By Cale Horne
In a day rift with cries of "Partisan politics!", "Take our country back!" and "Why bother!?" it is refreshing to read this introduction to political science. Cale Horne, Associate Professor of Political Science at Covenant College, defines the discipline, explains some theories, and offers a helpful Christian framework for political science.
I appreciate Horne's discussion of antithesis and common grace, his treatment of Selectorate Theory and Prospect Theory, and his links to works by Van Til, Kuyper, Morgenthau, along with the entertaining The Dictators Handbook. Dr. Horne helps us to see the outworking of theory and its historical roots in the efforts of Woodrow Wilson and, for better or worse, the League of Nations.
Political Science is part of The Faithful Learning series, which provides a Christian approach to academic disciplines. Designed in a way to help "Christians engage their academic studies with greater confidence and understanding," the designers pack a lot (history, theory, and approach) into these few pages.
This booklet, like this series, is substantive and distinctively Christian without being simplistic. Thought-provoking discussion questions add a nice touch. Horne enlightened my understanding while also adding a few books to my "You've Got To Read This" shelf.