Review (PDF)

Political Thought: A Student's Guide (Reclaiming The Christian Intellectual Tradition)

Politics affect everyone everywhere. Yet most people do not know how to communicate or think methodically (much less unemotionally) about the issues at hand. What we need is for our thinking to be grounded in the basic framework of order, freedom, justice, and equality. Award-winning professor Hunter Baker helps political amateurs gain a foundational understanding of the subject and encourages seasoned political observers to find a fresh perspective in this book. Learn how to fruitfully consider and discuss politics, and gain a greater capacity for evaluating political proposals and the claims that go with them.

File Size: 468 KB

Print Length: 130 pages

Publisher: Crossway; 1 edition (July 31, 2012)

Publication Date: July 15, 2012

Sold by:  Digital Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B008K8B1MA

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray: Not Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled

Lending: Not Enabled

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #258,635 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #149 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies & Reference > Church & State #250 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Living > Social Issues #487 in Books > History > World > Religious > Religion, Politics & State

I really enjoyed Hunter Bakers previous book on secularism so I shouldn't have been surprised by the quality of his latest work. But I have to say I was surprised just how much I enjoyed this student's guide to political thought. Its conversational style and practical approach makes it very accessible yet it still gets to the heart of many of these important thinkers and their impact on our lives even today.This is obviously great for students but also great for adults who either haven't been exposed to these writers and thinkers or who find their memory of the subject a little rusty. Anyone who takes politics and civic engagement seriously would do well to read this book and think about the issue it raises. If more people did so our politics and conversations would much better for it.

I recently finished Political Thought: A Student's Guide by Hunter Baker, which is a short booklet, only 121 pages, that is a part of the series, Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition. The book offers students an introduction to some of the basic philosophical foundations that scholars approach the study of politics and political organizations, such as the idea of the family unit and social contracts. Political Thought is a very quick book to read, I read it in one sitting, precisely because it is so short. As a book geared towards students, particularly Christian students, that makes it especially useful, because as any educator can attest, students have very short attention spans, especially regarding reading. Political Thought doesn't go into detailed analysis of political systems or ideologies, such as conservative and liberal, democratic and authoritarian, that would make the book much longer. Instead, Political Thoughts strength lies in its brevity, which allows a quick introduction to basic political philosophy. Political Thought would not be a text unto a course, rather, it would be very useful to help students begin understanding and discussing political ideas.Political Thought is divided into three sections, the first introduces students to the basic ideas in political philosophy. The second chapter analyzes the major themes and goals of politics, namely, order, freedom and liberty, and justice. Baker concludes this section by attempting to describe good politics in a way that any classical liberal, that is, a modern day conservative/libertarian, would appreciate, as an attempt to maximize personal liberty while also providing security and ensuring justice prevails. Finally, Baker concludes in his third section by discussing the Christian contributions to political thought. Political Thought is, as the series name suggests, first and foremost a Christian resource for Christian students, and comes from a conservative Christian perspective.

I have searched for years for what seemed to be a phantom: a quick, approachable work on political thought that I could give to the less politically inclined and ask them to read and consider. That phantom has become a reality. This is the best (read: accessible) book on political thought, ideas, concepts, etc. that I've ever come across. Hunter Baker has done a huge service to us in writing this. If you've ever wondered why politics matters, or why you should at least have an attentive ear towards it, check this out. Worth your time.

Great book as an introduction to Political Thought; this is a book for everyone and not just college students. If you have a child/grandchild in High School buy this book for them. If you know someone in college buy this book for them so they can keep their sanity. If you home school buy this book and read it to your children.Introduction to Political Thought by Hunter Baker will help you understand the current debate concerning "more or less government and tyranny versus freedom". These competing views are nothing new and this book will help the average person understand the issues that are at the heart of the political debate currently being played out.Usually when political philosophy is mentioned you receive the deer in the headlight look/stare or people just run. However Hunter Baker has excelled in achieving his objective of writing an introductory book on political thought that everyone can easily understand. It is written as if he was having a conversation with the reader.It is an easy and quick read. The book is only 114 pages and the chapters are short enough to read to/for a discussion group or a family.The book covers the major themes of "Order, but Not Order Alone", "On Freedom and Liberty", "Justice". You will better understand the difference between the American Revolution and the French Revolution as well as the differing political thought behind the various forms of human government.Buy it, read it and let the discussions begin.Version: Kindle - using the Kindle app for IPad.

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