Christian Ethics and the Arc of the Universe: King, Augustine, and the Philosophy of History

The idea of moral progress figured prominently in many streams of twentieth century Christian ethics, especially those aligned to liberal thought wedded to teleological or providential history. This is no longer the case as more catastrophic visions attract both scholars and students. What are we to make of this change? This essay argues that accounts of moral progress were part of a broader Augustinian interest in the shape of history that has also receded in theological and philosophical circles. By recalling this earlier moment, crystalized in the writings of Martin Luther King Jr., and the Löwith-Blumenberg secularization debates in postwar Germany, I show their relevance to renewed interest in political theology and moral agency beyond the framing of a religious past and a secular modern. Joining a historical arc and a time-bending cross in a single vision is the political theologian’s difficult task.