Abstract

Formed in the tradition of Augustine and Calvin, the author traces the contributing contemporary influences that have nuanced and expanded his belief in the sovereignty of God, the love of God and neighbor, and the commitment to a just society. Rethinking this religious history in light of American racism, a pragmatic theory of meaning, contemporary social theory, and the contribution of John Rawls, the author endorses a qualified universalism and suggests that race, class, and gender require attention as variables that often distort moral judgment but should not be thought to determine our essential selves or our conception of what is right and just.