Christological Augustinian Political Theology: How Can Political Theology Be Enhanced through Augustine's Moral Christology?

My research, within the field of systematic theology and Christian ethics, explores the political significance of Augustine's Christology in order to make an original contribution to contemporary debates in Augustinian political theology, and to address a critical gap in these discussions. In recent decades, contemporary 'Augustinian' political theologies have largely underplayed the significance of Augustine's Christology.

This state of affairs stands in stark contrast with recent groundbreaking scholarship on Augustine's thought, which foregrounds his Christology, particularly as it relates to political life. I will investigate the moral and political significance of Augustine's Christology and offer a novel framework in order to correct contemporary Augustinian political theology's deficiency and construct a positive account of healthy Christian political engagement in contemporary liberal democracies.

In year 1, I will critically evaluate recent Augustinian Christological scholarship and exegete primary texts from Augustine to track the moral and political features of his Christology. Close readings of Augustine's corpus will appropriately lay a foundation for the constructive work in political theology towards which my DPhil aims.

Beginning in year 2, I will evaluate deficiencies in recent contemporary Augustinian political theology in respect of these themes. I will assess and critique some of the most significant works in contemporary Augustinian political theology. In response, I will develop a twofold constructive Augustinian and Christological political theology as a theological framework for public life in a liberal democracy.

First, I will develop Augustine's Christological moral epistemology to integrate Augustine's Christological account of the virtues into contemporary accounts of virtues fitting for citizens of liberal democracies. Second, I will draw from Augustine's collectivist Christology and his notion of Christ speaking 'in the person' of suffering humanity, even humanity outside the church, which offers a potential theological grounding for dialogue and public speech in a democratic polity.

Finally, I am interested in resonances between this element of Augustine's Christology and black theology.