UNDERSTANDING THE PACIFIC CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC AGENDA - FOUR: Subsidiarity and sphere-sovereignty The term subsidiarity comes from the encyclical of Pope Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno, issued in 1931 and is an important principle in Christian Democratic organisation of the state. In short, as the pope put it, it is an injustice to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organisations can do. Subsidiarity respects the fact that each level in any social organisation best contributes to the overall well-being of that organisation when it is left to fulfil its role, responsibilities, duties without interference, micro-management, intervention or coptation by those above it. Hands off! in other words is the first priority; let each work without intervention from those above (e.g. the state) until or unless it cannot. The term sphere-sovereignty comes from the Protestant political philosophy of Groen Van Prinsterer (1801-1876), Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) and Herman Dooyeweerd (1894-1977). Like subsiduarity it is a useful functional principle in the Christian Democratic agenda. In sum, it refers to the fact that since God is sovereign, everything else is sub-sovereign and has its right and equal place in the social ordering of society. No sphere - family, club, church, school. union, business, the state, etc - is derived from another or superiror to another. All are derived from the sovereignty of God and each is to respect the place, role and responsibility of the other. it is when each seeks to impose itself on the other or interfere with the other that society becomes unbalanced.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 23:14:18 +0000
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