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This book traces the connections between diverging postwar European integration policies and intra-Christian divisions to argue that supranational integration originates from Roman Catholic internationalism, and that resistance to integration, conversely, is based in Protestantism. Royce supports this thesis through a rigorously supported historical narrative, arguing that sixteenth-century theological conflicts generated seventeenth-century constitutional solutions, which ultimately effected the political choices both for and against integration during the twentieth century. Beginning with a survey of all ecclesiastical laws of seventeen West European countries and concluding with a full discussion of the Brexit vote and emerging alternatives to the EU, this examination of the political theology surrounding the European Union will appeal to all scholars of EU politics, modern theology, religious sociology, and contemporary European history.
List of contents
1. From Cross to Constitution.- 2. God and Man in Europe.- 3. A Theologico-Political Analysis.- 4. Theology and Integration.- 5. The Christian Confederalism of Switzerland.- 6. The Lutheran Intergovernmentalism of Norway.- 7. The Protestant Supranationalism of Britain.- 8. The Christian Federalism of Germany.- 9. Conclusion.
About the author
Mark R. Royce is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Northern Virginia Community College, USA, where he teaches international relations courses. His research interests include European integration, the British Constitution, and Christian theology, and he has written for The European Legacy, International & Comparative Law Quarterly, and Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy.
Summary
This book traces the connections between diverging postwar European integration policies and intra-Christian divisions to argue that supranational integration originates from Roman Catholic internationalism, and that resistance to integration, conversely, is based in Protestantism. Royce supports this thesis through a rigorously supported historical narrative, arguing that sixteenth-century theological conflicts generated seventeenth-century constitutional solutions, which ultimately effected the political choices both for and against integration during the twentieth century. Beginning with a survey of all ecclesiastical laws of seventeen West European countries and concluding with a full discussion of the Brexit vote and emerging alternatives to the EU, this examination of the political theology surrounding the European Union will appeal to all scholars of EU politics, modern theology, religious sociology, and contemporary European history.
Additional text
“With his thoroughly researched and excellently written book, Royce corrects the political science discourse by explaining how a society’s normative ideas, particularly its theology, can affect international relations, especially in the case of European integration.” (Mark Melton, Providence, December, 2019)
Report
"With his thoroughly researched and excellently written book, Royce corrects the political science discourse by explaining how a society's normative ideas, particularly its theology, can affect international relations, especially in the case of European integration." (Mark Melton, Providence, December, 2019)
