Summer 2008 | Volume 18 | Number 3 Religion Inside this issue Karnick Busting a Pop Culture Illusion • Nothstine Spiritual Enterprise • Schmiesing Corruption in Catholic Boston • Walker Eliot, Liberty Kirk and the Moral Imagination • In the Liberal Tradition Alexander Solzhenitsyn • & Sirico The Envy Trap

Taking A Stand

An interview with Governor Mark Sanford

A Journal of Religion, Economics, and Culture Editor’s Note

dynamic in our interview that you prob- Philip F. Lawler’s The Faithful Departed: ably won’t see in other interviews with The Collapse of Boston’s Catholic Culture and the governor, and that focuses on his Ray Nothstine reviews Theodore views of faith in the public square and Roosevelt Malloch’s Spiritual Enterprise: what that means going forward in the Doing Virtuous Business. Schmiesing clearly current political climate. explains the reasons for the breach be- tween Boston’s Catholic leaders and the S.T. Karnick is the editor of the American laity. He also effectively pulls in “Acton’s Culture website, and we are fortunate to spin“ on Lawler’s work for our readers. feature a piece by him titled “Busting a Nothstine’s review of Spiritual Enterprise is Pop Culture Illusion.“ Karnick explains valuable in that it recognizes there are Currently there are serious concerns how Disney promotes the “life-without- moral deficiencies in the business world. about economic prosperity in a nation limits mindset.“ He also calls this mindset Additionally, just as society needs moral that has for so long benefited from tre- “one of the main progenitors of modern, reform to be healthy moving forward, mendous economic growth and stability. statist liberalism.“ He praises the film moral reform needs to extend to an even Likewise, some are deeply troubled about Marley and Me, calling it “an excellent greater degree in the commercial sector. government proposed solutions and antidote to the Disney myth and the uto- cures for our economic ailments. South pianism of modern liberalism.“ In a Religion & Liberty issue where I believe Carolina’s governor Mark Sanford brings we have written about and defended a lot Bruce Edward Walker offers some ex- substantial thought and credibility to of moral truths, it is so appropriate to give cellent thoughts concerning the conser- free-market ideas while articulating the a voice to Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who’s vatism of T.S. Eliot and Russell Kirk. danger of greater centralized power. haunting, timeless, and most importantly, Both men, because of their faith back- truth telling words were pivotal in crush- Those paying attention to current events ground, rightly recognized that the ing Marxist-Leninism. His story and words will be well aware that Governor San- moral order rises above ideological fer- are forever appreciated by those who ford has risen to be perhaps the chief vor and Walker eloquently depicts the cherish the kind of liberty that is fastened voice in opposing bailout and stimulus consequences on society and culture with a moral fabric upon the heart. legislation out of Washington, no matter when the moral tradition wanes. which political party is pushing more spending. We also add another important Kevin Schmiesing offers a review of Editorial Board Contents

Publisher: Rev. Robert A. Sirico Taking a Stand: Governor Mark Sanford ...... 3 Executive Editor: John Couretas Busting a Pop Culture Illusion: S.T. Karnick ...... 4 Editor: Rev. Raymond J. de Souza Spiritual Enterprise: Ray Nothstine ...... 6 Managing Editor: Ray Nothstine Power and Corruption in Catholic Boston: Kevin Schmiesing ...... 7 Graphics Editor: Peter Ho Acton FAQ ...... 8 The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty promotes a free so- Eliot, Kirk and the Moral Imagination: ciety characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles. Bruce Edward Walker ...... 9 Letters and requests should be directed to: Religion & Liberty; Acton Institute; 161 Ottawa Ave., NW, Suite 301; Grand Rapids, MI 49503. For archived is- Double-Edged Sword ...... 10 sues or to subscribe, please visit www.acton.org/publicat/randl. In the Liberal Tradition: Alexander Solzhenitsyn ...... 14 The views of the authors expressed in Religion & Liberty are not necessarily Column: Rev. Robert A. Sirico ...... 15 those of the Acton Institute.

© 2009 Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty.

2 Religion& Liberty Taking A Stand: An Interview with Governor Mark Sanford

Mark Sanford was elected South Carolina’s You’ve taken a very principled approach in Not just for an election or election cycle governor in 2002 and won a second term in working for smaller government, lower taxes, but on a prolonged basis. And that’s what 2006, becoming only the third two-term gov- individual liberty, and, for fostering a culture it will take to turn the tide. Really, that is ernor in modern state history. In 2008, Gov- of personal responsibility. Those principles the only thing that can turn the tide. ernor Sanford was also named chairman of are taking a battering in Washington today. However, if the status quo remains, we’re the Republican Governors Association. Can anything turn the tide? going to have profound problems coming our way that I think signal, frankly, the Prior to his election as governor in 2002, George Washington and his fairly battered undoing of our Republic. Governor Sanford served six years in the U.S. band of patriots were facing far greater House. For his consistent efforts to lower odds. The situation looked much more A lot of the debate in Washington over vari- taxes and limit government growth, he was ous bailouts and stimulus packages ranked number one in the entire Congress by focuses on how to carve up the pie. Citizens Against Government Waste. He was But shouldn’t we first be talking about rated similarly by the National Taxpayers’ bigger issues like what this tremen- Union, and Taxpayers for Common Sense dous expansion of government will inducted him into the Taxpayers Hall of mean for America’s future? Fame. Governor Sanford holds a BA degree The answer is yes at several different from Furman University, and a MBA from levels. The first level is that we are the University of Virginia’s Darden School of undoing the ultimate in economic Business. He also worked at the New York stimulus—the free market. The real office of Goldman Sachs. driver of our economy is not our As a governor, he has gained national atten- public works projects or govern- tion for his principled opposition to bailouts ment programs, the real driver of and stimulus legislation coming out of our economy is, to date, a free- Washington. He recently spoke with R&L market based system that spurs on managing editor Ray Nothstine. that young entrepreneur in the basement who’s created the product ——————————————————— of tomorrow, or that middle-ager working in the diner around the corner. All of those things that make up Adam Smith’s Invisible “The first level is that Gov. Sanford: money doesn’t come out of the sky. Hand are the real stimulus of our we are undoing the economy: the people that get up for work; those who are creating the products ultimate in economic bleak. And yet they were resolved to cre- ating the perfect union that they believed of tomorrow. We need to talk about how stimulus - the free in. And they ultimately prevailed against this money doesn’t come out of the sky. If market.“ incredibly long odds. So I think the an- you borrow it, and you have ever larger swer rests in that silent and sleeping ma- sectors of the economy driven by the jority—really making their voice heard. public sector rather than civil society, we continued on pg 11

