St. Augustine’s Press

Politics of Morality, The

Portraits in Seven Lives

Woodard, David J.

Here are seven readable biographical sketches of important people who influenced the times in which they lived by bringing their faith to bear on social issues. In writing about them the author incorporates biography, theology, and politics into a coherent whole portrait of the subjects. Present day journals like First Things, National Review, and Christianity Today began as an extension of the personalities of the people profiled in this book, whose interests guided faithful believers in the midst of changing and turbulent times.

The Politics of Morality combines a scholarly penchant for fact with historical evidence to show how these men connected the principles of government with the ideals of Christianity. Here is the story of Russell Kirk’s original vision, and William F. Buckley’s ornery conservative conscience. Francis Schaeffer’s zealous evangelicalism meets Richard J. Neuhaus’s keen insight and Chuck Colson’s passion for justice. Carl F.H. Henry’s novel vision for a Christian magazine is compared to Michael Novak’s refutation of socialism.

This book is a help because it analyzes the lives of people who remain influential in bringing Christian principles to bear on issues in the public square. Anyone interested in current issues has something to learn from the life and work of these individuals.

J. David Woodard (Ph.D. Vanderbilt University) holds the Strom Thurmond Chair of Government at Clemson University, where he has taught political science for over twenty-five years. He also held appointments at Auburn University and Vanderbilt University. He is the author of eight books on political conservatism and American politics, a recent biography of President Ronald Reagan, and a book on politics in the American South. He is also a political consultant for Republican candidates seeking elective office.