Huraian
"Christians in the American Empire demonstrates how Christianity has been appropriated and distorted to justify American imperialism and the military violence necessary to expand it. This current system has weakened America's already tenuous social cohesion and has made American Christians increasingly suspicious of one another." "In this book, Vincent Rougeau argues that it is unwise for Christians to think that focusing on hot-button issues is an appropriate way to actualize faith commitments in the public realm. He rejects the idea that "freedom" means simply individual empowerment and asserts instead that the Christian premise of the God-given dignity of the human being can be realized only in community with others." "Using examples from American law and public policy, welfare reform, affirmative action, and immigration, Christians in the American Empire demonstrates how the American legal system embodies and promotes individualistic and libertarian thinking. While these ideas are suited for the needs of American capitalism, they stand in deep tension with Catholic social thought and other traditions of Christian orthodoxy." "Ultimately, Rougeau calls on American Christians to reject the vision of faith and nation proffered by the religious right in favor of a more Christian cosmopolitanism. Christians in the American Empire offers concerned Christians new tools for a critical assessment of legal, political, and social questions and provides a new model of public engagement for Christians in America."--BOOK JACKET.