Summer 20052008 | Volume 1518 | Number 13 3 Busting a Pop Culture Illusion

By S.T. Karnick

For the past several decades, American The lyrics of countless songs in Disney this longing for perfect freedom really is. popular culture has frequently promul- movies skillfully convey this dream, as gated an idea central to modern liberal- in these famous lines from the Academy The very title of the film is a clue that the ism: the idea of a life without limits, that Award-winning song from the 1940 human protagonist should be a central we can have everything we want with- Disney film Pinocchio: focus of our attention, and newspaper columnist John Grogan (Owen Wilson) out having to make hard choices. That  assumption is especially evident in Walt does indeed splendidly represent the Dis- Disney movies, and not only in recent When you wish upon a star, Makes ney philosophy. Dissatisfied with his work ones. Fortunately, the makers of some no difference who you are, Anything as a columnist, at which he is highly suc- pop culture products see the absurdity cessful, he longs to be a “real reporter“ your heart desires Will come to you. and danger of that notion. like his friend Sebastian, who gets to in- If your heart is in your dream No terview important political figures and is The life-without-limits mindset, derived published in The New York Times. Of course, request is too extreme When you most directly from the ideas of the eigh- once John achieves his dream of being a teenth century French philosopher Jean- wish upon a star As dreamers do. reporter, he doesn’t like it and wants the Jacques Rousseau (one of the main pro-  freedom he had as a columnist. genitors of modern, statist liberalism), is an essential foundation of modern liberalism The reality, of course, is that everybody’s The reluctance to accept the limits reality and has an important corollary that per- life does have limits, and that we often imposes on all of us is manifested also in vades leftist politics: that the only thing that have to make hard choices between im- the difficulty John has in deciding stops each of us from achieving our life perfect alternatives. In fact, the longing whether to have children. He clearly without limits is the stubborn restrictions for perfect freedom must ultimately be a does not want to take on the responsibil- placed on us by various villains, usually tyrannical and consuming desire for god- ity that children bring, and ultimately business or religion and typically both. like power. And that is why modern liber- when he decides to go ahead with it, he alism is so strongly based on coercion. lays all the responsibility for the decision Though largely French in origin, the on his wife, Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston), myth of a life without limits is character- Recognizing this reality and making it viv- as he makes quite clear in a conversation istically American and, in fact, typical of idly apparent in the narrative, the recent with Sebastian. adolescents the world over. It involves movie Marley and Me is very much the the idea that freedom means doing what- anti-Disney film for children. It identifies This is brought home with great force in ever you want, not simply having a and clearly criticizes the notion of a life a later scene in which Jennifer decides choice among whatever options life without limits. Whereas Disney films say that she wants to quit her job in order to makes available. Instead, the American that you can do anything you want and raise their children. She tells John that fantasy is that both individuals and soci- have anything you want if you only want she can’t be either a good mother or a ety as a whole can overcome every ob- it badly enough (Disney films have said so good journalist if she tries to do both, and stacle to our numerous desires, provided since the studio started making feature that she chooses to be a good mother, as we only wish strongly enough and get films, not just in recent years), Marley and that is more important to her. It’s a per- our friends on our side. Me shows how adolescent and unrealistic fectly sensible and indeed laudable

