Uploaded September 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The Common Good – Does it Amount to a Political Programme?
In an increasingly polarized and divided political environment, Christians have increasingly appealed to the ‘common good’ to develop a bipartisan approach to politics that retains crucial principles. But what does the ‘common good’ mean, and does it require that Christians pursue a definite and united political project? Oliver O’Donovan, who is one of Protestantism’s leading political theologians, will reflect upon the prospects and limits of appealing to the ‘common good’ for those who wish to navigate our fractured society and political life.
Oliver O’Donovan is Professor Emeritus of Christian Ethics and Practical Theology at the University of Edinburgh.
The Common Good – Does it Amount to a Political Programme?
In an increasingly polarized and divided political environment, Christians have increasingly appealed to the ‘common good’ to develop a bipartisan approach to politics that retains crucial principles. But what does the ‘common good’ mean, and does it require that Christians pursue a definite and united political project? Oliver O’Donovan, who is one of Protestantism’s leading political theologians, will reflect upon the prospects and limits of appealing to the ‘common good’ for those who wish to navigate our fractured society and political life.
Oliver O’Donovan is Professor Emeritus of Christian Ethics and Practical Theology at the University of Edinburgh.
