Federalism and the Westminster Tradition

Federalism and the Westminster Tradition PDF Author: Mark W. Karlberg
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1597529044
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 173

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Book Description
More than any other theological tradition, Reformed federalism has recognized the importance of the biblical teaching on the covenants in its system of doctrine. This tradition came to mature confessional status in the writing of the Westminster Confession of Faith (and Catechisms). The place of the Westminster tradition within the stream of Christian history and theology is remarkable indeed. Westminster not only gained recognition as the epitome of Calvinist teaching at the close of the Protestant Reformation (the middle of the seventeenth century), it also earned the reputation for precision and comprehensiveness in doctrinal formulation. It became the measure by which biblical interpreters defended their systems of doctrine Ð either in agreement or disagreement with the theology of the Westminster divines. These writings are the climax of three decades of research and study, and they appear as the third in the series of collections published by Wipf and Stock, beginning with Covenant Theology in Reformed Perspective, followed by Gospel Grace: The Modern-day Controversy. The critical teaching in dispute in each of these studies is the classic Protestant antithesis between the Law and the Gospel, what serves as the basis for the Reformed doctrine of the twofold covenants, the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace. Protestant-Reformed Orthodoxy now stands at the crossroads; the plight of Westminster Seminary (East and West) is merely illustrative of the depth and the intensity of the contemporary theological dispute, one impacting the future of Protestant evangelicalism as a whole. The battle is between historic Reformed-Protestantism and modern-day revisionism of a radical sort. The rapid rise of postmodernism (or nonfoundationalism) is indicative of the rapidly changing mood and posture in (Òevangelical) biblical scholarship at the opening of this third millennium of Christian interpretation. Without question, the modern church continues to loose her biblical moorings. Forsaking the basic theological convictions of the Protestant Reformation it has attempted to subject the Word of God to vigorous academic (i.e., Òscientific) investigation (the return of rationalism). In doing so, it has abandoned the Scripture principle, which recognizes the uniquely authoritative and inerrant character of the Word of God. Lost in the shuffle is the uncompromising proclamation of the one, true Gospel Ð the Gospel of justification by grace through faith alone. Lost also is the doctrine of the perspicuity of Scripture. Nothing less than a new Reformation in our day will halt travel down the road leading to destruction. --From the Preface

Comparing Westminster

Comparing Westminster PDF Author: R. A. W. Rhodes
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191609811
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
This book explores how the governmental elites in Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa understand their Westminster system. It examines in detail four interrelated features of Westminster systems. Firstly, the increasing centralisation in collective, responsible cabinet government. Second, the constitutional convention of ministerial and collective responsibility. Third, the role of a professional, non-partisan public service. And finally, parliament's relationship to the executive. The authors explain the changes that have occured in the Westminster model by analysing four traditions: royal prerogative, responsible government, constitutional bureaucracy, and representative government. They suggest that each tradition has a recurring dilemma, between centralisation and decentralisation, party government and ministerial responsibility, professionalisation and politicisation, and finally elitism and participation. They go on to argue that these dilemmas recur in four present-day debates: the growth of prime ministerial power, the decline in individual and collective ministerial accountability, politicisation of the public service, and executive dominance of the legislature. They conclude by identifying five meanings of - or narratives about - Westminster. Firstly, 'Westminster as heritage' - elite actors' shared governmental narrative understood as both precedents and nostalgia. Second, 'Westminster as political tool' - the expedient cloak worn by governments and politicians to defend themselves and criticise opponents. Third, 'Westminster as legitimising tradition' - providing legitimacy and a context for elite actions, serving as a point of reference to navigate this uncertain world. Fourth, 'Westminster as institutional category' - it remains a useful descriptor of a loose family of governments with shared origins and characteristics. Finally, 'Westminster as an effective political system' - it is a more effective and efficient political system than consensual parliamentary governments. Westminster is a flexible family of ideas that is useful for many purposes and survives, even thrives, because of its meaning in use to élite actors.

