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What the Reviewers are
Saying
This is not a comfortable book. It critically
evaluates the established paradigms and takes us back to the Christian world
view as it ought to be lived and expressed.
Ross
Clifford, Author of Leading Lawyers’ Case for the Resurrection
This probing volume supports the fact that law
and theology once indeed did, as J.R.R. Tolkien attests in a different context,
"meet and kiss" and that our best chance at recovering any defensible vision
for the future is to encourage that courtship once again.
Craig
Parton, Lawyer, Author of Richard Whately: A Man for All Seasons
Dr. Montgomery’s qualifications and the
importance of the subject clearly command the greatest respect and attention.
Lord Hailsham
Review by Steve Males, Pastor
of Village Green Baptist Church, London ON
Christians in the Public Square argues
persuasively for the need and duty of Christians to engage in politics. A
collection of essays written and speeches given by John Warwick Montgomery
between 1968 and 1994, the book also includes sections by two other politic
thinkers. Long-time Canadian MP David Kilgour, currently deputy speaker in the
House of Commons, contributes an introductory essay on "Christian Politicians
in the 1990s" in which he flags the importance of committed Christians in every
avenue of public life. the book ends with a significant summation of New
Testament teaching on the Christian’s political responsibility, by New
Testament scholar C.E.B. Cranfield.
Between Kilgour and Cranfield is a wealth of
material (32 articles) spanning the career of Montgomery, noted historian,
theologian and now legal scholar. Two-thirds of the material relates clearly to
the book’s title; the last third deals more with apologetic concerns, such
as evidence for the resurrection of Christ.
For the most part, the essays are a delight to
read. Montgomery’s quick mind, honed in debate with some of the leading
opponents of Christian orthodoxy, delivers incisive critique of everything from
shallow evangelicalism (on Washington prayer breakfast prayers: "Lord, just
make us more loving when we just fellowship together here and just help us just
to . . . "), to efforts to legislate specifically Christian morality, to the
influence of enlightenment thinking on lawmaking and statecraft. Some of the
essays are simply transcriptions of addresses given in a variety of legal,
medical and theological settings that reveal Montgomery’s ability to
address difficult issues at a popular and witty level. A couple of the
chapters, on the other hand, demand much more of the reader.
The section dealing with abortion and
euthanasia is extremely valuable in establishing a sanctity-of-life position
based on legal, philosophical, biological and theological grounds. Though a
couple of the "apologetics" chapters are repetitive, there is more than enough
good thinking to keep the reader involved.
This review originally
appeared in Faith Today, March April 1997.
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