Posted on by Marc O. DeGirolami

The Marginalia Review of Books

Readers will be interested in a superb looking and relatively new on-line review, The Marginalia Review of Books, edited by Timothy Michael Law (Göttingen). It offers reviews of books in history, theology, and religion, as well as related essays, interviews, and opinion pieces. Here’s a description of this useful resource:

The Marginalia Review of Books is an international review of academic literature from a range of disciplines along the nexus of history, theology, and religion. We publish reviews and a variety of contributions to intellectual culture—including essays, interviews, and op-eds—throughout the month. Contributions to MRB translate the knowledge created in these disciplines for a very broad readership, including scholars as well as interested parties outside of academia. Readers of MRB can expect to find accessible, intelligent, and in-depth review that always keep the larger context in view and provide an engaging and enjoyable reading experience.

Posted on by JCPW

Around the Web

Here are some interesting law & religion stories from around the web this week:

Posted on by JCPW

Doe, “Christian Law: Contemporary Principles”

41J5pTXZqVL._SY300_This September, Cambridge University Press will publish Christian Law: Contemporary Principles by Norman Doe (Cardiff University). The publisher’s description follows.

Christian Law: Contemporary Principles offers a detailed comparison of the laws of churches across ten distinct Christian traditions worldwide: Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, Presbyterian, United, Congregational and Baptist. From this comparison, Professor Doe proposes that all denominations of the faith share common principles in spite of their doctrinal divisions; and that these principles reveal a concept of ‘Christian law’ and contribute to a theological understanding of global Christian identity. Adopting a unique interdisciplinary approach, the book provides comprehensive coverage on the sources and purposes of church law, the faithful (lay and ordained), the institutions of church governance, discipline and dispute resolution, doctrine and worship, the rites of passage, ecumenism, property and finance, as well as church, State and society. This is an invaluable resource for lawyers and theologians who are engaged in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, showing how dogmas may divide but laws link Christians across traditions.

Posted on by JCPW

Cianitto, Durham, Ferrari & Thayer (eds.), “Law, Religion, Constitution”

9781472416131This August, Ashgate will publish Law, Religion, Constitution: Freedom of Religion, Equal Treatment, and the Law edited by Cristiana Cianitto (University of Milan), W. Cole Durham Jr. (BYU), Silvio Ferrari (University of Milan), and Donlu Thayer (BYU). The publisher’s description follows.

What is the place assigned to religion in the constitutions of contemporary States? What role is religion expected to perform in the fields that are the object of constitutional regulation? Is separation of religion and politics a necessary precondition for democracy and the rule of law? These questions are addressed in this book through an analysis of the constitutional texts that are in force in different parts of the world.

Constitutions are at the centre of almost all contemporary legal systems and provide the principles and values that inspire the action of the national law-makers. After a discussion of some topics that are central to the constitutional regulation of religion, the book considers a number of national systems covering countries with a variety of religious and cultural backgrounds. The final section of the book is devoted to the discussion of the constitutional regulation of some particularly controversial issues, such as religious education, the relation between freedom of speech and freedom of religion, abortion, and freedom of conscience.