Preface

Introduction

Part I: Topics

Part II: Thinkers

Index

"The recovery of a chastened humanistic perspective and agenda is a
global imperative. William Schweiker critically examines topics
that have historically claimed the humanist title, weaving together
a vision that builds upon them yet goes well beyond. With skill and
passion he provides insight into what it means to live the life of
faith today. This is a seminal text from an author who is at the
forefront of the debate, deserving a wide readership."

--John W. de Gruchy, Emeritus Professor of Christian
Studies, University of Cape Town

"The Dust That Breathes reinstates religious humanism in
the light of the challenges of globalization, multiculturalism, and
the looming ecological catastrophe threatening our planet. Although
inflected with Christian theological imagery and concepts,
Schweiker's vision addresses all men and women of religious faith
who share an urgent sense of responsibility to secure the divinely
created order and the dignity of human existence. It deserves to
receive wide attention."

--Paul Mendes-Flohr, Professor of Modern Jewish
Thought, The Divinity School, University of Chicago

"In Dust that Breaths, the renowned North American
ethicist William Schweiker continues to portray the stance towards
life that he has made known as theological humanism. The reader is
taken on a fascinating journey ... in a text that combines a
humanistic pathos with a thick theological anthropology,
constructive use of particularly Christian sources, and moral
realism. It is a difficult and exciting endeavor. It is carried out
with the help of Schweiker's learnedness and his trademark
ability to integrate a quest for intersubjectivity with openness
for great complexity and ongoing change."

--Per Sundman, Faculty of Theology, Uppsala
University

William Schweiker is the Edward L. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor of Theological Ethics at the University of Chicago and he is the Director of the Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion. His many books include Responsibility and Christian Ethics (1995), Power, Value and Conviction: Theological Ethics in the Postmodern Age (1998), Theological Ethics and Global Dynamics: In the Time of Many Worlds (Wiley-Blackwell, 2004), and Religion and the Human Future (with David Klemm, Wiley-Blackwell, 2008). Schweiker has published numerous articles and award-winning essays, and has edited and contributed to six volumes, including Humanity Before God: Contemporary Faces of Jewish, Christian and Islamic Ethics (2006), and The Blackwell Companion to Religious Ethics (Wiley-Blackwell, 2004, 2008).

W. Schweiker, University of Chicago, USA