James W. Skillen is a Christian political philosopher and author. He was the executive director and then president of the
Center for Public Justice
The Center for Public Justice is an American Christian think tank which undertakes to bring a Christian worldview to bear on policy issues.[thinktank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental o ...]
) from 1981 to 2009, when he retired from the organization. He helped found the organization in 1977. From 1973 to 1982 he taught political theory and international relations at three Christian colleges. Today, Skillen speaks regularly both domestically and internationally and writes primarily in areas of biblical studies and political philosophy and practice. He also mentors a number of advanced students.
Education
He completed his B.A. in 1966 at
Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to:
* Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois
* Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...
,
Wheaton, Illinois, majoring in philosophy. He received a
Master of Divinity
For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...
in 1969 from the
Westminster Theological Seminary,
Chestnut Hill, outside
Philadelphia. Skillen studied philosophy at the
Free University of Amsterdam
The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...
in 1969–70, focusing particularly on the work of
Herman Dooyeweerd, Professor of Law and renowned Christian philosopher. Skillen completed his doctorate in
political science at
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
under Prof. John Hallowell in 1974. .
Skillen as author
Skillen has written, edited, or contributed essays to more than 30 books, both for the Christian public and for
academic journals. His works include ''The Scattered Voice: Christians at Odds in the Public Square'' (Zondervan, 1990), which was described as "remarkable" and "meticulously fair" by Prof.
Mark Noll, then at Wheaton College. His most recent book is ''The Good of Politics: A Biblical, Historical, and Contemporary Introduction'' (Baker Academic, 2014). Dr. Bruce Wearne has compiled an extensive annotated bibliography of Skillen's writings: ''Public Justice for All:An annotated bibliography of the works of James W Skillen 1967–2008'', (May 2008, 2nd edn). Available from th
Wearne pages
Interfaith
In 2009, he signed a public statement encouraging all Christians to "read, wrestle with, and respond to
Caritas in Veritate" the social encyclical by Pope
Benedict XVI.
Evangelical scholars call for broad discussion of Pope's social encyclical
/ref>
External links
on All of Life Redeemed.
References
Duke University alumni
Westminster Theological Seminary alumni
Living people
Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
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