Open AccessDoing Justice to Religious Diversity: Theological Foundations for “Principled Pluralism”
Author(s) -
Jonathan Chaplin
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
unio cum christo
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2473-8476
pISSN - 2380-5412
DOI - 10.35285/ucc6.2.2020.art4
Subject(s) - religious pluralism , pluralism (philosophy) , christianity , plural , sociology , state (computer science) , separation of church and state , faith , economic justice , religious freedom , argument (complex analysis) , agency (philosophy) , diversity (politics) , political science , law , environmental ethics , epistemology , theology , philosophy , social science , politics , linguistics , biochemistry , chemistry , algorithm , computer science
This article argues a theological case for “principled pluralism,” a particular stance regarding the proper attitude of the state towards the plural religious affiliations of its citizens. Its central claim is that the role of the state is both to defend the religious freedom of adherents to all faiths and to maintain a public square equally open to contributions from all faiths without publicly privileging any faith, even Christianity. It develops the argument in critical dialogue with a “Christian nation” position, according to which nations can exercise corporate religious agency, should be formed where possible according to Christian principles, and in which Christian citizens should call their governments to support the nation’s Christian character. KEYWORDS: Principled pluralism, religious diversity, state, Christian nation, public square