Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture
Secular political ideologies attempt to provide a total view of reality without reference to the transcendent. Yet all of them are, at heart, forms of idolatry, commanding their adherents to structure their lives around temporary and finite goods, which leads the culture to worship the false gods of pleasure, self, tribe, or fortune. In time, these diverse idols produce the same outcome: individual and social turmoil.

In Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture, Matthew R. Petrusek offers an antidote to ideological thinking: the principles of Catholic social thought. Analyzing the philosophical foundations of the four reigning secular ideologies of our day—utilitarianism, classical liberalism/libertarianism, progressivism/wokeism, and non-theistic conservatism—Petrusek shows how Catholic teaching, while respecting the genuine concerns of these worldviews, responds to their errors and deficiencies by providing a more rational and moral alternative.

For many, the best way forward for the Church appears to be steering clear of the sociopolitical arena altogether. But there is hope; our hyper-politicized society is an opportunity for evangelization rather than an obstacle. Evangelization and Ideology offers readers an understanding of the roots of our broken political culture and a map for redirecting it back to the transcendent God and the authentic human good.
1143431991
Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture
Secular political ideologies attempt to provide a total view of reality without reference to the transcendent. Yet all of them are, at heart, forms of idolatry, commanding their adherents to structure their lives around temporary and finite goods, which leads the culture to worship the false gods of pleasure, self, tribe, or fortune. In time, these diverse idols produce the same outcome: individual and social turmoil.

In Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture, Matthew R. Petrusek offers an antidote to ideological thinking: the principles of Catholic social thought. Analyzing the philosophical foundations of the four reigning secular ideologies of our day—utilitarianism, classical liberalism/libertarianism, progressivism/wokeism, and non-theistic conservatism—Petrusek shows how Catholic teaching, while respecting the genuine concerns of these worldviews, responds to their errors and deficiencies by providing a more rational and moral alternative.

For many, the best way forward for the Church appears to be steering clear of the sociopolitical arena altogether. But there is hope; our hyper-politicized society is an opportunity for evangelization rather than an obstacle. Evangelization and Ideology offers readers an understanding of the roots of our broken political culture and a map for redirecting it back to the transcendent God and the authentic human good.
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Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture

Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture

Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture

Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture

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Overview

Secular political ideologies attempt to provide a total view of reality without reference to the transcendent. Yet all of them are, at heart, forms of idolatry, commanding their adherents to structure their lives around temporary and finite goods, which leads the culture to worship the false gods of pleasure, self, tribe, or fortune. In time, these diverse idols produce the same outcome: individual and social turmoil.

In Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture, Matthew R. Petrusek offers an antidote to ideological thinking: the principles of Catholic social thought. Analyzing the philosophical foundations of the four reigning secular ideologies of our day—utilitarianism, classical liberalism/libertarianism, progressivism/wokeism, and non-theistic conservatism—Petrusek shows how Catholic teaching, while respecting the genuine concerns of these worldviews, responds to their errors and deficiencies by providing a more rational and moral alternative.

For many, the best way forward for the Church appears to be steering clear of the sociopolitical arena altogether. But there is hope; our hyper-politicized society is an opportunity for evangelization rather than an obstacle. Evangelization and Ideology offers readers an understanding of the roots of our broken political culture and a map for redirecting it back to the transcendent God and the authentic human good.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781685781934
Publisher: Word on Fire
Publication date: 07/17/2023
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 480
File size: 807 KB

About the Author

Matthew R. Petrusek received an MA (Yale University) and PhD (University of Chicago) in religious ethics and is the Professor of Catholic Ethics and Assistant Director at the Word on Fire Institute. He specializes in Christian ethics and moral theology, though lectures broadly, in English and Spanish, on philosophy, theology, social issues, the new evangelization, and the Catholic intellectual tradition. In addition to serving as a Word on Fire Professor, he has written and hosted the bilingual show Reasons to Believe / Razones Para Creer at WordNet TV, co-authored Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity: The Search for a Meaningful Life (Word on Fire Institute), co-edited Ethics and Advocacy: Bridges and Boundaries (Cascade Books) and Value and Vulnerability: Contemporary Interfaith Dialogue on Human Dignity (University of Notre Dame Press), and published in numerous academic journals. He lives with his wife and children in southern Minnesota.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Cardinal Thomas Collins 

Chapter 1

Introduction: The Politicization of the Culture: A Challenge and an Opportunity 

Part I: Foundations

Chapter 2

Stop Fighting—and Start Arguing 

Chapter 3

Getting Your Bearings: Locating the Sources of Political Disagreement 

Chapter 4

From How to Debate to What to Say: The Comprehensive Toolbox of Catholic Social Thought 

Part II: Catholic Social Thought and Contemporary Secular Ideologies

Chapter 5

Totality without Transcendence: The Anatomy of an Ideology 

Chapter 6

The God of Pleasure: Utilitarianism 

Chapter 7

The God of My Self: Classical Liberalism and Libertarianism 

Chapter 8

The God of My Tribe: Progressivism (a.k.a. “Wokeism”)

Chapter 9

The God of Fortune: Non-Theistic Conservatism 

Chapter 10

Conclusion: Practical Advice for Evangelists in the Political Sphere 

Indexes 

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