Federalism and the Westminster Tradition

Federalism and the Westminster Tradition PDF Author: Mark W. Karlberg
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1725243695
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description
More than any other theological tradition, Reformed federalism has recognized the importance of the biblical teaching on the covenants in its system of doctrine. This tradition came to mature confessional status in the writing of the Westminster Confession of Faith (and Catechisms). The place of the Westminster tradition within the stream of Christian history and theology is remarkable indeed. Westminster not only gained recognition as the epitome of Calvinist teaching at the close of the Protestant Reformation (the middle of the seventeenth century), it also earned the reputation for precision and comprehensiveness in doctrinal formulation. It became the measure by which biblical interpreters defended their systems of doctrine - either in agreement or disagreement with the theology of the Westminster divines. These writings are the climax of three decades of research and study, and they appear as the third in the series of collections published by Wipf and Stock, beginning with Covenant Theology in Reformed Perspective, followed by Gospel Grace: The Modern-day Controversy. The critical teaching in dispute in each of these studies is the classic Protestant antithesis between the Law and the Gospel, what serves as the basis for the Reformed doctrine of the twofold covenants, the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace. Protestant-Reformed Orthodoxy now stands at the crossroads; the plight of Westminster Seminary (East and West) is merely illustrative of the depth and the intensity of the contemporary theological dispute, one impacting the future of Protestant evangelicalism as a whole. The battle is between historic Reformed-Protestantism and modern-day revisionism of a radical sort. The rapid rise of postmodernism (or nonfoundationalism) is indicative of the rapidly changing mood and posture in ("evangelical") biblical scholarship at the opening of this third millennium of Christian interpretation. Without question, the modern church continues to loose her biblical moorings. Forsaking the basic theological convictions of the Protestant Reformation it has attempted to subject the Word of God to vigorous academic (i.e., "scientific") investigation (the return of rationalism). In doing so, it has abandoned the Scripture principle, which recognizes the uniquely authoritative and inerrant character of the Word of God. Lost in the shuffle is the uncompromising proclamation of the one, true Gospel - the Gospel of justification by grace through faith alone. Lost also is the doctrine of the perspicuity of Scripture. Nothing less than a new Reformation in our day will halt travel down the road leading to destruction. --From the Preface

Canadian Federalism

Canadian Federalism PDF Author: Herman Bakvis
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780195425123
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The Second Edition of Canadian Federalism: Performance, Effectiveness, and Legitimacy is a collection of eighteen original essays casting a critical eye on the institutions, processes, and policy outcomes of Canadian federalism. Divided into three parts--The Institutions and Processes ofCanadian Federalism; The Social and Economic Union; and Persistent and New Challenges to the Federation--the book documents how Canadian intergovernmental relations have evolved in response to such issues as fiscal deficits; the chronic questioning of the legitimacy of the Canadian state by asignificant minority of Quebec voters and many Aboriginal groups, among others; health care; environmental policies; and international trade. Herman Bakvis and Grace Skogstad have gathered together some of the most prominent Canadian political scientists to evaluate the capacity of the federalsystem to meet these and other challenges, and to offer prescriptions on the institutional changes that are likely to be required.

Canadian Federalism and Its Future

Canadian Federalism and Its Future PDF Author: Alain-G. Gagnon
Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
ISBN: 0228002516
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
The time is ripe to revisit Canada's past and redress its historical wrongs. Yet in our urgency to imagine roads to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, it is important to keep in sight the many other forms of diversity that Canadian federalism has historically been designed to accommodate or could also reflect more effectively. Canadian Federalism and Its Future brings together international experts to assess four fundamental institutions: bicameralism, the judiciary as arbiter of the federal deal, the electoral system and party politics, and intergovernmental relations. The contributors use comparative and critical lenses to appraise the repercussions of these four dimensions of Canadian federalism on key actors, including member states, constitutive units, internal nations, Indigenous peoples, and linguistic minorities. Pursuing the work of The Constitutions That Shaped Us (2015) and The Quebec Conference of 1864 (2018), this third volume is a testimony to Canada's successes and failures in constitutional design. Reflecting on the cultural pluralism inherent in this country, Canadian Federalism and Its Future offers thought-provoking lessons for a world in search of concrete institutional solutions, within and beyond the traditional nation-state.

