The results of the 2000 presidential election dramatically illustrated a fact that came as no surprise: we the people of the United States are polarized. Not only are we politically divided, we are morally divided. Given this split, what is the public role of the church in a pluralistic society well beyond "Christendom"? How can the church have a voice in the public square, despite the antagonism it often faceswithin as well as withoutwhen it enters the public square? Lawrence E. Adams argues that it is indeed "necessary for American society to have some common public ethic, a widely-held public philosophy¹ and sense of the common good, in order to sustain civic public life." In light of this necessity, he encourages the church to understand the culture so that it might play a significant role in cultivating this much needed public philosophy. While specifically designed for clergy and church leaders, Going Public is also wonderfully useful as a text for college or seminary courses in social ethics, political philosophy, Christianity and culture, and Christian thought.
