The essence of the covenant tradition is the idea of human
beings freely associating for common purposes through pacts of
mutual commitment. In the political realm, the idea of covenant has
been particularly influential in frontierlands. Reinformed by the
idea of the federated commonwealth that emerged out of the
Protestant Reformation, covenant eventually fostered the
establishment of the United States of America and our modern idea
of federalism. More recently, these great products of the covenant
tradition helped to bring about the collapse of twentieth-century
totalitarianism and fueled a new spirit in contemporary political
life throughout the world. A return to political covenantalism
seems to be an appropriate response to the crisis of modern
civilization and the new epoch after World War II. "Covenant and
Civil Society "is the final volume in Elazar's monumental series
"The Covenant Tradition in Politics. "In it, he traces the
tradition's rebirth and development in the modern epoch.
"Covenant and Civil Society "also considers issues of communal
solidarity on a postmodern basis. Elazar traces the transition from
the covenanted commonwealth of the Protestant Reformation to the
civil society of the modern epoch, and explores the covenant's role
in the modern statist era and the development of modern democracy.
Scandiriavia, and the Latin-Germanic borderlands, many of which are
typically thought of as examples of organic or hierarchical models.
Elazar argues that a covenantal model is more appropriate and is
part of the Western tradition as such.
The book concludes with examination of the present and future
of covenantal thought. Today, the global spread of federalism, most
clearly seen in the formation of the European Union, is also seen
in local and private arenas. Elazar considers the benefits of
covenantal thought while balancing such optimism with a realistic
sense of its limits. As a prescription for change, "Covenant and
Civil Society "is a fundamental and original contribution. Along
with the previous volumes in this series, all available from
Transaction, it will be of deep interest to historians, social
scientists, political theorists, and theologians of all
persuasions.
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