4 Religion& Liberty choice, albeit a difficult one, yet John, fact that his choices have placed real lim- and it can only be for John’s own ben- still trapped in his Disney fantasies, actu- its on his life. The tragedy at the center of efit, as the dog obviously has no under- ally tries to talk her out of it, offering to the film is that John fails to appreciate the standing of language. It’s John’s way of get her some “help“ in taking care of the beauty of what he has and that these pretending once again that his choices kids. Fortunately, Jennifer’s natural sense things are in fact the real essence of life. didn’t have negative consequences, of personal autonomy and willingness to Instead, he continually imagines how that the American fantasy of having it accept responsibility prevent her from splendid his life would be if he were else- all still holds true. The film’s story, giving in to his foolish entreaties. where doing other things. however, makes it clear that just the opposite is true: contrary to the Disney That’s the real conflict at the center of the The one who really lives the way John myth, many things our hearts desire film: John’s unwillingness to accept his would like to exist is Marley, the dog. won’t come to us, no matter how fer- natural quota of adult authority when it’s Yet Marley’s free-spirited misbehavior vently we may wish for them. handed to him and to take responsibility causes chaos in John’s home and almost for the choices he makes and the people forces the couple into divorce. Marley Recent films as varied as Milk, Kung Fu he loves. defecates in the ocean on the pet beach, Panda, and Step Brothers all convey the which may cause it to be closed. And he Disney myth that we can overcome This is made quite evident in an amusing develops an agonizing ailment, stomach life’s limits by wanting it badly enough, way during a scene in which John and torsion, as a result of eating or drinking but a significant number of films pres- Jennifer take their dog to an obedience too quickly. ent a more realistic appraisal of the training class. The teacher (played by limits of human autonomy and power: Kathleen Turner), asks which of the two movies such as The Dark Knight, Defiance, will take the role of master, and John Gran Torino, The Wrestler, No Country for defers to Jennifer and lays down in the “...contrary to the Old Men, Slumdog Millionaire, Fireproof, grass, happy to shirk the responsibility. and In Bruges. Marley and Me is particu- Later in the scene, however, he ends up Disney myth, many larly interesting in accomplishing this having to do his part, and fails miserably, through comedy, and in a film that will causing Marley and his owners to be things our hearts appeal to children. kicked out of the class for good. John and Jennifer find it rather amusing, but desire won’t come Having Grogan’s character played by most normal people would see it as quite to us, no matter Owen Wilson is an inspired choice. He has humiliating. long been known for playing free-spirited how fervently we characters in movies, yet in real life he As the film goes on, John’s failure to nearly died last year in what appears to accept his role as an authority and to may wish for them.“ have been a failed suicide attempt. That get control of Marley results in much brings home another sobering truth about destruction, comical but still costly. the life without limits: when we fail to find happiness in such a life, we have no John’s friend Sebastian also plays an im- one to blame but ourselves, and that is a portant part in the film, as he represents The final scenes press home this theme direct path to despair. John’s fantasy of professional and social of the limits to personal autonomy and power, as Marley inevitably confronts success without the attendant responsi- The film is based on the memoirs of a real- bilities. Yet although Sebastian is a bach- the one limit we all must ultimately ac- cept: death. Here John finally seems to life American newspaper columnist, and elor who seems to do very well with the hence is no fantasy itself. Its honesty ladies, it’s clear to the audience, though begin to understand what’s really impor- tant in life, and appears to appreciate the about the adolescent longing for perfect not to John, that Sebastian’s choices freedom at the heart of much of American have consequences. His decision to re- value of the family, home, and job that he has chosen. culture makes Marley and Me an excellent main a bachelor, for example, means antidote to the Disney myth and the uto- that he can’t experience the joys of mar- Yet even in these scenes John’s fanta- pianism of modern liberalism. riage and parenting that the film clearly sy-mongering continues. He expresses depicts as immensely desirable outcomes discontent with his job, and in his sen- S. T. Karnick is editor of the American Culture of John’s choices. timental goodbye to Marley as the dog website, http://stkarnick.com. Sebastian, however, appears to be at is dying, John tells Marley that he has peace with his decisions and to accept the been a good dog. That is an absurd lie,

Summer 2008 | Volume 18 | Number 3 5 Spiritual Enterprise: Doing Virtuous Business

Reviewed by Ray Nothstine Spiritual Enterprise: Doing Virtuous Business The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston’s Catholic Culture Theodore Roosevelt Malloch, Encounter, 2008 Philip F. Lawler, Encounter, 2008 With the onset of the financial crisis and making could degenerate into the Randi- closed without exception on Sundays, economic downturn, there has been a lot an mantra Malloch himself references: bypassing 15 percent of the selling week. of discussion about the future of the free “the purpose of wealth is to put oneself The policy serves as a reminder for his economy in this country. Scandal and on a pedestal.“ This is a character trait employees to direct their attention to corruption among executives and finan- that would indeed be a cause for alarm things that matter more than business. cial institutions has of course played a for most people of faith, if not the wider significant part in fueling the discussion. business community. Malloch points out that businesspeople While paying tribute to the free economy attend worship services every week more and the wealth it has created, Theodore Spiritual capital refers to the kind of than nearly any other professional class, Roosevelt Malloch also looks to reinforce capital that is linked to our spiritual life. save church professionals and military and renew the foundations of virtuous Malloch cites William Wilberforce’s life- officers. “Business is the real test of the business in Spiritual Enterprise. Malloch long struggle and ultimate triumph in moral life, and those who engage in it agrees that businesses and entrepreneurs abolishing the slave trade, as well as Max are putting themselves in a position that embody those spiritual traits played a Dupree’s leadership model as the former where trust in God’s goodness is the sur- substantial role in leading the United CEO of the furniture company Herman est guarantee of success,“ says Malloch. States in its rise as an economic power Miller as stellar examples. Additionally, more businesses and cor- second to none. A key driver of this as- porate organizations understand that But while spiritual capital looks beyond cendancy was that so many business their employees are yearning for a spiri- the bottom line, Malloch argues that in leaders and the people who made up tual satisfaction within their work and actuality it makes businesses and compa- those institutions had a deep well of not striving after profit for material ac- nies more successful. Simply put, they spiritual might and heritage to draw cumulation alone. If this is the case, and outperform their competitors. He offers from. “I do not deny that people, and there is a lot of evidence out there that plenty of examples of business leaders and companies, can be virtuous if they lack says it is, then the enterprise sector could entrepreneurs ignoring spiritual capital or faith. But, as I argue, virtue endures and be ripe for greater renewal. values to their own detriment. spreads because it is sustained by and Malloch’s book, while a good commen- through faith,“ says Malloch. An especially vibrant example of virtue tary on the long-term viability of capital- comes from Chick-fil-A founder and CEO A central strength of Spiritual Enterprise is ism, is also thoughtful and fair in dealing S. Truett Cathy. Cathy has remained that it offers a legitimate critique of capi- with skeptics. Those who have concerns faithful to his Southern Baptist tradition, talism’s ability to be uplifting and em- about people of faith obtaining success in and the core statement of his business is powering when there is an absence of business and acquiring wealth, and those reflected by his faith: “To glorify God by moral foundations and influence. Ac- who are skeptical of faith playing any role being a faithful steward of all that is en- cording to Michael Novak, who wrote the in business at all, will find thoughtful an- trusted to us. To have a positive influence book’s introduction, spiritual enterprise is swers and reflection in Spiritual Enterprise. on all who come in contact with Chick- “capitalism in its most profound and im- This book places tremendous value on fil-A.“ Cathy has recorded forty consecu- portant form.“ Without virtue or some the connection between a free economy tive years of profit and growth. One of his form of spiritual capital on a company’s and religious liberty, and, even more im- most visible examples of spiritual capital balance sheet, its priorities and decision portantly, it expands that connection for is his decision to keep his restaurants an evolving global market.

