Understanding liberal mythology: The Politics Network

Last week, on 3 October, I had the privilege of conversing with between 15 and 20 young people in the United Kingdom who are part of the Civitas programme of the Politics Network. I believe this is the third time I have spoken with a Civitas group, as hosted by Thomas Kendall. The Politics Network is affiliated with Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, or The Christian Unions, located in Oxford. The participating young people are generally working for members of parliament. The topic under discussion was "The Liberal Myth: Rationalism and the Privatisation of Faith." As before, it was a most enjoyable experience.

Today saw the publication of the first of a series of articles on political ideologies that I will be writing for the Politics Network over the coming year: Understanding Liberal Mythology. An excerpt: 

In the British Isles . . . liberalism took a somewhat more benign form, with Locke, Adam Smith (1723-1790), and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) playing decisive roles. In Great Britain, liberalism took the form of a political party with that name which had developed out of the Whig faction in Parliament during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Among its most famous leaders were William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898) and David Lloyd George (1863-1945). Gladstone was a devout evangelical member of the established church and a serious Christian. Lloyd George was raised a Christian but apparently abandoned the faith in adulthood. The Liberal Party was eventually eclipsed by the rise of the Labour Party but continues to exist in the form of today’s Liberal Democrats.

Despite this apparent compatibility with traditional religious observance, even English-speaking liberalism tells a mythological story in which faith is increasingly pushed to the margins if not suppressed altogether. Moreover, the faith that liberals tolerate must acquiesce in its own demotion to a mere personal preference, to be balanced against a variety of other preferences in the marketplace of individual goods. It certainly should not make authoritative claims over its adherents that might constrain their right to choose. This suggests that continental and Anglo-Saxon liberalisms are ultimately on the same trajectory despite their different histories.

The next instalment in this series, on socialism, will be published near the beginning of December.