The new issue of Political Theology has an article of mine in it, To Travel in One Place: Openings for a New Asceticism in the Theology of Stanley Hauerwas. This is what it is about:
The article argues that there is an ascetic character implicit in Stanley Hauerwas’s thinking and that a more explicit engagement with the Christian ascetical tradition could clarify some lines of thought in it, in particular the relationship between moral formation and witness. The way Hauerwas treats e.g. the virtues and practices that are used to pursue them, the role of spiritual authority and the difference between Church and world show clear similarities to the thought of early Christian ascetics, such as Evagrios of Pontos, Isaac of Nineveh and John Cassian. By showing how Hauerwas by addressing some key theological, ethical and political developments in modern theology opens up the possibility to overcome modern misunderstandings of asceticisms, the author argues for the relevance of asceticism as a political concept in today’s world.
It is to my knowledge the first time anyone has actively pursued the connection between Hauerwas and the ascetic tradition, something that seems completely obvious once you think about it. 😉
This means, as far as I’m concerned, that I have upgraded from being a Hauerwas fan to being a Hauerwas scholar. I read through all of his books for that article. Read more about the issue here. And more about my Hauerwas reading here.
I actually have another article coming out in an upcoming issue of the same journal, related in theme.
