John Podhoretz over at NRO's Corner calls attention, in a most extravagant way, to a new book saying:
Tod Lindberg, the editor of Policy Review, has just published a
stunning, eye-opening, and sentence-by-sentence brilliant book called The Political Teachings of Jesus that
is exactly as its title advertises. It is not a tract, nor a polemic,
but a study of the political ramifications of Jesus's own words as
recorded in the Gospels. It is Lindberg's contention that the Sermon on
the Mount, in particular, is the most revolutionary document in the
history of the world because it effectively created the notion of
equality. You
can read the book's close study of the Beatitudes, the opening passage
of the Sermon on the Mount, at Policy Review's website. Tod and I
studied with Allan Bloom a quarter-century ago at the University of
Chicago, and I can't think of higher praise than to say that Bloom (who
was a rotten, mean, nasty grader) would have given Tod an A for this.
Not even an A-minus.
I am always interested in books that send a man into the stratosphere. Heaven knows there have been scores of books written on the alleged political teachings of Jesus but this one just might be special. I like the blurb printed at Amazon.com (emphases are mine):
Since the beginning of the Christian era, people have used the
words and ideas of Jesus to justify all manner of political action.
Despite these repeated attempts, few have been able to move past the
rhetoric and understand the true nature of Jesus's political views.
Now, in The Political Teachings of Jesus,
longtime political analyst and commentator Tod Lindberg goes beyond
political punditry to address how Jesus's words and teachings—once a
radical set of ideas—have come to define our concept of government and
our vision for society. With nuanced prose, Lindberg draws a crucial
distinction between Christ's religious and political teachings,
presenting a detailed discussion of the world transformation that Jesus
sought through his words, stories, and sayings.
Guiding
readers through the social and political dialogue of the Gospels,
Lindberg expertly analyzes how Jesus's principles of universal freedom
and equality have combined in our social order to become the
unacknowledged bedrock of the modern world. In addition, he offers a
provocative look at the role that Jesus's words have played in the
formation of the modern democratic ideal, demonstrating how the basic
principles of both liberal and conservative thought find common roots
in the Christian messiah's words.
Through close reading of
the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus's parables, Lindberg offers a
sophisticated portrait of Jesus as a teacher of unique insight and
perception, one whose political views have transcended time and become
essential to the way everyone lives in our society. In an era when
people on both sides of the aisle are prone to using Jesus's beliefs
for their own ends, The Political Teachings of Jesus is a
refreshingly clear-eyed take on our shared concepts of government and
society—and their common roots between the covers of the New Testament.
An Amazon reviewer wrote this:
We wouldn't have the country we have today if it were based on any
other foundation. Even tho some of the founders, such as Jefferson,
were athiests, they were profoundly influenced by the Golden Rule that
Jesus taught -- treat others the way we want to be treated. Incidently,
as Alli Sina shows in his book, "Understanding Muhhammad," Muslim
countries are far different from ours mainly because they are based on
the violent and vengeful teachings of Mohhamad.
Me: That is undoubtedly true. The great problem we face here in the West is the (false) supposition that the mindset we enjoy is a universal one. It is not. It has been nurtured and developed on the foundation and the pervasive influence of Christian thought. I marvel at the gaping blindspots of the elite opinion makers in the West.
