2024 T4CG Lecture Series #01
Evangelisation and Ideology:
The Common Good Response to Identity Politics
From time to time, Together for the Common Good holds public events. This is the first in our 2024 series of public talks exploring how Catholic Social Thought helps us stay human and build the common good in these uncertain times. News of forthcoming talks will appear in the Events section of this website.
In this lecture, Professor Matthew Petrusek explores questions of human identity and the common good response to the secular ideologies that are challenging our culture.
Watch VIDEO here | LISTEN to AUDIO here | Download Matt’s TEXT here
INTRODUCTION
Many Christians are trying to make sense of what is happening to our political and social life. Many are asking questions about what it means to be God’s people in this time of cultural unravelling. At Together for the Common Good we believe that Christians are called to reject tribalism and commit to building common good in the places where we live and work.
Yet just as in wider society, there is cultural disagreement within the churches. Some celebrate the trends, as progressive justice ideologies gain increasing traction, while others are appalled by the impact of postmodern interpretations but are afraid of the consequences of dissent. Some believe that free market ideology is the solution to the battle of ideas, while others believe that faith is a private matter, and that the Church should steer clear of the sociopolitical arena altogether.
Plagued by this confusion, the churches are weakened at the very moment when our hyper-politicised society is in trouble and needs help. There is no such thing as a private faith: our Lord Jesus Christ and indeed the whole prophetic tradition in Scripture calls us to work for justice in the world. The question is how to interpret justice in our time. The People of God urgently need a clear sense of what a faith-consistent pathway to justice looks like – and the language to articulate it. They don’t want to enflame the culture war, but to be a blessing when identitarian ideologies go too far.
At Together for the Common Good, we see the Catholic Social Thought tradition as a coherent, gospel-rooted framework that can illuminate that pathway. And so I invited Matthew Petrusek to open up this area for us. Matt is gifted in his ability both to explain the new ideological thinking and to articulate a coherent antidote to it in the context of the Catholic tradition.
Analysing the philosophical foundations of the four dominant secular ideologies of our day – utilitarianism, classical liberalism/libertarianism, progressivism – and non-theistic conservatism, Matt explores how Catholic teaching, because it is based in Scripture and in natural law, offers a more rational alternative worldview that goes with the grain of humanity and not against it. While respecting the genuine concerns of ideological worldviews, Matt shows how the Catholic tradition responds to their mistakes and shortcomings, and articulates a pathway to reconciliation with the transcendent God which leads to the authentic human good.
He also shows how this period of cultural confusion is an opportunity for evangelisation. At a time when our culture is in trouble, it is a sad truth that the social and the evangelism movements across all the Christian traditions are increasingly estranged, and so I believe it is vital to bring them into dialogue to discern together how Christians are called to respond to this cultural crisis. Evangelisation, correctly understood in its holistic sense, is not just about proclamation but also about how we live and how we read the world.
Professor Matthew Petrusek is the Senior Director and Professor of Catholic Ethics at the Word on Fire Institute in the US. He lectures on philosophical and theological ethics, Christian theology, politics, social issues and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. His work is dedicated to show the relevance and prophetic nature of Catholic thought to a wide audience in as much clarity as possible, and in the context of a society that has lost its way. He has published several books, the latest of which is Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture.
I believe this moment calls for the building of a broad coalition and this is why I invited Word on Fire UK to partner with us to hold this event. It is also why I am hoping that this lecture may be a helpful resource to build courage – for you and your family, friends and colleagues – to discuss these difficult issues.
This lecture was delivered in the context of a private discussion on 1st February 2024 with an invited audience of thirty Christian leaders across denominations and opinions, as well as being live-streamed for public viewing. I am very grateful to CCLA for their generosity in hosting the event at their offices in London.
Jenny Sinclair | Founder and Director, Together for the Common Good
