Faith, Hope, Love, and Justice: The Theological Virtues Today

This eye-catching and appetizing book, emanating from a series of papers at a conference held at Claremont Graduate University in April 2016, gives a hybrid of perspectives on the biblical concepts of faith, hope, and love in the context of justice. . . . the book is an informative and worthwhile exploration of various perspectives on faith, hope, and love for an enhancement of justice in the contemporary world. It is an essential contribution to theological, philosophical, and practical academics, and indeed to contemporary religious engagements. It will be useful for both graduate and post-graduate students, and every seminary library will do well to acquire a copy.

These incisive re-readings of the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love in the light of the challenges of the postmodern world, and the need to engage them with contemporary considerations of justice, make this book a compelling addition to an important nexus in theology today. These essays will continue to be consulted for a long time to come.

Not since the Trinitarian poetics of Charles Péguy and the pastoral insights of Rafael Tello (an overlooked Argentine model for Pope Francis) have Christian thinkers dared to re-think the classical theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity in the light of modern secularizing exigencies as well as the present demands of justice. Anselm Min has assembled an ecumenically rich array of insightful commentators on this critical issue. Readers will be provoked by these timely essays to claim with new vigor and understanding a tradition we cannot afford to ignore.

Min’s project is a worthwhile read for graduate and undergraduate audiences as it is a well-argued and valuable example of the move from theory to application.