6 Religion& Liberty Power and Corruption in Catholic Boston

Reviewed by Kevin Schmiesing The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston’s Catholic Culture Philip F. Lawler, Encounter, 2008 Lord Acton’s quotation concerning the Catholic and in every friend of the church, (Boston’s O’Connell) and “The Power- corrupting effect of power is widely for he doubts that the major unsolved prob- house“ (New York’s Spellman). known. Less so is the fact that the target lem will be tackled otherwise. That problem of his criticism on that particular occasion is the leadership of the church, the bishops, As Lawler recognizes, however, political was the power possessed not by govern- and that returns us to Acton’s quotation influence for American bishops is built not ment but by church officials. Acton’s un- and to the story of Boston Catholicism. on government prerogative but on spiritual derstanding of ecclesiastical authority (as authority. Bishops’ “power,“ and by exten- distinct from power) is debatable, but his Lawler’s account operates on three levels. sion the church’s “power,“ in the secular insight into human nature is not. A case In places it is a general history and assess- sense depends utterly on their ability to study—not that we need another to file ment of Catholicism in the United States. command allegiance in the spiritual realm. away in the vast archives of the history of It is the story of a tiny minority, its num- O’Connell’s impact on legislation derived human frailty—is the collapse of the bers swelled by immigration and high not from constitutionally enumerated pow- Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. birth rates, gradually gaining economic, ers, but from his capacity as respected head cultural, and political clout. The second of a united community of believers. One Philip Lawler documents the details in this level is the local church in Boston, whose might say that the power was the laity’s, skillfully written account of the triumphs story comprises the largest part of the and the bishop was their mouthpiece. and travails of Boston’s Catholics. The his- book. Lawler brilliantly evokes the person- tory is episodic rather than thorough, but alities of Boston’s prelates, from Cardinals Gradually this spiritual authority dissipated. Lawler chooses his episodes well. The O’Connell (1930s), to Cushing (1950s), to The reasons are many, and one can read bulk of his attention goes to the last forty Medeiros (1970s), to Law (1990s). In fact, about them in any number of books printed years, and much of that is focused on the one might interpret the book as a critical over the past forty years. Catholics in the sexual abuse scandals of the last ten. For assessment of Boston’s bishops. latter half of the twentieth century became anyone who has followed these develop- virtually indistinguishable from other Amer- ments closely, there will be little in the It is more than that, though. It is an account icans, most critically in areas that contra- way of new revelations. Yet Lawler’s style, of the relationship between the archdio- dicted the official positions of their church: at once sympathetic and bluntly critical, is cese’s shepherds and their flock. Lawler contraception, divorce, and abortion politics. engrossing. The devout Catholic reader possesses a significant attribute that presses Simultaneously, bishops squandered their who was dismayed by the character and him never to lose sight of the laity: he is one authority by making ill-advised stands on scale of the abuse scandal will be drawn of them. Lawler’s personal involvement in policy issues less central to the moral teach- back to those unpleasant times when it parts of the story is the third level, lending it ing of the church and failing to support vig- seemed that each new day brought fresh an emotional edge that never slips into orously those Catholics who remained com- reasons to be ashamed of one’s faith. maudlin self-pity or self-righteous apologia. mitted to the traditional teachings.

This kind of reaction is exactly what Lawler The book opens with an anecdote dem- The value of Lawler’s account is that it wants. The more tractable problems within onstrating episcopal power: Cardinal Wil- avoids the easy story lines so common in the Catholic Church have been addressed, liam O’Connell’s single-handed quashing analyses of the Catholic Church in the he admits, but the more difficult have not. of a proposed state lottery in 1935. It was post-Vatican II era. Fully appreciative of Shame, indignation, even anger, are the a time when archdiocesan leadership car- the assets of early twentieth-century emotions he wishes to incite in the faithful ried appellations such as “Number 1“ Boston Catholicism, Lawler never dons

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Summer 2008 | Volume 18 | Number 3 7 continued from page 7 Acton FAQ rose-colored glasses that would blind him Why Did The Acton Institute Develop to the fact that the apparently indomitable church bore within it the seeds of decline. The Effective Stewardship Curriculum? The sorry state of the Boston church in 2009 cannot be blamed solely on the inad- One of the best ways to reach people of faith is in their places of worship and equacies of the post-Vatican II era. At the church communities. Church and lay leaders of many different Christian tradi- apex of its influence before the council, the tions are often looking for quality and affordable curriculum materials that can church in Boston confused the spiritual equip their own members to act and think biblically about important social is- and temporal realms. sues such as care of creation, poverty relief, financial stewardship, and giving.

The Democratic political machine that Acton’s purpose in developing the Effective Stewardship Curriculum and NIV provided ladders to success so desperately Stewardship Bible was to take the best of our ideas, as expressed in the work needed by impoverished immigrants also of our scholars and staff members, and to offer them to a broad audience. lured the church into cooperation with the With a DVD and companion study guide, Acton can multiply its reach and expanding government of the New Deal influence tremendously. and Great Society eras. Presiding over a What’s more, many church leaders and educational materials propose teachings coherent and devoted laity, Boston’s arch- and policy solutions that are at odds with the “free and virtuous society.“ With bishops enjoyed the perquisites of secu- the recent rise of the religious left, the Acton Institute is offering an Effective lar esteem. They enjoyed them so well Stewardship Curriculum that faithfully engages Scripture and the value of religious that they forgot that such deference came liberty. The biblical teaching on stewardship brings together a number of grudgingly from a non-Catholic world and, threads in Scripture that call us to give a more holistic and mainstream ap- with the crumbling of the spiritual author- proach, which allows us to play a dynamic role in the transformation of in- ity at the foundation of the edifice, would dividuals and the culture. be quickly withdrawn. Acton has also crafted a partnership with Zondervan, the leading evangelical Christian publishing house, for distribution of the Effective Stewardship DVD “From the first days of the Catholic ascen- and study guide beginning in 2009. The partnership will dramatically expand dancy,“ Lawler writes, “church leaders in the availability of the Acton Effective Stewardship Curriculum into mass market Boston experienced the temptation to build retail channels. up that influence and power for their own The curriculum will also be made available with the Stewardship Study Bible, to sake, rather than nurturing the religious sol- be published by Zondervan in September 2009. Dave Ramsey, the financial idarity on which they depended. Cardinals adviser and nationally syndicated radio host, has endorsed the Stewardship Bible became preoccupied with the needs of the and will promote it on his show. Ramsey’s radio show is ranked in the top five archdiocese as a secular institution, some- of talk radio, with four million listeners each week. Ramsey’s endorsement times even to the detriment of the archdio- says, “Too many Christians hold their Bible in one hand and their checkbook cese as a community of faith“ (248). in the other, never bringing the two together. What a tragedy! The NIV Steward- ship Study Bible bridges that gap and shows you how to apply God’s Word to There is incalculable wisdom in those your whole life—money and all!“ words, and it is applicable to all religious groups. American Catholics and their bish- With partners like Zondervan and Dave Ramsey, the Effective Stewardship Curricu- ops have not yet learned the lesson, Lawler lum is a critical outreach in building a network of even greater influence and thinks, and the evidence is with him. Lord credibility, especially in the evangelical Protestant community. With all of the Acton’s warning about power, however fa- great ideas, talent, and resources at the Acton Institute, it is essential to broaden mous it may be, has not been taken seri- our influence while staying faithful to our mission of a free and virtuous society. ously often enough.

