{"id":4651,"date":"2017-08-22T09:25:43","date_gmt":"2017-08-22T17:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=4651"},"modified":"2017-08-22T09:25:43","modified_gmt":"2017-08-22T17:25:43","slug":"to-change-the-world-week-nine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2017\/08\/22\/to-change-the-world-week-nine","title":{"rendered":"To Change The World, Week Nine"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"To
To Change The World<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blog read\u00aders: Chi Alpha @ Stan\u00adford is engag\u00ading in our annu\u00adal sum\u00admer read\u00ading project. As we read through To Change The World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty in the Late Mod\u00adern World by James Davi\u00adson Hunter, I\u2019ll post my thoughts here (which will large\u00adly con\u00adsist of excerpts I found insight\u00adful). They are all tagged sum\u00admer-read\u00ading-project-2017<\/a>. The read\u00ading sched\u00adule is online at https:\/\/xastanford.org\/summer-reading<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

After being so descrip\u00adtive in the last three chap\u00adters it\u2019s nice to see Hunter get\u00adting pre\u00adscrip\u00adtive in this week\u2019s read\u00adings. He puts the reli\u00adgious right, the reli\u00adgious left, and the neo-Anabap\u00adtist tra\u00addi\u00adtion on blast. I real\u00adly enjoyed these clos\u00ading chap\u00adters of his essay on pow\u00ader.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
Most peo\u00adple think that what mat\u00adters is the ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal direc\u00adtion of one\u2019s pol\u00adi\u00adtics. Are you con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive? Are you lib\u00ader\u00adal? These dif\u00adfer\u00adences occu\u00adpy most of our atten\u00adtion and argu\u00adment. What is nev\u00ader chal\u00adlenged is the pro\u00adcliv\u00adi\u00adty to think of the Chris\u00adt\u00adian faith and its engage\u00adment with the cul\u00adture around it in polit\u00adi\u00adcal terms. (page 168)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
This is trag\u00adic because pol\u00adi\u00adtics promis\u00ades far more than it is able to deliv\u00ader. Hunter observes:<\/div>\n
\n
There are no com\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsive polit\u00adi\u00adcal solu\u00adtions to the dete\u00adri\u00ado\u00adra\u00adtion of \u201cfam\u00adi\u00adly val\u00adues,\u201d the desire for equi\u00adty, or the chal\u00adlenge of achiev\u00ading con\u00adsen\u00adsus and sol\u00adi\u00addar\u00adi\u00adty in a cul\u00adtur\u00adal con\u00adtext of frag\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtion and polar\u00adiza\u00adtion. There are no real polit\u00adi\u00adcal solu\u00adtions to the absence of decen\u00adcy or the spread of vul\u00adgar\u00adi\u00adty. But because the state is a clum\u00adsy instru\u00adment and final\u00adly root\u00aded in coer\u00adcion, it will always fail to ade\u00adquate\u00adly or direct\u00adly address the human ele\u00adments of these prob\u00adlems; the ele\u00adments that make them poignant in the first place. As a rule, when the state does become involved in such mat\u00adters, its actions can often cre\u00adate more prob\u00adlems through unin\u00adtend\u00aded con\u00adse\u00adquences, not few\u00ader. (page 171)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
This reminds me of some\u00adthing my dad used to tell me: some of the scari\u00adest words in the Eng\u00adlish lan\u00adguage are, \u201cI\u2019m from the gov\u00adern\u00adment and I\u2019m here to help you.\u201d Unin\u00adtend\u00aded con\u00adse\u00adquences abound for both the pol\u00adi\u00adcy pref\u00ader\u00adences of the left (min\u00adi\u00admum wage, fam\u00adi\u00adly leave pol\u00adi\u00adcy, zon\u00ading reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions) and the right (the war on drugs, tough-on-crime laws, immi\u00adgra\u00adtion reform). It\u2019s actu\u00adal\u00adly kind of fun to google. If you have some time I high\u00adly rec\u00adom\u00admend it.<\/div>\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

