Stay engaged!
I have seasons of being politically engaged, and then increasingly longer seasons of political disengagement. When I was in my early twenties, politics were simple (so I thought). It was about ensuring the US constitution was upheld and that people would maintain the liberties provided through it. As I got older, I realized some complexities that my ideology couldn’t account for. For example, how should people be held accountable for their actions while also allowing space for understanding for those suffering from mental illness or trauma? In a sense, I started understanding some of what Bobby Duffy describes in his book Why We’re Wrong about Nearly Everything: A Theory of Human Misunderstanding.[1] If my beliefs were incomplete, or completely wrong about a given political topic, what else are they wrong about? When we’re faced with such disorientation, we have two choices: resign to an “I just don’t know” posture and be unsure about everything, or to press in and wrestle with God on these things.
This was one of many discouraging realities I wrestled with that led to political disengagement. It’s not that I want to be disengaged, but I am often reminded that Jesus is the only one that can rule as a king without corrupting power and provide the perfect balance between justice and mercy. So my response has been to focus on the gospel – believing that Jesus himself is the only solution to our world’s problems. This week’s reading reminded me of the reasons for engagement, and the hope we have in Jesus.
Matthew R. Petrusek is the author of Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture. Petrusek holds a PhD and is the Senior Director of the Word on Fire Institute and its Professor of Catholic Ethics. [1] Petrusek specializes in philosophical and theological ethics, Christian theology, politics, social issues, and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. [2]
Petrusek holds that we need to argue rather than fight – to make rational arguments in our disagreement with each other. “This sounds revolutionary to contemporary secular culture – saying something does not make it so. If an argument is valid, it is valid no matter how we feel about it.” [3]
In Evangelization and Ideology, Petrusek works out a case of the problems with today’s ideological thinking and offers a better way forward. The major ideologies (and problems) of our day are:
- Utilitarianism (described as the god of pleasure) – society should work towards the greatest good for the greatest number of people, by giving people what they want the most – “mental and physical gratification”.[4] But as with all of our mainstream western ideologies, problems come with with way of thinking, “…Utilitarianism thinks that it has liberated humans from religion. But all it has done is replace it with a cult of pleasure, one that will welcome you and caress you and feed your every desire – until the temple priests no longer find your presence gratifying and decide you’d be more useful as a object of sacrifice.” [5]
- Classical Liberalism / Libertarianism (described as the god of my self) – society should allow each member to do as they desire, so long as it doesn’t interfere with another member’s attempt to do the same. “Kant’s dream to free humanity from external, heteronomous sources of control may be well-intentioned, but its practical application leads not to liberty but to the worse form of slavery – being bound to our own emotive whims that, because they lie outside the sobering and stabilizing reach of reason, will end up eating us alive individually and collectively.”[6]
- Progressivism / Wokeism (described as the god of my tribe: progressivism) – society should fight against injustice such racism, prejudice, and inequality. However, along the way to pursue justice, progressivism / wokeism has attributed power and moral superiority to anyone based on their lived experiences and self-identification, regardless of any contrary evidence.
- Non-Theistic Conservatism (described as the god of fortune) – society should effectively disregard God’s existence in exchange for the pursuit of one’s own fortune and wealth.
Petrusek wraps up the book giving practical advice on how to move forward as a believer and evangelist in today’s political climate. Some examples are:
- Attack bad ideas rather than attacking people
- Use the Socratic method in debate by asking genuine thought-provoking questions and seeking common ground.
- Drive for clarity (which doesn’t require simplicity).
- Be open minded to learn new things.
- Resist the temptation to water down beliefs to gain avoid a debate. [8]
My takeaway from Petrusek – don’t let politics prevent us from sharing the good news of Jesus. Our methods may need to contextualize to the culture, but our faith doesn’t have to.
References
[1] Duffy, Bobby. 2019. Why We’re Wrong about Nearly Everything: A Theory of Human Misunderstanding. First US edition. New York: Basic Books.
[2] Word on Fire Institute. “Dr. Matthew Petrusek.” Accessed April 5, 2024. https://www.wordonfire.org/author/dr-matthew-petrusek/.
[3] MATTHEW R. PETRUSEK, PHD. “PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AND AREAS OF EXPERTISE.” Accessed April 5, 2024. https://mattpetrusek.wixsite.com/website.
[4] Petrusek, Matthew R. Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture. Park Ridge, IL: published by the Word on Fire Institute, an imprint of Word on Fire, 2023, 37.
[5] Ibid, 153.
[6] Ibid, 211.
[7] Ibid, 300
[8] Ibid, 445-463.
About the Author
Christy
2 responses to “Stay engaged!”
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Hi Christy,
I agree, politics need never prevent us from sharing the gospel. Why do you suppose you have long periods of political disengagement? You don’t have to answer that here. That might be something you need to reflect upon for awhile, so no pressure.
If you were to use the Socratic method to ask Petrusek some questions, what would they be?
Hi Nancy – I’ll disengage as a way of coping with the reality that I can have little influence. The heavy burden that comes from engagement isn’t worth the very small payout of being engaged.
If I could engage with Petrusek, I’d ask him how he finds people that he can argue with. I agree with the premise of arguing vs. fighting, but these people are hard to find, especially when they are different from us!