TY - BOOK AU - Senior,John E. TI - A theology of political vocation: Christian life and public office SN - 9781481300353 (hardback : alk. paper) AV - BV 4740 .S45 2015 PY - 2015/// CY - Waco, Texas PB - Baylor University Press KW - Vocation KW - Christianity KW - Christianity and politics KW - Christians KW - Political activity KW - Political science KW - Philosophy N1 - Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-219) and index; Introduction: Statecraft in a Machiavellian age -- What is a political vocation? -- Responsibility and representation -- Vocation and formation in political space -- The moral ambiguity of political space -- The journey of political vocation -- The project of political vocation -- Irony as a political virtue -- Good political competition -- Conclusion: The possibility of political vocation N2 - Power, money, endless competition. A zero-sum game. Politics as usual. Only the hearty or craven need apply. The political actors have lost sight of the politics of a common good. A Theology of Political Vocation takes up the question of public life precisely where most discussions end. Proving that moral ambiguity does not exclude moral possibility, author John Senior crafts a theology of political vocation not satisfied simply by theologies of sin and grace and philosophical theories of power. For Senior, political theology moves beyond merely staking a claim within a public conversation, a move that prizes discursive skills and aims at consensus concerning shared norms and values. Political theology must offer an account of a political vocation. Senior connects political deliberation to moral judgment, explores use and consequence of power, analyzes political conflict and competition, and limns the ethics of negotiation and compromise. In light of this richer understanding of political vocation, Senior develops theological resources appropriate to a variety of ecologies -- ordinary citizens, political activists, and elected officials. A Theology of Political Vocation shows how Christian politicians can work faithfully within the moral ambiguity of political life to orient their work -- and indeed, their very selves -- toward the common good ER -