Unstable Frontier of Liberalism

Michael Strain writes an elegant plea in Project Syndicate for Christians to stand against bigots like Nick Fuentes, who called for a “Catholic Taliban” to put people in their place. As an additional duty, Strain asks his readers to oppose with him post-liberals and “soft theocrats” who, while not so crude or bigoted as Fuentes, commit a sin in kind by imposing their values rather than merely proposing them.

Now, while I think it is inflammatory to lump post-liberals such as Patrick Deneen with bigots like Nick Fuentes, who would obviously despise him, I understand Strain is trying to address what he sees as a common intellectual error that they share and to vindicate a broadly small-l liberal approach to politics. He cites Vatican II’s document on religious liberty, which states that “no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.” He limns it with the teaching of John Paul II, saying that the human being’s search for truth must be authentic and requires “immunity from external coercion as well as psychological freedom.” Strain cites God’s unwillingness to coerce virtue from individuals in Scripture. While Strain professes some sympathy for cultural concerns, he still insists that imposing our views is a matter of “soft theocracy.”

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Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

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Michael Strain writes an elegant plea in Project Syndicate for Christians to stand against bigots like Nick Fuentes, who called for a “Catholic Taliban” to put people in their place. As an additional duty, Strain asks his readers to oppose with him post-liberals and “soft theocrats” who, while not so crude or bigoted as Fuentes, commit a sin in kind by imposing their values rather than merely proposing them.

Now, while I think it is inflammatory to lump post-liberals such as Patrick Deneen with bigots like Nick Fuentes, who would obviously despise him, I understand Strain is trying to address what he sees as a common intellectual error that they share and to vindicate a broadly small-l liberal approach to politics. He cites Vatican II’s document on religious liberty, which states that “no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.” He limns it with the teaching of John Paul II, saying that the human being’s search for truth must be authentic and requires “immunity from external coercion as well as psychological freedom.” Strain cites God’s unwillingness to coerce virtue from individuals in Scripture. While Strain professes some sympathy for cultural concerns, he still insists that imposing our views is a matter of “soft theocracy.”