One of the key themes in the current rethinking of Catholic theology is the rediscovery of Catholic Social Teaching. This has implications not only for theological ethics but more importantly for the Church's involvement in issues such as social justice, housing and employment. The key concept in CST is the 'common good'. This book will discuss what the term 'common good' means to thinkers of different, primarily - but not exclusively - Christian traditions. It will explore how the term is used both practically and theoretically. One major question is whether Christians of differing traditions find 'the common good' a helpful and suggestive phrase. What do we mean by 'the common good'? The phrase is central to Roman Catholic social teaching. Archbishop Justin Welby has said how indebted he is to CST and uses the phrase frequently. But what resonance does it have for other Christian traditions, for secular thinkers and those of other faith traditions, and how precisely is it used by Roman Catholics and Anglicans?
The book will be particularly timely because there is already considerable discussion of 'the common good' as a concept that is needed in assessing public policy - whether for health, education, energy, transport or the environment.