Donald Roth publishes debut book exploring society as a living thing

Donald Roth, professor of business and criminal justice at Dordt University, has written his debut book. Unity in Diversity: How Critically Recovering Our Sense of the Nation as a Body Can Offer Us New Paths Forward in an Age of Division explores what it might mean to think of society and its institutions as living things.

Roth’s interest in the subject began while reading work by James Eglinton and Gray Sutanto on how Herman Bavinck uses the concept of organism in his theology. Eglinton, in particular, argues that the Neo-Calvinist use of the idea diverges from the way it was used by German philosophers of the day.

“I became curious whether Neo-Calvinist intuitions might be creatively mined for a way to resurrect what seems to me a very helpful way of thinking while resisting some of the misapplications that caused it to go astray in the past,” Roth says.

The book also reflects Roth’s interdisciplinary interests. He is particularly interested in what can be learned by putting separate academic discourses into conversation with one another, as well as in examining the metaphors and schemas people use to approach life in contemporary society. These topics appear in courses Roth teaches and connect closely with the Neo-Calvinist foundation of Dordt.

Although the book grew out of different academic conversations, Roth wrote it with both academic settings and ordinary life in mind. “I’m writing this book for every Christian who feels like society is running stuck in unproductive ways,” he says. “I’m not pretending to offer all the answers so much as suggest that maybe we can backtrack and rethink the premise of the very subject of society itself.”

Ultimately, Roth hopes readers will come away convinced that institutions and society itself can be understood as living things. He also hopes this perspective will help readers recognize the productive tensions around them and inspire them to reengage with society in hopeful ways.

“For Christians, I hope that this book inspires readers to find hope for living out our calling to glorify God in the wheat and tares reality of this age,” Roth adds.

The book, published by Cascade Books, is available through the publisher and on Amazon.

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, alumni, and the broader community to work effectively toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life.

Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt offers undergraduate and graduate programs that help students live their faith in every area of life. Through rigorous learning, meaningful relationships, and whole-person formation, students gain the practical wisdom to serve God and neighbor through their work and in their communities. Dordt has been named among the nation's leading Christian universities by U.S. News & World Report, Niche, and other national publications.