In 1944, Friedrich Hayek wrote in “Why the Worst Get on Top” in his The Road to Serfdom:
It seems to be almost a law of human nature that it is easier for people to agree on a negative program—on the hatred of an enemy, on the envy of those better off—than on any positive task. The contrast between “we” and “they,” the common fight against those outside the group, seems to be an essential ingredient in any creed which will solidly knit together a group for common action. It is consequently always employed by those who seek, not merely support of a policy, but the unreserved allegiance of huge masses. From their point of view it has the advantage of leaving them greater freedom of action than almost any positive program.
Eighty years later, Hayek’s observation is still accurate: the worst still get on top by emphasizing their negative program. Where do we see this phenomenon these days? Chances are, you immediately thought of the group about which this is true. Did you think of the Woke Academy or the Evangelical Church? Hayek’s description is, after all, equally applicable to both. While the comparison will annoy people in both communities, as discussed below those two groups are mirror images; left and right get swapped in the mirror, but otherwise the image is the same. They need each other; if one of those groups didn’t exist, the other group would have to invent it.
The importance of this fact was driven home to me while reading Tim Alberta’s The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. It is a remarkable bit of journalism, organized episodically as Alberta wanders the country going to churches, conventions, and meetings with evangelicals. Chapter by chapter, he allows ample space for assorted parties to explain themselves, what they are thinking, and what they’re trying to do. The portrait of a divided evangelical movement is gripping. If you are interested in the evangelical church, this book is a must-read.
However, the story that Alberta tells has implications that are of national importance, whether or not one is affiliated with the church.
Read the rest at Law and Liberty
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