Liberalism, Liberty and Justice for All, and a Liberal Arts Education
Previous Knowledge
When I looked at the term for our previous knowledge assessment and saw liberal democracy, I remembered that I read about it in Jesus and the Powers[1]. I knew that the authors spoke in favor of it, but honestly that is where it ends. The term liberal as used in society today, depending on which side you are on, has a negative connotation. When I consider it in relation to its counterpart, conservative, I think of someone who is liberal as a person who wants change, who is unhappy with the bonds that currently imprison people within our systems. I will now glean what I can from Patrick Deneen’s Why Liberalism Failed.[2]
I Had No Idea
Starting in the introduction of the book I realized that I really had no idea what the term liberalism referenced. In recent years I have only heard the term being referenced to those on the left side of the political spectrum. I did not realize that liberalism was the ideology or philosophy upon which our country and its government was founded.[3] Deneen writes, “It (liberalism) conceived humans as right-bearing individuals who could fashion and pursue for themselves their own version of the good life. Opportunities for liberty were best afforded by a limited government devoted to ‘securing rights’ along with a free economic system that gave space for individual initiative and ambition.”[4] Because of my historical disinterest in both history and politics, I thought democracy was the ideology our nation was founded upon. I do not remember the term liberalism being discussed as we began our discussions of American History from grade school through high school.
Liberty and Justice for All
Every morning starting in grade school we would stand up, place our hand over our heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance which ends with the phrase with liberty and justice for all. What is liberty? I do remember the term liberty being discussed in history classes, how the American Revolution and other wars were fought for the cause of liberty, for freedom. However, Deneen defines it differently. “Liberty had long been believed to be the condition of self-rule that forestalled tyranny, within both the polity and the individual soul. Liberty was thus thought to involve discipline and training in self-limitations of desires, and corresponding social and political arrangements that sought to inculcate corresponding virtues that fostered the arts of self-governance.”[5] This term that focused on religious and social norms was rewritten to focus on “civil peace that might in turn foster stability and prosperity, and eventually individual liberty of conscience and action,” the building blocks of liberalism.[6] This is the definition of liberty that I often hear today, freedom to do what I feel is right, Don’t tread on me. Deneen writes that “self-limitation and self-rule “that frees us from tyranny “relied up reinforcing norms and social structures arrayed extensively throughout political, social, religious, economic, and familial life.”[7] Comedian Brad Stine talks about why everyone used to say Merry Christmas instead of happy holidays .“It wasn’t about a religion, it was something about a culture that we thought was so valuable that we would all do it together even if I disagreed with the religion behind it, because it was good for all of us instead of just me.”[8] Liberalism has taken the focus off what is good for all of us and focuses on what is good for me. “Machiavelli proposed grounding a political philosophy upon readily observable human behaviors of pride, selfishness, greed and the quest for glory.[9]”
One could ask, do we really have liberty and justice for all? Deneen says that liberalism has failed, not that it did not do what it was supposed to, but just the opposite. In its quest to “foster greater equity, defend a pluralist tapestry of different cultures and beliefs, protect human dignity, and of course, expand liberty,” it “generates titanic inequality, enforces uniformity, and homogeneity, fosters material and spiritual degradation, and undermines freedom.”[10]
A Liberal Arts Education
Deneen devotes a chapter to his book discussing liberal arts education.[11] I attended a liberal arts college for my undergraduate degree and currently work at a liberal arts college but until the fall of 2023, I had no idea what a liberal arts education is. I taught a humanities class that all first-year students take and one of the readings was from Arthur F. Holmes book The Idea of a Christian College.[12] It was in reading Chapter 3 that I learned what a liberal arts education was, “Cicero suggested that liberal education is the education of free men for the exercise of their freedom rather than of slaves.”[13] I enjoyed Deneen’s descriptions of a liberal arts education and found it to be more comprehensive than Holmes. What I want to share in closing is evidence of how Liberalism has impacted our liberal arts college. Over the past few years, the University eliminated some of the previous requirements which had several faculty members questioning whether we are still a liberal arts college. The requirements for a philosophy class and a foreign language were removed. Also removed was a science class that explored “science from philosophical, historical and cultural perspectives, examining both the robust character of scientific inquiry and its limitations. The harmony between science and Christianity is addressed along with ethical and social dilemmas that have resulted from scientific advances in certain areas.”[14] These classes have been replaced with courses that focus on vocation. Deneen suggests that our educational systems now focus on “money making and a life of work,” and as a result we have “adopted the educational form that was reserved for those who were deprived of freedom.”[15]
Overall, I still have a lot to learn about liberalism. I no longer view it simply as a political term, but an ideology that impacts all our society including the Christian liberal arts institution where I work.
