ICSA VII. World Congress: Christianity & Democracy: Jacques Maritain in Perspective Institute for Interdisciplinary Research & International Christian Studies Association

Dates: 30 October - 2 November 2008
Call for Papers Deadline: 15 September 2008
Location: Pasadena, California
Website: www.JIS3.org/icsavii.htm  

In an era Richard John Neuhaus designates as The Naked Public Square, where some perceive Christian symbols as violating the separation between church and state, it is timely to recall Jacques Maritain's thesis of the compatibility between Christianity and democracy, and explore his notion of Christianity as a necessary moral and spiritual underpinning of liberal democracy.  Maritain's Thomistic synthesis of liberty and tradition focuses on the transcendent dignity of the human person, universal human rights, the slow building of institutions of liberty, reform, and gradual progress.  Maritain's Christian humanism and personalism thus span two poles–liberal and conservative–rooted in the natural law and natural rights traditions.  Maritain was optimistic concerning democratic prospects for humanity provided that a society's cultural habits were grounded in a theistic conception of human personhood, consociality, the moral "ought," and spiritual growth.  He was impressed particularly by the American experiment and hopeful for the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights which he helped draft. The question arises: Can Maritain's integral humanism bridge the gap between liberal and conservative, secular and faith-based visions of the good life, individual fulfillment, and a more perfect commonwealth in the twenty-first century?  In brief, does liberal democracy require a transcendent moral-spiritual vision? Fully-developed papers will be considered for publication in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies.