My Beef with Hauerwas

Someone asked me what my beef is with Stanley Hauerwas and his followers.  Here's what I said:

My argument with Hauerwas is around his unjustified and overly negative appraisal of secular, modern democracy. He has hitched himself too tightly to Alistair MacIntyre's critique of liberalism. Liberalism has become in Hauerwas a Shibboleth to dismiss those things he doesn't have the time to take seriously (just as Constantinianism often functions in Yoder). Hauerwas' most gross mistake is to dismiss even the concept of "justice" because it is a liberal idea (whatever that means). I have other beefs with Hauerwas, but that is my biggest one.

My frustration with Hauerwas' disciples is that they have a very uncharitable edge towards those with differing opinions. Also, I'm not sure that evangelically-oriented Mennonites who are already tempted towards sectarianism and societal ambivalence really need a mainline theologian reinforcing just how bad "secular liberal" society is.

The time for polarizing debate between Christians and others in our society needs to end (we don't need to argue about same-sex marriage anymore!).  We need instead dialog that builds bridges of understanding, rather than walls.   Read Jeffrey Stout's Democracy and Tradition for a philosophical outlining of my position.  Even John Yoder's For the Nations, I think pushes in much better directions than Hauerwas.

Comments

[Randy Hein]

I don't know if it my "what's your beef?" that you where referring to in this post, but thanks for the clarification. Another theologian trying to synthesize and popularize a Yoder/MacIntyre fusion is evangelical writer David Fitch. Have you heard of his book "The Great Giveaway" ?