Abstract
Over the last 10–15 years, Luke Bretherton has established himself as one of the leading theologians in the field of political theology. His most recent book consolidates his significant contributions to this field. One of the characteristics of Bretherton’s approach to political theology is that he balances on the one hand the call for Christians to live faithful lives bearing witness to Christ in public with, on the other hand, the motif from Jeremiah 29: the call for Christians to be in the worldly city, to take part in its daily life and to pray for its welfare. This double-sided understanding is also apparent in this book.
Christ and the Common Life is a large book, both in physical size and in the scope of its topic. The latter could have called for an even larger book with more concrete topics covered, but, with regard to the former, maybe it is large enough already. Bretherton opens the book with a short introduction and an introductory chapter on what political theology actually is. In these two sections, he outlines his basic understanding of the mutually constitutive talk of God and politics: the two are necessarily intertwined and their interrelation shapes both ecclesial and political life. Also, he emphasizes how the common life with and for others is a prerequisite for human flourishing.
After the introductory chapter, the book is divided into three main parts. The first part focuses on what is called ‘Case studies in political theology’, with chapter headings on humanitarianism, black power, Pentecostalism, Catholic social teaching and Anglicanism. The selection of these frameworks could be discussed, but the list reflects Bretherton’s Anglican background and his current North American context. In the second part, the focus is on challenges to the common life and practices to sustain it. Here, Bretherton deals with the issues of communion and class, secularism and secularity, and toleration and hospitality. The chapters in this section build upon each other in an argument to show how we can live a common life with strangers, or even with people we find scandalous. The last main part of the book examines key concepts with the aim of understanding democracy as a means of generating common patterns of life. He focuses here on humanity, economy, sovereignty and populism. The last chapter on democratic politics also functions as a kind of summary.
Bretherton’s book is a very important contribution to political theology today. It is a significant help for both academics and Christians in general struggling with the question of what it means to bear witness to Christ in pluralist, secular societies without giving up on either faithful discipleship or the love and care for the common life with all fellow human beings. This topic is also so broad that anyone could find challenges that they would also like to have seen addressed in this book. But rather than see this as a limitation, we can just as easily see it as a need for a further book by Bretherton. Christ and the Common Life is highly recommended. It is a wonderful book that undoubtedly will provide rich inspiration in both church and academy for many years to come.