Kevin Schmiesing is a research fellow at the Kris Alan Mauren Acton Institute. Executive Director

8 Religion& Liberty Eliot, Kirk and the Moral Imagination

By Bruce Edward Walker

The following is adapted from a speech on the is the negation of ideology. one’s mind also nurtures one’s character, occasion of the republication of Russell Kirk’s and that chasing after utopian goals as Eliot and His Age, given to the Intercollegiate Dr. Benjamin Lockerd, in his excellent ideologues often do is a fool’s errand. As Studies Institute student group at Central new preface to Eliot and His Age, quotes Kirk wrote about Eliot’s masterpiece, “The Michigan University in September 2008. Kirk: “Recovery of moral understanding Four Quartets“: cannot be merely a means to social resto- What makes T. S. Eliot and Russell Kirk so ration: it must be its own end, though it Ideology, it must be remembered, is the important that we should be here tonight will produce social consequences. In the attempt to supplant religious dogmas by to discuss them? Well, for one, both fa- words of T.S. Eliot, ’If you will not have political and scientistic dogmas. If one’s thered “ages“—the twentieth century God (and he is a jealous God) you should first premise is that religion must be a was, according to Kirk, “The Age of Eliot“ pay your respects to Hitler or Stalin.’“ Eliot snare and a delusion, for instance, then it and Kirk himself inaugurated the contem- hints at this jealous God in his verse play, follows that Eliot becomes an enemy to porary Conservative Age with the publi- “Murder in the Cathedral“: be assaulted, rather than a pilgrim whose cation of The Conservative Mind in the early  journey one may admir—even if one 1950s. Both men recognized that there is does not believe in the goal of that quest. Those who put their faith in worldly no culture without cult, cult in this in- Truly there exists such a state as the in- order. Not controlled by the order of stance, for Kirk, “a joining together for vincible ignorance of the learned. If Lib- God, in confident ignorance, but arrest worship—that is, the attempt of people to eralism, or Socialism, or Communism, disorder. Make it fast, breed fatal disease, commune with a transcendent power. It is has become a god-word, not to be ques- Degrade what they exalt. from association in the cult, the body of tioned; if Science has become an uncriti- worshippers, that human community  cal faith, amounting really to Scientism— grows.“ Additionally, both Eliot and Kirk Eliot witnessed the results of catastrophi- then the captive of ideology will be un- agreed that a worldview is only viable in- cally destructive ideologies. He had seen able to read with understanding what asmuch as it reflects what Edmund Burke nationalistic fervor ignite the conflagration Eliot wrote painfully and carefully. called the moral imagination, which he of world wars; he had seen the passion for defined as, “the power of ethical percep- atheistic “social justice“ strip whole popu- Both Kirk and Eliot understood that there tion which strides beyond the barriers of lations from nations; he had witnessed is no terrestrial paradise, only that which private experience and events of the mo- members of his own generation embrace exists in the hereafter. The best one can ment—especially the higher form of this fascism and members of the succeeding hope for is a world that cherishes its tradi- power exercised in poetry and art.“ generation embrace Marxist solutions; he tions, holds on to them, nurtures them, had witnessed the tremendous sway of and passes them on to one’s immediate For Eliot, the moral imagination derived Freud and Jung, which had pointed the community, family, and the world-at-large. from his Anglo-Catholicism; for Kirk, his way to so many blind alleys for so many This is a world that constantly renews it- Roman Catholicism. Devoid of moral imagi- writers of so-called Modernist sensibilities. self not through revolution, but through nation, all systems—political, social, eco- regular revisits to those texts that reveal nomic, familial and spiritual—are bound to Revisiting Eliot’s works—and being able to the best of humanity’s thoughts and prac- fail. True conservatives, both men believed, do so with Kirk’s invaluable guidance— tices guided by a moral imagination that place moral considerations ahead of ideolo- serves to remind readers that nurturing acknowledges something greater than the gy. In fact, both held that true conservatism

