Some helpful thoughts (as usual) from Tim Keller on politics and culture. He mentions James D. Hunter, author of the much-discussed book To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World as well as The City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era, a book for which Keller wrote the introduction. An excerpt:
Hunter argues that ressentiment – “a narrative of injury” – has now come to define American political discourse. Both conservatives and liberals make their sense of injury central to their identity, and therefore in each election cycle it is only the group out of power, who therefore feels the most injured and angry, who can get enough voters out to win the election. Politics is no longer about issues but about power, injury, and anger. (emphasis original)
Keller goes on to briefly note (in agreement with Hunter) that both those who over-value the role of politics in culture-making and those who under-value it are tacitly agreeing with the sentiment that politics is all about power — a sentiment which should be rejected. Read the whole thing.