Harding Undergraduate Research Conference
Document Type
Research Paper
Date of presentation
Spring 4-16-2026
Department
English
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Richard Turnbull
Faculty Advisor
Bishop John Boonzaaijer
Abstract
Society has suffered in the absence of Christian courage. Today, an antagonistic culture is feeding an increasingly antagonistic government. Christians do not know how to “win” – we do not even know how to engage. Rod Dreher's "The Benedict Option" encourages us to give up and retreat. Andrew Isker's "The Boniface Option" encourages warfare-style aggression. But Dreher’s and Isker’s approaches each take an aspect of the solution and expand it out of proportion. The proper solution is found in the historic Christian tradition. The Church has always understood her role within culture as one not of fear and loathing, but of charity and confidence, of love and action. In this paper, I wish to remind Christians today of that role, by examining the heritage of prayerbook Christianity and the example of Christian reform in the nineteenth century.
Copyright held by
author
Recommended Citation
Kernodle, C. (2026). "A Pre-Eminently Christian Life": The Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury as a Guide for Modern Political Engagement. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.harding.edu/hurc/8
Included in
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