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Summer 2008 | Volume 18 | Number 3 9 continued from page 9 Double-Edged Sword: whims of the individual, something more The Power of the Word honorable than political ideologies, some- thing that places humanity under the rubric of the Divine to keep in check the arrogance of earthbound makers—those artists, intellectuals, and leaders who Psalm 94:14,15 cease placing themselves as creations of something bigger, something more noble, For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he something beyond even the best human minds to fully comprehend. forsake his inheritance. But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it. Lacking this, we are ideologically hide- bound, pushing our personal agendas in So often in life we feel alone, neglected, and forgotten. Even in crowds an indi- attempts to reverse the Fall and reclaim an vidual can feel isolated, excluded, and supremely unimportant, sometimes earthly paradise. through no fault of his or her own. Yet worse, often we are unfairly wronged by people who are supposed to be friends and loved ones, or we are persecuted and Lacking this, we find ourselves morally tormented by foes. The 94th Psalm is an appeal by the psalmist for the Lord to be bankrupt—enslaved by our own appetites, a judge and to intercede on behalf of his people. greed, lusts and desires; subject to not only the bankruptcy of our financial and The English evangelist, Charles Spurgeon, declared of the 14th verse of the Psalm: business institutions, but cultural bank- “If any of you are deeply troubled, I counsel you to get a hold of this promise! ruptcy as well—the decadence of what Perhaps it seems to you as if two seas of sorrow had met around you and that you now passes for art and entertainment and were in a whirlpool of trouble. Then I say again, lay hold of this text and grip it the horrors perpetrated from one to an- other on an hourly basis. firmly.“ Those who are faithful and devoted to the Lord through the ages have asked, “Why does God allow the wicked to prosper?“ While our Lord may allow Lacking this, we are Eliot’s “Hollow evil deeds to go unpunished for a time and allow pain and correction for his own Men,“ manifested in the evils of socialism people, he never casts them aside or forsakes them. espoused by George Bernard Shaw, Lenin, and Marx; the atheism proudly defended There is a particularly beautiful passage in the 9th chapter of John’s Gospel il- by Bertrand Russell; the dystopian vi- lustrating God’s intercession for his people. Jesus and his disciples were walking sions of H.G. Wells—and for the rest of us along, and they came upon a man who was born blind. At that time, it was the myriad of social and political correc- common to believe a person’s physical infirmity was the result of that person’s tives and their unforeseen consequences sin or was inherited from the sin of his or her ancestors. His disciples asked him generations later. And, as Eliot concluded who had sinned “that he was born blind?“ Jesus responded, “Neither this man in that poem: “This is how the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.“ nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be For, when the moral compass is bent, it displayed in his life.“ no longer serves as a trusted guide Jesus, of course, healed the man, and the Gospel writings are beautifully filled through the troubles that demand a with accounts of Jesus’s earthly ministry. Christ sought out the destitute, the sick, moral response. the lonely, and the marginalized. The ministry and intercession of Christ is the Bruce Edward Walker is manager of greatest assurance that the Father has not cast aside or forsaken his people. It is communications for the Mackinac Center’s why so many saints in Christianity have found inspiration and transformation Property Rights Network. where others could only find despair. The life, death, and resurrection of Christ testifies to the power of God in the present now and through all time. Those that will be cast aside are the ones who mock what is right and hurl insults at the Lord; they are lovers of worldly things and worldly principles, their lives are only for this world. Their joy and strength subsides for only a fleeting moment, but for those who put their trust and joy in the Lord; the psalmist also declares God will turn their “mourning into dancing.“

10 Religion& Liberty Sanford interview continued from page 3

mediacy of the The role of government is to promote, in economy that my view, individual freedom. In other go to the long words, we have a governmental appara- term again via- tus that is legitimate in nature in as much bility of our as it is to maximize one’s individual free- Republic. dom. There are other folks who believe in the idea of a nanny state, and believe A lot of state gov- government is there to take care of your ernors are lining different needs, cradle-to-grave, chief up for federal among them being employment. Rather, bailout money. government is there to create a founda- Won’t this simply tion by which private sector can grow and postpone the day create employment opportunities. Its job of reckoning that is not to create employment itself as I see Governor Sanford brings horse and buggy to the South Carolina Statehouse. some states need it. And so I would say, yes, they’re lining to face because of up. There’s an article in today’s paper their own policies? about car rental companies now lining up “The role of govern- The answer is yes. That which is unsus- for a piece of the bailout funding. There ment is to promote, in tainable is going to end. And so for in- was another article I saw where credit stance California government grew by 95 unions were getting money they’ve never my view, individual percent over the last ten years. Federal gotten before. So, yes, there’s going to be freedom.“ government grew by about 73 percent. an endless list. And it is again going to So you have state government that has get to the point of the absurd before this grown at an even faster rate than the fed- thing is over and done. And the fact that will have big problems coming our way. eral government. You have a state gov- The other point is you can only borrow so ernment that has gone out and issued much at the individual level, the corpo- long-term debt to cover the actual opera- “The bottom line here rate level, and even at a governmental tions of government over the last couple level before the chickens come home to is that as a country, as years. It’s not sustainable. The idea is roost. And I think if we’re not at, we’re that you can just throw some federal businesses, as individ- very near, the tipping point where we money in to that unsustainable mix. But begin to undermine the value of every uals, we got way all you do is delay big structural reforms dollar that’s held by Americans. We can that are absolutely essential to California, ahead of ourselves in suffer a dollar crash even now. We could for instance, being on firm financial foot- suffer under a crippling load of debt that spending.“ ing. And this notion of mandating over a our kids and grandkids would have to deal bad situation ultimately generally makes with. So I just think that, yeah, there’s the situation worse. So, yeah, I do think the list is growing longer shows what a some much bigger issues besides the im- it postpones the day of reckoning. And fallacy it is to think that government can frankly makes change economic laws. the day of reck- We seem to have lost sight of the virtue of oning worse. self-restraint. The line of busi- The bottom line here is that as a country, ness people ask- as businesses, as individuals, we got way ing for govern- ahead of ourselves in spending. Debt ment bailout has gone three times GDP in the world in help seems to get the last fifteen years. We’ve been on a longer by the spending binge. And if you get ahead of day, how can yourself with regard to spending, you’re you say no when going to have to deal with the other side jobs may be on of the binge. And no government pro- the line? Hard Times © MCCAIG , www.istockphoto.com gram, no government bailout, no gov- ernment stimulus is going to prevent

