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Christian Realism and Wilsonian Intrusiveness

In a reflection on American heresies, Peter Lawler writes: Christians can’t simply reject some of the Puritanical concerns of the Progressive movement—such as worry about the souls of mothers and children, and Christians can’t be so realistic as to see nothing admirable at all in the “Wilsonian” instrusiveness that fuels often misguided American efforts to […]

In a reflection on American heresies, Peter Lawler writes:

Christians can’t simply reject some of the Puritanical concerns of the Progressive movement—such as worry about the souls of mothers and children, and Christians can’t be so realistic as to see nothing admirable at all in the “Wilsonian” instrusiveness that fuels often misguided American efforts to secure justice for people everywhere [bold mine-DL].

If these overseas efforts are “often misguided,” what exactly is admirable about the meddlesome spirit that inspires them? Being so “often misguided,” these efforts would seem to be informed by false assumptions about politics and human nature. Thanks to these false assumptions, these efforts tend to be imprudent and unwise.

When “securing justice” takes the form of waging large-scale war against other nations that have committed no injuries against our country or people justifying the attack, as it has several times in just the last twenty years, it is doubtful that the effort has anything to do with justice for us or anyone else in the world. If it is an unjust cause, there isn’t likely to be anything admirable about it. Instead, it is most likely an attempt to do evil that good may come, and that is something that Christians are specifically taught to reject.

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