Daniel Bell Jr.
Shadle’s study of the origins of war in Catholic thought is an important contribution to political theology and social ethics not only because it calls attention to a frequently overlooked aspect of the moral assessment of war but also because it provides a helpful introduction for theologians to contemporary theories of international relations.
Tobias Winright
With an impressive command of both the theological tradition and the relevant literature in contemporary international relations theory, Matthew Shadle offers a thoroughly theological account of the origins of war that constructively carves out a way forward beyond the liberal-conservative impasse among Catholic thinkers on the ethics of war today.
Brian Stiltner
Shadle shows how ethical analyses of war in contemporary Catholicism will improve by attending to culture explicitly. This book stands apart from other recent books on Catholicism and war by engaging the modern theology of nature and grace as well as the international relations theory of constructivism. All those interested in the theology, ethics, philosophy, and politics of war and peace will find value in Shadle’s potent analysis.
From the Publisher
"Shadle shows how ethical analyses of war in contemporary Catholicism will improve by attending to culture explicitly. This book stands apart from other recent books on Catholicism and war by engaging the modern theology of nature and grace as well as the international relations theory of constructivism. All those interested in the theology, ethics, philosophy, and politics of war and peace will find value in Shadle's potent analysis."—Brian Stiltner, associate professor of religious studies, Sacred Heart University
"With an impressive command of both the theological tradition and the relevant literature in contemporary international relations theory, Matthew Shadle offers a thoroughly theological account of the origins of war that constructively carves out a way forward beyond the liberal-conservative impasse among Catholic thinkers on the ethics of war today."—Tobias Winright, associate professor of theological ethics, Saint Louis University
"Shadle masterfully addresses the question, 'Why war?' by gleaning the first fruits from two fields: international relations theory and theological ethics. In this he represents what's best in the new generation of theological ethicists: the ability to place the social sciences in dialogue with Christian tradition in a way that is critical, creative, honest, and relevant to our time."—Mark J. Allman, associate professor of religious studies, Merrimack College, and author of Who Would Jesus Kill? War, Peace and the Christian Tradition
"Shadle's study of the origins of war in Catholic thought is an important contribution to political theology and social ethics not only because it calls attention to a frequently overlooked aspect of the moral assessment of war but also because it provides a helpful introduction for theologians to contemporary theories of international relations."—Daniel Bell Jr., associate professor theological ethics, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, and author of Just War as Christian Discipleship
Mark J. Allman
Shadle masterfully addresses the question, 'Why war?' by gleaning the first fruits from two fields: international relations theory and theological ethics. In this he represents what’s best in the new generation of theological ethicists: the ability to place the social sciences in dialogue with Christian tradition in a way that is critical, creative, honest, and relevant to our time.