The Meaning of Democracy and the Vulnerability of Democracies

The Meaning of Democracy and the Vulnerability of Democracies PDF Author: Vincent Ostrom
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 9780472084562
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
Considers the social requirements for a thriving democracy

Westminster Legacies

Westminster Legacies PDF Author: Haig Patapan
Publisher: UNSW Press
ISBN: 9780868408484
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Examines the ways in which the Westminster system has influenced the shaping of responsible government and democracy across Asia, Australasia and the Pacific. It also examines the ways the Westminster system has been adapted in these different countries in the light of local practices and traditions.

Federalism and the Constitution of Canada

Federalism and the Constitution of Canada PDF Author: David E. Smith
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1442694572
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
The Canadian system of federalism divides the power to govern between the central federal parliament and the provincial and territorial legislative assemblies. In what can be seen as a double federation, power is also divided culturally, between English and French Canada. The divisions of power and responsibility, however, have not remained static since 1867. The federal language regime (1969), for example, reconfigured cultural federalism, generating constitutional tension as governments sought to make institutions more representative of the country's diversity. In Federalism and the Constitution of Canada, award-winning author David E. Smith examines a series of royal commission and task force inquiries, a succession of federal-provincial conferences, and the competing and controversial terms of the Constitution Act of 1982 in order to evaluate both the popular and governmental understanding of federalism. In the process, Smith uncovers the reasons constitutional agreement has historically proved difficult to reach and argues that Canadian federalism 'in practice' has been more successful at accommodating foundational change than may be immediately apparent.

The Crown and Canadian Federalism

The Crown and Canadian Federalism PDF Author: D. Michael Jackson
Publisher: Dundurn
ISBN: 1459709896
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Following Queen Elizabeth II's historic Diamond Jubilee in 2012, there is renewed interest in the institution of the Crown in Canada and the roles of the queen, governor general, and lieutenant governor. Author D. Michael Jackson traces the story of the monarchy and the Crown and shows how they are integral to Canada's parliamentary democracy.

Defunct Federalisms

Defunct Federalisms PDF Author: Emilian Kavalski
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317153421
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description
Since the end of the Cold War the global arena has become a place for dynamic change, in particular for federal political units. The focus on defunct federalisms draws attention not only to the difference between state-making and nation building, it also points to the fact that state-making does not necessarily lead to the creation of a national identity. This comparative volume looks at the track record of several defunct federalisms to identify options that have been overlooked and decisions that precipitated the collapse. Bringing together insights from the study of state failure and federal collapse, it examines the ways in which parallel assessment is crucial for suggesting the complex structures of identity accommodation in federal entities. The volume is ideal for advanced undergraduates and graduate students as well as university lecturers and researchers working on the issues related to contemporary federalism, history of federal units and the questions of national identity.

The British Tradition of Federalism

The British Tradition of Federalism PDF Author: Michael Burgess
Publisher: Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press
ISBN: 9780838636183
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
Challenging orthodox assumptions concerning British federalism, The British Tradition of Federalism offers a unique revisionist critique of Britain's recent constitutional past. The central themes of Empire, Ireland and Europe provide the empirical focus of this volume. Together, they reveal a fundamental continuity of British federal ideas: a single intellectual tradition which spans the last century. By reinstating a neglected dimension of the larger British political tradition, Burgess shows how the continuing relevance of this federal tradition serves as both the source of and inspiration for a wide range of constitutional reform proposals in the 1990s.