Karen’s book serves as a corrective to the idea that the only way to effect change in the world is via political action. Many have put all of their eggs in legislative baskets and the current awful state of things makes plain the mistake of that thinking. . . . It is true that we can always use another Wilberforce (or three), but what we need far more is another Hannah More—and if we could get more than one More, all the better. ~ Eric Metaxas My friend and Liberty University colleague Karen Swallow Prior has written an excellent biography about a woman who used the gifts and opportunities she was given to effect change in the culture of her day. I wrote my own review of her book recently: ronontheright/reflections/2014/11/02/fierce-convictions-a-book-review/ As I spend this Christmas season addressing the goodness of neighbor helping neighbor, its instructive to examine the lives of great men and women who didnt wait for governmental institutions to act, but used the space between the individual and the state, Yuval Levins succinct and elegant description of civil society, to help make peoples lives better. Im not saying that government isnt essential, but its not the only way, and oftentimes not even the best way, to do good things. Once of the key traits that led Alexis de Tocqueville in 1835 to declare America exceptional was how we banded together voluntarily to do whatever needed to be done: Americans group together to hold fêtes, found seminaries, build inns, construct churches, distribute books, dispatch missionaries to the antipodes. They establish hospitals, prisons, schools by the same method. Finally, if they wish to highlight a truth or develop an opinion by the encouragement of a great example, they form an association...I have seen Americans making great and sincere sacrifices for the key common good and a hundred times I have noticed that, when needs be, they almost always gave each other faithful support. Pastors often teach on the Book of Acts to help us discern the foundational character and values of the early church and how those first Christians, according to one theologian, brought about the most amazing transformation of diverse social and religious cultures ever achieved by peaceful means in the history of the world. Similarly, I would encourage you to become familiar with Alexis de Tocqueville and Democracy in America to fully grasp the virtues and culture which made America unique in the world of its day, and to understand what we must restore in order to bring about a revival of self-governance and solidarity. And buy Karens book -- it makes a wonderful Christmas present!
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 14:30:18 +0000
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