Hunter con\u00adtin\u00adues:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
At best, the state\u2019s role address\u00ading human prob\u00adlems is par\u00adtial and lim\u00adit\u00aded. It is not near\u00adly as influ\u00aden\u00adtial as the expec\u00adta\u00adtions most peo\u00adple have of it. It is true that laws are not neu\u00adtral. They do reflect val\u00adues. But laws can\u00adnot gen\u00ader\u00adate val\u00adues, or instill val\u00adues, or set\u00adtle the con\u00adflict over val\u00adues. (page 171)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The Rev. Dr. Mar\u00adtin Luther King, Jr. made a sim\u00adi\u00adlar but more pow\u00ader\u00adful\u00adly word\u00aded obser\u00adva\u00adtion high\u00adlight\u00ading the oth\u00ader side of this dynam\u00adic at West\u00adern Michi\u00adgan Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty back in 1963:<\/div>\n
\n
\u2026while it may be true that moral\u00adi\u00adty can\u00adnot be leg\u00adis\u00adlat\u00aded, behav\u00adior can be reg\u00adu\u00adlat\u00aded. It may be true that the law can\u00adnot change the heart but it can restrain the heart\u00adless. It may be true that the law can\u00adnot make a man love me but it can keep him from lynch\u00ading me and I think that is pret\u00adty impor\u00adtant, also. (pdf source<\/a>)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
That\u2019s one of my favorite quotes on reli\u00adgion and pol\u00adi\u00adtics, so I\u2019m glad I final\u00adly found a chance to drop it in. \ud83d\ude09<\/div>\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

With that extreme\u00adly impor\u00adtant point in mind, Hunter\u2019s reser\u00adva\u00adtion still stands:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
Val\u00adues can\u00adnot be achieved polit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly because pol\u00adi\u00adtics is invari\u00adably about power\u2014not only pow\u00ader, but final\u00adly about pow\u00ader. For pol\u00adi\u00adtics to be about more than pow\u00ader, it depends on a realm that is inde\u00adpen\u00addent of the polit\u00adi\u00adcal sphere.<\/i> It depends on moral cri\u00adte\u00adria, insti\u00adtu\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adized and prac\u00adticed in the social order, that are autonomous from the realm of pol\u00adi\u00adtics. The prob\u00adlem is that the impulse toward politi\u00adciza\u00adtion extends to the politi\u00adciza\u00adtion of val\u00adues. This means that the auton\u00ado\u00admy of moral cri\u00adte\u00adria on which a high\u00ader prac\u00adtice of pol\u00adi\u00adtics depends is increas\u00ading\u00adly lost. Today, most of the ideals and val\u00adues that are dis\u00adcussed in pub\u00adlic have acquired polit\u00adi\u00adcal con\u00adtent and con\u00adno\u00adta\u00adtion. Fair\u00adness? Equi\u00adty? Jus\u00adtice? Lib\u00ader\u00adty? These have come to have lit\u00adtle or no mean\u00ading out\u00adside of the realm of pol\u00adi\u00adtics. (page 172, empha\u00adsis in orig\u00adi\u00adnal)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n

