Attorney culls Maritain's words for book on Christians in public life

Published: 2005-07-01

ATLANTA (CNS) -- Attorney James P. Kelly III of Alpharetta believes 20th-century philosopher Jacques Maritain has much to say about why Christian politicians and ordinary citizens should bring their values -- such as honesty, service and human dignity -- into the public square. An avid reader of Maritain's 22 books, Kelly culled 150 passages from the books to offer fresh insight on the somewhat tired debates surrounding religious liberty and the democratic state. The result was Kelly's book, "Christianity, Democracy and the American Ideal," published this year by Sophia Institute Press in New Hampshire. Maritain, a Frenchman who lived from 1882 to 1973, migrated to the United States during the Second World War to teach philosophy at Princeton University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago. He contemplated why American democracy had endured so well and why his native France and Europe could not find the strength to mount a challenge to the growing Nazi threat until it was too late. Kelly is a member of St. Peter Chanel Church in Roswell.

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