Secular political ideologies attempt to provide a total view of reality without reference to the transcendent. Yet all of them are, at heart, forms of idolatry, commanding their adherents to structure their lives around temporary and finite goods, which leads the culture to worship the false gods of pleasure, self, tribe, or fortune. In time, these diverse idols produce the same outcome: individual and social turmoil.
In Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture, Matthew R. Petrusek offers an antidote to ideological thinking: the principles of Catholic social thought. Analyzing the philosophical foundations of the four reigning secular ideologies of our day--utilitarianism, classical liberalism/libertarianism, progressivism/wokeism, and non-theistic conservatism--Petrusek shows how Catholic teaching, while respecting the genuine concerns of these worldviews, responds to their errors and deficiencies by providing a more rational and moral alternative.
For many, the best way forward for the Church appears to be steering clear of the sociopolitical arena altogether. But there is hope; our hyper-politicized society is an opportunity for evangelization rather than an obstacle. Evangelization and Ideology offers readers an understanding of the roots of our broken political culture and a map for redirecting it back to the transcendent God and the authentic human good.
