Whose Will Be Done?: Essays on Sovereignty and Religion

What is the proper relationship of religion to power? In this collection of essays, a group of interdisciplinary scholars address that question, building on the scholarship of the late Dr. Jean Bethke Elshtain. The first section of this book provides the reader with three previously unpublished essays by Elshtain on the subject of political sovereignty, followed by an interview with the noted ethicist and political theorist. Dr. Elshtain questions the nature of sovereignty in a world where some have elevated the state and the self above the authority of God himself. In the second section of the book, “Sovereignty through the Ages”, four scholars explore some of the key questions raised by Dr. Elshtain’s work on Just War, resistance to tyranny, political liberalism, and modernity, questioning the ways in which sovereignty may be conceived to reinforce the limitations of human societies and yet seek the greater good. In the third section of the book, entitled “Sovereignty in Context”, three essays extend her analysis of sovereignty to different contexts – Latin America, the Islamic world, and the international system as a whole, all the while demonstrating the importance of how religious interpretation contributes to our understanding of political power.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. Introduction John H.A. Dyck, Paul S. Rowe, and Jens Zimmermann Chapter 2. Jean Bethke Elshtain: a retrospective Paul S. Rowe Chapter 3. The Myth of the Sovereign Self Jean Bethke Elshtain Chapter 4. Religion, Enlightenment, and a Common Good Jean Bethke Elshtain Chapter 5. Bonhoeffer for Political Thought Jean Bethke Elshtain Chapter 6. An Interview with Jean Bethke Elshtain Chapter 7. Mars Bound: Limited War and Human Flourishing Marc Livecche Chapter 8. Incarnational Sefhood: Dietrich Bonhoeffer as Guide to the Political Ethics of Jean Bethke Elshtain Jens Zimmermann Chapter 9. Sovereignty and Chastened Liberalism M. Christian Green Chapter 10. Sovereign Selves: ‘We have met the Enemy and He/She is Us’! John H.A. Dyck Chapter 11. God and Power in the Global North and Latin America: a comparative analysis based on Elshtain’s Sovereignty Andrés Pérez-BaltodanoChapter 12. No God but god? Nominalism and Political Islam Paul S. RoweChapter 13. ‘Revolutions’ in Political Theology: Protestantism and the International State System Robert Joustra

About the Author :
John H. A. Dyck is assistant professor of political studies at Trinity Western University and senior research fellow in the Religion, Culture, and Conflict Research Group. Paul S. Rowe is associate professor of political and international studies at Trinity Western University and senior research fellow in the Religion, Culture, and Conflict Research Group. Jens Zimmermann is Canada Research Chair in Interpretation, Religion, and Culture and professor of English and philosophy at Trinity Western University as well as senior research fellow in the Religion, Culture, and Conflict Research Group.

Review :
Jean Elshtain, God rest her soul, did not play games. She treated the questions of justice and human dignity to which she devoted her life with deadly seriousness and with all the moral and intellectual clarity they demanded. This magnificent, readable volume represents a fitting tribute to Elshtain's enormous vitality and humanity insofar as it beckons all of us to join the all-embracing conversation she carried on throughout her inspiring career.