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Summer 2008 | Volume 18 | Number 3 11 Sanford interview continued from page 11 you from that economic reality. Reality review. You look hard at yourself when do directly. Sir Alex Francis Taylor stud- is always reality. And so what we need you’ve failed. There’s not a lot of self- ied history for all of his life. When he to do is make sure we get back to the came to the end of his life, the quote at- firm footing and then let the markets tributed to him was that a democracy begin to rebuild. You can’t stop—you “It needs to be based on can not exist as a permanent form of may try—what’s unfolding. That’s just an advance and adher- government. It can only exist until vot- because we loaded up too much debt. ers discover that they can vote for them- And if you’re overleveraged, you have ence to free market selves, largess of the public treasury with got to get back to that point where capitalistic principles....“ a result that democracy always fails you’re the sustainable rate of leverage under loose fiscal policy and is generally and we’re not there yet. followed by dictatorship. The average analysis that often times goes with victo- age of the world’s great civilizations has You’ve also said that the Obama victory was ry. But there’s a whole lot of self-analysis been 200 years for a nation to progress not a repudiation of conservative principles that goes when things haven’t gone so to a sequence from bondage to spiritual but a rejection of Republicans who failed to well. So I would say time will tell. But I faith, spiritual faith to great courage, live up to them. Do you see any sign that con- don’t think they’re there yet. great courage to liberty, liberty to abun- dance, abundance to selfishness, selfish- We read in Proverbs, ness to complacency, complacency to “Where there is no vi- apathy, apathy to dependence. And sion, the people perish. from dependence back again into bond- But he that keeps the age. And so what I’m saying is some of law, happy is he.“ what’s going on here is probably a reflec- What new vision tion of where we are as a people. And so grounded in either the vision we need is about going back to principle or moral law the principles that made this country should conservatives be great, those things that Taylor talks about offering America right starting this timeline of spiritual faith now? and great courage, liberty, and how that I would say that we leads to abundance. You have got to go got to go back to the back to the original three I think to re- basics. And the vision ally see the kind of renewing in America would be for a pros- that a lot of people are thirsting for. Governor Sanford calls on General Assembly to pass a budget that perous, competitive cheks government growth. The religious views of candidates and their America in what has support among various faith traditions servatives are ready to repudiate the culture of become a very, very corruption we’ve witnessed in Washington in competitive global recent years? world. It needs to be based on an advance and adherence to free “I would say that we market capitalistic principles, and on got to go back to the maximizing the basics. And the vision sphere of individual freedom. I suspect would be for a pros- there’s a moral com- perous, competitive ponent or faith-based component to all that . America... “ as well. But that’s probably more the role of the church I don’t think they are there yet. The good than it is something news is you do self-assessment. You do the government can

12 Religion& Liberty played a big role in the 2008 presidential tions that drove you into office and the fore men that they may see your good race. Is this a good thing? principles that you outlined in running. works and give glory to your Father And that is not restrained to simply the that’s in heaven.“ Hopefully, by the It is. But I don’t know if it was more way in which you act. The way window dressing than not. Obama had in which you make decisions. Rick Warren speak at the inauguration, They’re going to see that some- and then got some guy of another per- thing’s there. I would also say suasion to give the benediction. I don’t the Bible says in Revelation, “Be think you want it as an accoutrement. I hot. Be cold. But don’t be luke- think that you want it to show up in warm“ [Rev. 3:15]. And there’s policy. In other words, conversation is too many political candidates certainly an important starting point. It who walk around completely in can’t be the ending point. the middle—completely in neu- When it’s convenient, many politicians say tral. With regard not only to they can’t bring their own religious views to faith, but with regard to policy. bear on important issues because they repre- And that’s what people are sick sent all the people. What’s your view? of. Everything’s gotten so wa- tered down. So I have people I don’t agree with that. What people come to me frequently saying, “Look, I voted for you. In fact, I completely disagree with you on these different stands over here. “I said, ’look, I’m not But at least I know where you stand.“ And so I would say it’s a trying to offend any- mistake to confine one’s belief to body. But if that’s my only matters of government. If you have a religious view, it’s personal faith, I can say incumbent upon you and it’s real what I want to say.“ to have that. The Bible talks about the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithful- are sick of is that no one will make a ness, self-control. There ought stand. The bottom line in politics is, I to be certain things that are think, at the end of the day to be effec- clearly observable by your ac- tive in standing for both the convic- tions. I remember when I first gave a Christmas address, a world of Caesar, it candle lighting event on the state applies to what you house capitol. And people were freak- think is right and ing because they said, “You can’t say wrong and every- Jesus.“ I said, “Look, I’m not trying to thing in between. offend anybody. But if that’s my per- Now we all get ner- sonal faith, I can say what I want to say. vous about the I’m going to say what I want to say.“ people who simply I’m not going to be rubbing anybody’s wear it on their face in it. But I say you can’t dance arm sleeve to sort around that which you really believe. of prove that And so I’d say we need people who are they’ve got that more bold in taking stands on all kinds merit badge. But I of different things. think the Bible says, “Let your Governor Mark Sanford speaks at the 2003 Carol Lighting Ceremony. light so shine be-

Summer 2008 | Volume 18 | Number 3 13 In the Liberal Tradition

Alexander Solzhenitsyn [1918-2008]