[1] N.T. Wright and Michael Bird, Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2024)
[2] Patrick, J. Deneen, Why Liberalism Failed, (New Haven, CT: Yale, 2018).
[3] Deneen, 3.
[4] Deneen, 3.
[5] Deneen, 23-24.
[6] Deneen, 24.
[7] Deneen, 25
[8] Brad Stine: Happy Holidays…Merry Christmas! posted by Tim Grable, October 3, 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8RiCzL4XF8&t=50s.
[9] Deneen 25.
[10] Deneen, 3.
[11] Deneen, 110-130.
[12] Arthur F. Holmes, The Idea of a Christian College, Revised Ed,( Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 1987).
[13] Holmes, 27.
[14] Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Traditional Academic Catalog 2021-2022, 223, https://mvnu.edu/content/uploads/2023/08/tradcatalog2122.pdf,.
[15] Deneen, 13.
About the Author
Jeff Styer
Jeff Styer lives in Northeast Ohio's Amish Country. He has degrees in Social Work and Psychology and currently works as a professor of social work at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Jeff is married to his wife, Veronica, 25+ years. Together they have 4 beautiful children (to be honest, Jeff has 4 kids, Veronica says she is raising 5). Jeff loves the outdoors, including biking, hiking, camping, birding, and recently picked up disc golf.10 responses to “Liberalism, Liberty and Justice for All, and a Liberal Arts Education”
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Hi Jeff. Thanks for you blog. How does Deneen’s critique of liberalism challenge the role of Christian liberal arts institutions in fostering a counter-cultural vision of education that prioritises moral and spiritual development over economic utility?
Glyn,
Great question and if I am interpreting it correctly, I believe Deneen would say that Christan liberal arts institutions have lost their first love. They have lost sight of why they were founded. Many institutions have cut liberal arts course offerings, they have decreased the spiritual requirements for attendance. At my institution you can even pay money instead of attending all the required spiritual events (chapel, small group Bible studies, etc.) Many institutions over the years have totally distanced themselves from any religious institutions that supported them. Many of these institutions are a shell of what they used to be, becoming enslaved to money and pleasing people. Deneen’s critique is a wakeup call for these institutions to consider what their mission was when they started and what their mission is today.
HI Jeff,
Thank you for sharing your perspectives about liberalism. If one of your students were to ask you the following question, how would elaborate on it?
How does Patrick Deneen’s definition of liberty, focused on self-rule and self-limitation, contrast with the contemporary understanding of liberty as individual freedom to pursue one’s own desires?
Shela,
Great question. If a student asked me your question, I would start with the words of John. John wrote If the son sets you free, you are free indeed (John 8:36). How does Christ set us free and from what does he set us free.? I would explain how I’ve heard the testimony of people who lived the lifestyle of pursuing their own desires only to find out they were actually a slave to that lifestyle and very miserable if they truly evaluated themselves. Whereas those who submit to Christ, giving up self-rule and living within Biblical standards feel the freest.
That is a start of where the conversation would go.
Hi Jeff, I, too, have much to learn about liberalism. In your university context, how would you gauge the student population’s attitude toward today’s reconceived definition of liberty?
Elysee,
To be honest, I think there would be a mix of attitudes. There are some students who find the reconceived definition of liberty as not being liberty at all. These students are the more devoted followers of Christ, who live within the rules, probably about 60% of the student body. Other students would love reconceived definition because it’s what they feel they want and possibly how they were raised.
Hi Jeff, Thank you for your insights on the impact on education. I wonder what the long-term impact will be on education with humanity classes being cut. I think the end of curiosity might be one of the more drastic consequences of failed liberalism. Emerging adults not thinking but learning rote tasks. In your context is there any remedy for some push back?
Diane,
This may come out in future posts but the birthrate in the US has been declining since the 1990’s except a little bump around 2007ish. This means there are fewer students heading off to college. We are already seeing colleges across the nation close and I think this needs to continue to happen so that those colleges which remain open can have higher enrollment numbers and justify having more faculty to teach more liberal arts classes. Without this happening, I believe colleges will continue to decrease what they offer. Yes, I may be shooting myself in the foot by making this statement but if that means students receive a fuller education then I am willing to see it happen.
Hi Jeff, Thanks for your perspective. It is a little shocking to hear how higher education has changed since when I graduated with my undergrad. Was there anything from this reading that has prompted you to explore or change in your classroom?
I am trying to engage students in more critical thinking activities. For example, for my class on social work documentation I had them do the 5 Whys activity answering why documentation is important. I’m trying to have them think why they think/believe what they do.
I’m exploring other things I can do as well.