Commonwealth and Covenant: Economics, Politics, and Theologies of Relationality

In Commonwealth and Covenant Marcia Pally argues that in order to deal with current socioeconomic problems, we need not economic formulas but rather a better understanding of who we are, where we've come from, and how we interact with one another in our shared world. Pally describes the basic setup of human society as "separability-amid-situatedness" or "distinction-amid-relation." Though we are all unique individuals, we are also inextricably interconnected with the people and environments around us. Pally argues that our culture's overemphasis on "separability" - our individualism run amok - results in corporate greed, adversarial and deceitful political discourse, resource grabbing, broken relationships, and a host of other social ills. Arguing that separability and situatedness can and must be brought into greater balance, Pally draws upon intellectual history, philosophy, and - especially - historic Jewish and Christian theologies of relationality to construct a new framework for addressing our most serious economic and political problems. ADVANCE PRAISE "In her previous writing Marcia Pally has demonstrated keen insight into the American religious situation. In this well-crafted and highly readable book Pally takes a central principle in the American spiritual heritage -the covenant - and relates it with impressive skill to the psychological and political dimensions of our lives. This book advances the discussion in many ways and should not be missed" -- Harvey Cox, Harvard University