Love as the Standard for Social and Global Institutions

Lesson 8: Love Casts Out Fear

Let’s end this look at “Fratelli Tutti” by acknowledging the importance of Pope Francis’ contention that kind, gentle love is the way to social friendship. His critics recognize, rightly I think, that he is rejecting their picture of Christianity battling against forces of evil out to destroy the Church. He does not see his task […]

Lesson 7: Violence

One of the gifts that Francis brings is his proclamation of nonviolent love. There are two versions of Christian action out there presently. One regards it as redemptive compassion and the other as aggressive warfare. The former sees the history of salvation as God and his people working to overcome the damage humans do to […]

Lesson 6: Globalism

If the most controversial part of “Fratelli Tutti” is its economic critique, Pope Francis’ promotion of global friendship is second. In some circles, being a globalist is almost as bad as being a socialist. One of the biggest conspiracy theories thrown around by the “religious wrong” warns believers that any call for worldwide organization is […]

Lesson 5: Political Economy

Undoubtedly, the most controversial part of Fratelli Tutti is its economic critique. Although he might not label it as such, the Pope recognizes we operate in a political economy. Kurt Anderson uses the term in his Evil Geniuses to indicate people, not the market, decide how an economy operates. He argues those who call for […]

Lesson 4: Transcendental Values

We expect a Pope to talk about transcendental values, but until rather recently, we would never hear him put these in a democratic context. Popes expounded eternal truths entrusted to the Christian church. They might speak of them as natural reason but assumed they were revealed to special, authorized, devout, right-thinking males. The voice of […]

Lesson 3: The Common Good

I was surprised, even startled, at the response to last week’s lesson. I thought I was laying the foundation for examining Pope Francis’ ideas about social friendship. I simply wanted to maintain that he built on the definition of love in Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan in constructing an institutional ethic. However, everyone latched […]

Lesson 2: Cultural Warfare

You can readily see the division that splits every major Christian body in the response given this encyclical. The Pope’s belief that Christianity is primarily about relationships is very evident in this letter about social justice. He repeatedly speaks of the need for unity. His critics want no part in this, because they believe doctrines […]

Lesson 1: Fratelli Tutti

I intend to examine Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, in the next few weeks believing that he offers an extremely important guideline for our troubled times. People have pretty much missed the challenge he makes to world views taken for granted in our current society, perhaps because they have difficulty getting beyond the burdensome […]