One word of truth shall outweigh the whole world. Scholars Edward E. Ericson and Daniel J. Mahoney recounted how journalist Jeri Laber, who in 1972 had praised Solzhenit- Toward the close of his 1970 Nobel Prize lecture, Alexander syn as a person and a writer, in 1974 declared his art dull and Solzhenitsyn affirmed the power of literature “to help man- his politics reactionary. Her memorable generalization: “He is kind, in these its troubled hours, to see itself as it really is, not the ’liberal’ we would like him to be.“ notwithstanding the indoctrinations of prejudiced people and parties.“ In this, the great man affirmed the power of literature What would she have thought of Solzhenitsyn’s famous 1978 to communicate the moral truths of our lives, our societies, commencement address at Harvard where he catalogued the across all national and ethnic boundaries. Solzhenitsyn, per- West’s failings, including rampant materialism, the superfici- haps known by most as a Soviet dissident, was nonetheless an ality of the media, and the moral cowardice of intellectuals? artist of great distinction who heroically exposed the lies at the Standing before the cream of the Cambridge intelligen- heart of Marxism-Leninism and the near destruction of tsia, Solzhenitsyn accused the West of leaving be- traditional Russian society and faith communities at the hind “the moral heritage of Christian centuries hands of the Soviets. with their great reserves of mercy and sacri- fice.“ He took the political and intellectual Solzhenitsyn took a sledgehammer to the elites to task for cowardice, a “lack of crumbling foundations of the Soviet manhood“ in its dealings with interna- system and, more than any other tional aggressors and terrorists. He single person, was responsible lamented the “boundless space“ for its collapse. Indeed, his artistic that the West had provided for mission was to chronicle—in works human freedom without making such as One Day in the Life of Ivan Deniso- any distinctions for human decadence. vich, Cancer Ward, The First Circle and The “The West has finally achieved the rights of Gulag Archipelago—the catastrophe that the man, and even to excess, but man’s responsibility Bolshevik revolution and Soviet repression to God and society has grown dimmer and dimmer,“ wrought on Russia. Solzhenitsyn never forgot the Alexander Solzhenitsyn lateSolzhenitsyn in life. told the Harvard crowd. injustice of his own imprisonment in the Soviet Gulag and the stories of those he met there. As a boy, Solzhenitsyn was deeply influenced by his Aunt Irina, who instilled in him a love of literature and of Russian Ortho- In his works, their sacrifices would not be forgotten. As he said doxy. But he drifted away from the Christian faith under the in his powerful Nobel lecture (smuggled out of the Soviet Union spell of state indoctrination in Marxism-Leninism. It was his in 1972 and published to a sensational reception all over the experience with the realities of the labor camps that brought world), violence—both physical and spiritual—cannot ulti- him to his metanoia, the change of mind that put him on the mately stand against the truth. “And no sooner will falsehood road to repentance. “He returned with adult thoughtfulness to be dispersed than the nakedness of violence will be revealed in the Christian worldview of his rearing,“ Ericson and Mahoney all its ugliness—and violence, decrepit, will fall,“ he wrote. wrote. “Solzhenitsyn’s mature articulation of Christian truths

Exiled from the Soviet Union in 1974, Solzenitsyn soon settled was deeply informed by his experience in the prison camps. in the United States. But the Western liberal elites, feeling the There he witnessed human nature in extremis and learned writer’s withering condemnation, were quick to turn on him. about the heights and depths of the human soul.“

14 Religion& Liberty Rev. Robert A. Sirico

The Envy Trap Alexander Solzhenitsyn [1918-2008] It is one of the great puzzles, true charitable services, this has created an environment of crisis. throughout all human history, that There is a danger here that what is a crisis for the nonprofit during an economic downturn, peo- sector offers an opportunity for the government to build the ple turn on the rich. They call for welfare state. We could end up with a situation very much them to be taxed, harassed, beaten, like Europe today, where government provision has crowded and jailed. Because they have money out a once vibrant charitable sector. In Europe, the ethic of when others are losing money, envy is unleashed and encour- giving money to good causes has been harmed by this inter- aged by the political establishment. It amounts to a kind of vention, and this is one reason that charities have such a dif- lashing out at the most conspicuous target, even though doing ficult time starting up and thriving there. so won’t actually accomplish anything. The United States has always been different, but the trajectory On the face of it, this should be obvious. In hard economic right now doesn’t look good. Attacking the rich and taxing times, the goal should not be to harm the rich but create condi- them even more threatens the life of the foundations that are tions that enable more people to become rich. Punishing those already hurting. It could end in the destruction of an impor- who have created and accumulated wealth doesn’t do this. In tant sector of the economy that provides funding for millions fact, it does the opposite. It sends the signal that the creation and of charitable ventures. For this reason, an attack on the rich accumulation of wealth will not be tolerated—and this is ex- really does result in an attack on the poor, the middle class, actly the opposite signal that an economy in recession needs. and everybody else. There are additional problems with this impulse. The rich in a So it is not just the rich who have an interest in protecting the market economy are the main holders and providers of the right to earn and accumulate wealth. Every house of worship, capital needed to regenerate a growing prosperity. I am not hospital, school, shelter, symphony, and educational scholarship talking about the “trickle down“ theory that is so often berated fund also has an interest in this cause. The whole of society, in a by the opponents of the market economy. I am speaking here market economy, benefits from its wealthiest members. of the economic reality that the wealthiest sectors of society are those responsible for the creation of new jobs, the provi- But do the rich share some of the blame for the current crisis? sion of new investments, and the funding of entrepreneurial Of course there are some that do. In any large social changes, projects that generate new wealth that benefits us all. the people with financial means turn out to be the largest ac- tors. But that observation provides no case for expropriating Some people are under the illusion that if we just expropriate people as a class. the wealth of the richest one percent, society will find itself with all needs met. This is a fantastic illusion that amounts to burning In his parables, Jesus frequently told stories involving wealth. the wood that builds the house in order to provide warmth on There were bad rich people in his stories, but there were also a cold day. The effects are temporary, and then you find that good ones: the merchant who traded pearls, the owner of the you have a bigger problem to deal with in the long run. vineyard, the master who taught his servants to be good cus- todians of the money with which he entrusted them. It is not There is also the charitable sector to think about. Foundations, the case that the wealthiest were always evil. They were also which are funded by the rich, have been seriously harmed dur- great benefactors to society and vehicles through which holy ing the downturn. Their funding is off by as much as half, and lessons were learned. this has wrought massive upheaval in the charitable sector. Many charities are going out of business at the very time when Rev. Robert A. Sirico is president of the Acton Institute for the they are most needed. For both the receivers and providers of Study of Religion and Liberty, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Summer 2008 | Volume 18 | Number 3 15