The Roots of Christian Democracy
What is Christian Democracy? How does the American Solidarity Party exemplify Christian democratic ideals? What is the history of Christianity and the most appropriate form of governing? There is much to discuss, which will require several blog posts. The journey toward Christian Democracy is long and fascinating, and requires a study of the Old Testament roots of government, and what is the best form of government for a nation. This article will be an introductory piece to the history of Christian democratic ideals, and how Christian Democracy and the American Solidarity Party are the best method of government in the twenty-first century. I will continue this discussion of the history of Christian Democracy and how the ASP can effectively lead America in the coming months.
This past summer, I enjoyed a visit by two friends from England. As Brits so often like to do, they teased me about the independence of the United States from the British Empire and the lack of a monarch in America. As we bantered back and forth, I found myself thinking about the benefits and downsides of monarchy and democracy, of a republic and a king or queen.
This led me to deeper thoughts about the history of government, going all the way back to the Middle Ages and even to the Old Testament. Studying the Prophets and historical books of the Old Testament, one notices many roots of government that were practiced during the Middle Ages and even, to some extent, in the present day. I speak mostly about the anointing of Kings and Queens, and where they derive their legitimate authority from.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has historically crowned the Monarch of England (and subsequently Great Britain), while the Archbishop of Rheims crowned the King of France. An Orthodox Patriarch crowned the Tsar of Russia, and the Holy Roman Emperor was often crowned by the Archbishop of Cologne, while receiving his imperial regalia directly from the Bishop of Rome himself. The Church is instituted by Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, and the Church in turn confers the right of rule upon monarchs to rule. This has deep biblical roots. The Prophets of the Old Testament anointed the Kings of Israel and Judah. Samuel anoints David as King, Nathan anoints Solomon, and John the Baptist anoints Jesus. Just as the ancient Prophets anointed Kings of old, so the bishops of the Church crown the Kings of the medieval era.
But in our democratic age of history, how is this still relevant? Remaining monarchies in the Western world have only symbolic political authority, whereas legislatures, parliaments, presidents and prime ministers wield the effective power. The nineteenth century saw the Catholic Church in a significant debate about its relationship with the fledgling democratic age. By 1870, France was again a Republic, seemingly permanently renouncing its monarchical past. Great Britain had evolved into a constitutional monarchy, with the King retaining only symbolic power. The United States survived its terrible Civil War, with the “great experiment” of American democracy living to see another century. Democracy was on the rise, and the Church had to come to terms with this new reality. With the Allied victory in the Second World War, Western Europe and Japan embraced American-inspired democracy.
Democracy is the government style of our present age, at least in the developed world. It seems that through centuries of development and various experiments, humanity has embraced this form of government as the most ideal. The democratic peace theory (more on that in another blog post) supports this idea. But how do Christians view this?
One of the most ingenious things about Christianity is its ability to take any situation, any culture, any time in history, and find the truth, the goodness, and the beauty in it. Christianity can look at any philosophy or culture and whatever it finds to be true, the Christian faith can embrace it. This is precisely why the Church embraced much of the philosophy of the Greeks, especially Plato and Aristotle, because these two great philosophers were genuinely searching for truth, and found much of it. Christianity has a way of working in whatever situation it is in: whether it was during the early centuries of Roman persecution, the high point of Christendom during the Middle Ages, or the present democratic age. If democracy is the best government of our age, then Christianity can work with it and through it.
Which, of course, brings us to the American Solidarity Party and its potential for healing and effectively leading the United States in the twenty-first century. As we saw before, Christianity and Christian values can work in any situation and any culture, including modern democratic culture. In an age of increasingly divisive politics that threatens the unity of our nation, I am convinced that the ASP offers the best path forward. With its balanced approach, combining the best of all parties and viewpoints, the ASP is the the party that will bring unity, the Christian worldview, and decisiveness to America. I look forward to discussing this more in my future blog posts.