And now he loads up the how\u00aditzers and launch\u00ades a bar\u00adrage on mod\u00adern Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty. He gets pos\u00adi\u00adtive\u00adly ser\u00admon\u00adic in this sec\u00adtion and I want you to know I am proud of myself for quot\u00ading so lit\u00adtle of it. It took tremen\u00addous restraint to lim\u00adit myself to three bomb\u00adshells.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. For con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtives and pro\u00adgres\u00adsives alike, Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty far too com\u00adfort\u00adably legit\u00adi\u00admates the dom\u00adi\u00adnant polit\u00adi\u00adcal ide\u00adolo\u00adgies and far too uncrit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly jus\u00adti\u00adfies the pre\u00advail\u00ading macro\u00adeco\u00adnom\u00adic struc\u00adtures and prac\u00adtices of our time. What is wrong with their cri\u00adtique is that it doesn\u2019t go far enough, for the moral life and every\u00adday social prac\u00adtices of the church are also far too entwined with the pre\u00advail\u00ading nor\u00adma\u00adtive assump\u00adtions of Amer\u00adi\u00adcan cul\u00adture. Courtship and mar\u00adriage, the for\u00adma\u00adtion and edu\u00adca\u00adtion of chil\u00addren, the mutu\u00adal rela\u00adtion\u00adships and  oblig\u00ada\u00adtions between the indi\u00advid\u00adual and com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty, voca\u00adtion, lead\u00ader\u00adship, con\u00adsump\u00adtion, leisure, \u201cretire\u00adment\u201d and the use of time in the final chap\u00adters of life\u2014on these and oth\u00ader mat\u00adters, Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty has uncrit\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly assim\u00adi\u00adlat\u00aded to the dom\u00adi\u00adnant ways of life in a man\u00adner dubi\u00adous at the least.\u201d (pages 184\u2013185)<\/li>\n
  2. \u2026Chris\u00adt\u00adian believ\u00aders [must] decou\u00adple the \u201cpub\u00adlic\u201d from the \u201cpolit\u00adi\u00adcal.\u201d Pol\u00adi\u00adtics is always a crude sim\u00adpli\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion of pub\u00adlic life and the com\u00admon good is always more than its polit\u00adi\u00adcal expres\u00adsion. As we have seen, the expec\u00adta\u00adtions that peo\u00adple place on pol\u00adi\u00adtics are unre\u00adal\u00adis\u00adtic for most of the prob\u00adlems we face today are not resolv\u00adable through pol\u00adi\u00adtics. That, how\u00adev\u00ader, is not the most seri\u00adous prob\u00adlem. Far more grave is the way politi\u00adciza\u00adtion has delim\u00adit\u00aded the imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive hori\u00adzon through which the church and Chris\u00adt\u00adian believ\u00aders think about engag\u00ading the world and the range of pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties with\u00adin which they actu\u00adal\u00adly act. Pol\u00adi\u00adtics is just one way to engage the world and, arguably, not the high\u00adest, best, most effec\u00adtive, nor most humane way to do so. This does not mean that Chris\u00adtians shouldn\u2019t \u201cvote their val\u00adues\u201d or be active in polit\u00adi\u00adcal affairs. It is essen\u00adtial, how\u00adev\u00ader, to demythol\u00ado\u00adgize pol\u00adi\u00adtics, to see pol\u00adi\u00adtics for what it is and what it can and (p.186) can\u00adnot do and not place on it unre\u00adal\u00adis\u00adtic expec\u00adta\u00adtions. It can\u00adnot real\u00adize the var\u00adi\u00adous myth\u00adic ideals that inspire dif\u00adfer\u00adent Chris\u00adt\u00adian com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adties, it can\u00adnot even reduce the ten\u00adsion that exists between the con\u00adcrete real\u00adi\u00adties of every\u00adday life and the moral and spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal ideals of the King\u00addom of God. At best, pol\u00adi\u00adtics can make life in this world a lit\u00adtle more just and thus a lit\u00adtle more bear\u00adable. (pages 185\u2013186)<\/li>\n
  3. Every\u00adthing about [Jesus\u2019] life, his teach\u00ading, and his death was a demon\u00adstra\u00adtion of a dif\u00adfer\u00adent kind of power\u2014not just in rela\u00adtion to the spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal realm and not just in rela\u00adtion to the rul\u00ading polit\u00adi\u00adcal author\u00adi\u00adties, but in the ordi\u00adnary social dynam\u00adics of every\u00adday life. It oper\u00adat\u00aded in com\u00adplete obe\u00addi\u00adence to God the Father, it repu\u00addi\u00adat\u00aded the sym\u00adbol\u00adic trap\u00adpings of elit\u00adism, it man\u00adi\u00adfest\u00aded com\u00adpas\u00adsion con\u00adcrete\u00adly out of call\u00ading and voca\u00adtion, and it served the good of all and not just the good of the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty of faith. In short, in con\u00adtrast to the king\u00addoms of this world, his king\u00addom man\u00adi\u00adfests the pow\u00ader to bless, unbur\u00adden, serve, heal, mend, restore, and lib\u00ader\u00adate. (page 193)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
    Bonus\u00ades<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
    Final\u00adly, some snip\u00adpets that have spe\u00adcial res\u00ado\u00adnance for us in light of recent his\u00adto\u00adry (all things that hap\u00adpened after Hunter\u2019s book was writ\u00adten):<\/div>\n

    First, one of Hunter\u2019s obser\u00adva\u00adtions illus\u00adtrates why Brex\u00adit hap\u00adpened \u2014 the bureau\u00adcrat\u00adic state is fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly non-demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic. That is hard to han\u00addle when it is con\u00adstrained by your demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic elec\u00adtions. How much hard\u00ader must it be when the bureau\u00adcra\u00adcy stands above your elec\u00adtoral process as it does in the EU?<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n
    \n
    The state, by con\u00adtrast, is where the real pow\u00ader resides. The state is a mas\u00adsive, rel\u00ada\u00adtive\u00adly autonomous bureau\u00adcrat\u00adic orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion whose pur\u00adpose is to admin\u00adis\u00adter innu\u00admer\u00adable dis\u00adcrete tasks that make the regime func\u00adtion. Deci\u00adsions made are fil\u00adtered through numer\u00adous, often unre\u00adlat\u00aded bureaus staffed by pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adals who have their own autonomous (and non\u00adde\u00admo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic) deci\u00adsion-mak\u00ading author\u00adi\u00adty. The tasks the state under\u00adtakes may be influ\u00adenced by ideals or val\u00adues pro\u00advid\u00aded by the polit\u00adi\u00adcal class, but those tasks do not embody those ideals.  (page 170)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
    And I thought this was a time\u00adly insight in light of the events in Char\u00adlottesville:<\/div>\n
    \n
    There is a basis in fact for the claims made by each of these groups. Yet an iden\u00adti\u00adty root\u00aded in resent\u00adment and hos\u00adtil\u00adi\u00adty is an inher\u00adent\u00adly weak iden\u00adti\u00adty pre\u00adcise\u00adly because it is estab\u00adlished neg\u00ada\u00adtive\u00adly, by accen\u00adtu\u00adat\u00ading the bound\u00adaries between insid\u00aders and out\u00adsiders and the wrongs done by those out\u00adsiders. (page 173)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
    <\/div>\n
    This also is ger\u00admane:<\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n
    \n
    The capac\u00adi\u00adty to define real\u00adi\u00adty varies exten\u00adsive\u00adly and those indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals and insti\u00adtu\u00adtions that have more engage in a kind of \u201csym\u00adbol\u00adic vio\u00adlence\u201d (or forms of coer\u00adcion that are effect\u00aded with\u00adout phys\u00adi\u00adcal force) against those who have less. The ulti\u00admate expres\u00adsion of this sym\u00adbol\u00adic vio\u00adlence is to so thor\u00adough\u00adly define a sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion that dis\u00adsent or oppo\u00adsi\u00adtion becomes unimag\u00adin\u00adable. (page 178)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
    \n

