The Case for Civility

From one of the most revered Christian intellectuals today comes a passionate plea to reverse the ugly trend of the right/left culture wars. The world is watching how Americans behave and, in its eyes, we are failing to live up to our own ideals. Rich with historical anecdotes that unlock the genius of the American experiment, Os Guinness’s The Case for Civility also takes on the contemporary threat of both the religious right and the secular left in order to construct a new way forward. The Case for Civility is a proposal for restoring civility in America, both as a model for fostering it around the world and as a way to help make the world safe for diversity.


Os Guinness is an author and speaker living in the Washington, D.C., area. Born in China during World War II, Guinness left in 1951 after the Chinese Revolution. A graduate of the University of London and Oxford, Guinness is a former visiting fellow of the Brookings Institution. He has written or edited more than twenty books, including The Call, Invitation to the Classics, and Long Journey Home. A frequent speaker and seminar leader at political and business conferences in the United States, Europe, and Asia, Guinness has lectured at many universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and Stanford, and has often spoken on Capitol Hill.

“The key to world peace lies in better understanding between different cultures and religions. I am grateful to Os Guinness for providing us an impassioned and coherent framework for beginning this process.” – Professor Akbar S. Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington, D.C.