization from the perspective of a believing Catholic.

Product Details

• Paperback: 130 pages
• Publisher: T. & T. Clark Publishers (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0567088774
• ISBN-13: 978-0567088772
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #299,190 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eucharistic Ecclesiology, April 12, 2005

By	Tedd Steele (Naperville, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this very short text, Cavanaugh presents an argument that the church, when it properly celebrates the Eucharist, confronts oppressive political structures as a counter-politics. Through the sacrament, the church embodies an alternative to nationalism, civil society, and globalization. In the first chapter, Cavanaugh outlines the way the emergence of the nation-state created an individualized religion. This is because the state presents a narrative of salvation. The church, on the other hand, presents a true story of salvation as it participates in the Eucharist. In the second chapter, Cavanaugh outlines the contention of some Christians that the church should particpate in civil society, since it is a "free space" and the means of reform. However, the church is a free and public space, in the best senses of the terms, as it gathers around the Lord's table. Here Christians can truly engage in acts that can transform the world. Finally, in the third chapter Cavanaugh takes on globalization. As he presents it, globalization is an extension of the project of the nation-state. Globalization allows the universal to dominate the local, to a greater degree than nation-states do. The church is a counter-politics in that the Eucharist allows for a spacial relations to be reconceived. The universal/local dichotomy is collapsed as the universal is encapsulated in the local.

This is a great collection of essays. The only problem is that the book is too short. Cavanaugh promises more to come on these topics. I hope that he is true to his word. This is a must read for those interested in the church and politics.