    The pub\u00adlic reac\u00adtion to the pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adt\u2019s speech on Char\u00adlottesville is a good illus\u00adtra\u00adtion of this. The fol\u00adlow\u00ading argu\u00adment, by the way, is inde\u00adpen\u00addent of my reac\u00adtion to the events in Char\u00adlottesville \u2014 it is an attempt to show that the stuff Hunter is talk\u00ading about is in the news con\u00adstant\u00adly. In case you\u2019re won\u00adder\u00ading, I preached against Nazi ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy and white suprema\u00adcy in a church just this Sun\u00adday and I have said pub\u00adlicly since before the elec\u00adtion I do not think Trump is fit to be pres\u00adi\u00addent. Per\u00adhaps you agree with me, per\u00adhaps not. In either case, set your own feel\u00adings aside for a moment and con\u00adsid\u00ader the reac\u00adtion to Trump\u2019s state\u00adments as a soci\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal phe\u00adnom\u00ade\u00adnon. What made his per\u00adspec\u00adtive so out\u00adra\u00adgeous? The sym\u00adbol\u00adic vio\u00adlence Hunter describes. We live in a cul\u00adture that has defined real\u00adi\u00adty in such a way that his state\u00adments were out\u00adside the realm of accept\u00adable pub\u00adlic dis\u00adcourse. There is no accept\u00adable reac\u00adtion to neo-Nazis oth\u00ader than imme\u00addi\u00adate denun\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion. Any\u00adthing else is lit\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly unimag\u00adin\u00adable. Even to say some\u00adthing fac\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly true \u2014 there is hate and vio\u00adlence on both sides \u2014 is incom\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble to many Amer\u00adi\u00adcans, espe\u00adcial\u00adly those who have been the most formed by elite insti\u00adtu\u00adtions. If you doubt \u201cthe vio\u00adlence on both sides\u201d state\u00adment, by the way, con\u00adsid\u00ader this arti\u00adcle from CNN: http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/08\/18\/us\/un\u00admask\u00ading-antifa-anti-fascists-hard-left\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n

    Final\u00adly, one that is rel\u00ade\u00advant to you as Stan\u00adford stu\u00addents. Always remem\u00adber that Stan\u00adford\u2019s high\u00adest val\u00adue is Stan\u00adford. I have seen the uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty do absolute\u00adly out\u00adra\u00adgeous things to stu\u00addents when the admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion per\u00adceived a con\u00adflict between the good of the stu\u00addent and the good of the uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty. Hunter nails it:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n
    Stud\u00adies have shown that even vol\u00adun\u00adtary orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions pro\u00adtect their orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion\u00adal inter\u00adests against the inter\u00adests and needs of the very mem\u00adbers they are sup\u00adposed to serve. (page 179)<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
    <\/div>\n
    Good stuff. I can\u2019t wait to begin read\u00ading<\/span> Hunter\u2019s final essay!<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Blog read\u00aders: Chi Alpha @ Stan\u00adford is engag\u00ading in our annu\u00adal sum\u00admer read\u00ading project. As we read through To Change The World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of Chris\u00adtian\u00adi\u00adty in the Late Mod\u00adern World by James Davi\u00adson Hunter, I\u2019ll post my thoughts here (which will large\u00adly con\u00adsist of excerpts I found insight\u00adful). They are all \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading \u201cTo Change The World, Week Nine\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Some thoughts from James Davis Hunter on the limits of political power.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[209,210],"class_list":["post-4651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-resources-reviews","tag-summer-reading-project-2017","tag-to-change-the-world"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1d1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4651\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}