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Finding Locke's God : the theological basis of John Locke's political thought / Nathan Guy.

By: Material type: TextTextLanguage: English Series: Bloomsbury collectionsDescription: 1 online resource (244 pages)ISBN:
  • 1350103543
  • 9781350103542
Subject(s): Additional physical formats: Hardback version :: No title; EPUB version :: No title; PDF version :: No titleDDC classification:
  • 192 23
LOC classification:
  • B1298.R4
Online resources:
Contents:
Acknowledgements -- List of Abbreviations -- Introduction -- Part I:In Defense of the Religious Turn -- 1. The New Perspective on Locke: The Religious (Re)Turn in Locke Scholarship -- 2. Life in the Areopagus: Secular Echoes, Religious Refrain -- 3. Locke and the Latitudinarians: Locke's Religious Experience and Theological Influences in the Context of Seventeenth-Century England -- Part II: From A "Religious" to a "Theological" Turn: Tracing Locke's Theological Argumentation -- 4. The God of Christianity and the Foundations of Morality -- 5. Natural Law, the Law of Nature and a Theology of Creation -- 6. Revelation, Reason and Scripture -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index
Summary: The portrait of John Locke as a secular advocate of Enlightenment rationality has been deconstructed by the recent 'religious turn' in Locke scholarship. This book takes an important next step: moving beyond the 'religious turn' and establishing a 'theological turn', Nathan Guy argues that John Locke ought to be viewed as a Christian political philosopher whose political theory was firmly rooted in the moderating Latitudinarian theology of the seventeenth-century. Nestled between the secular political philosopher and the Christian public theologian stands Locke, the Christian political philosopher, whose arguments not only self-consciously depend upon Christian assumptions, but also offer a decidedly Christian theory of government. Finding Locke's God identifies three theological pillars crucial to Locke's political theory: (1) a biblical depiction of God, (2) the law of nature rooted in a doctrine of creation and (3) acceptance of divine revelation in scripture. As a result, Locke's political philosophy brings forth theologically-rich aims, while seeking to counter or disarm threats such as atheism, hyper-Calvinism, and religious enthusiasm. Bringing these items together, Nathan Guy demonstrates how each pillar supports Locke's Latitudinarian political philosophy and provides a better understanding of how he grounds his notions of freedom, equality and religious toleration. Convincingly argued and meticulously researched, this book offers an exciting new direction for Locke studies.
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Online access provided by Bloomsbury Publishing as part of Bloomsbury collections.

Acknowledgements -- List of Abbreviations -- Introduction -- Part I:In Defense of the Religious Turn -- 1. The New Perspective on Locke: The Religious (Re)Turn in Locke Scholarship -- 2. Life in the Areopagus: Secular Echoes, Religious Refrain -- 3. Locke and the Latitudinarians: Locke's Religious Experience and Theological Influences in the Context of Seventeenth-Century England -- Part II: From A "Religious" to a "Theological" Turn: Tracing Locke's Theological Argumentation -- 4. The God of Christianity and the Foundations of Morality -- 5. Natural Law, the Law of Nature and a Theology of Creation -- 6. Revelation, Reason and Scripture -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index

The portrait of John Locke as a secular advocate of Enlightenment rationality has been deconstructed by the recent 'religious turn' in Locke scholarship. This book takes an important next step: moving beyond the 'religious turn' and establishing a 'theological turn', Nathan Guy argues that John Locke ought to be viewed as a Christian political philosopher whose political theory was firmly rooted in the moderating Latitudinarian theology of the seventeenth-century. Nestled between the secular political philosopher and the Christian public theologian stands Locke, the Christian political philosopher, whose arguments not only self-consciously depend upon Christian assumptions, but also offer a decidedly Christian theory of government. Finding Locke's God identifies three theological pillars crucial to Locke's political theory: (1) a biblical depiction of God, (2) the law of nature rooted in a doctrine of creation and (3) acceptance of divine revelation in scripture. As a result, Locke's political philosophy brings forth theologically-rich aims, while seeking to counter or disarm threats such as atheism, hyper-Calvinism, and religious enthusiasm. Bringing these items together, Nathan Guy demonstrates how each pillar supports Locke's Latitudinarian political philosophy and provides a better understanding of how he grounds his notions of freedom, equality and religious toleration. Convincingly argued and meticulously researched, this book offers an exciting new direction for Locke studies.

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