Capturing the Moral Initiative

‘Sir, a woman preaching is like a dog’s walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.” The observation by Dr. Johnson has been much lamented by the enlightened. But now there are second thoughts. British churchmen of advanced views are united in their derision of a woman who has taken to instructing them on a different understanding of Christianity and social justice. Earlier this year Margaret Thatcher addressed the Assembly of the Church of Scotland. She seemed so to enjoy the consternation she caused that she has been honing her homiletical skills in a string of similar addresses. Have text, will travel.

Mrs. Thatcher’s text is a Biblical amalgam that, in her exegesis, supports democratic governance and its necessary correlate, a free economy. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) does heavy duty, and she repeatedly makes the point that the Good Samaritan had first to earn the means to be generous. The chief sinners in her sermon are morally fraudulent Labourites who are marvelously compassionate with other people’s money—of which there is never enough to fulfill their pandering promises to the slothful. As Mrs. Thatcher told the journalist Paul Johnson, “I am determined to capture the moral initiative from Labour —and keep it.” Countering what she views as the false religion of socialism and the eviscerated religion of a secularized church, she explained to the Scottish clerics, “The Christian religion—which, of course, embodies many of the great spiritual and moral truths of Judaism—is a fundamental part of our national heritage. … Indeed we are a nation whose ideals are founded on the Bible. Also, it is quite impossible to understand our history or literature without grasping this fact.”

RJ

About the Author

Richard John Neuhaus

Featured Tags

‘Sir, a woman preaching is like a dog’s walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.” The observation by Dr. Johnson has been much lamented by the enlightened. But now there are second thoughts. British churchmen of advanced views are united in their derision of a woman who has taken to instructing them on a different understanding of Christianity and social justice. Earlier this year Margaret Thatcher addressed the Assembly of the Church of Scotland. She seemed so to enjoy the consternation she caused that she has been honing her homiletical skills in a string of similar addresses. Have text, will travel.

Mrs. Thatcher’s text is a Biblical amalgam that, in her exegesis, supports democratic governance and its necessary correlate, a free economy. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) does heavy duty, and she repeatedly makes the point that the Good Samaritan had first to earn the means to be generous. The chief sinners in her sermon are morally fraudulent Labourites who are marvelously compassionate with other people’s money—of which there is never enough to fulfill their pandering promises to the slothful. As Mrs. Thatcher told the journalist Paul Johnson, “I am determined to capture the moral initiative from Labour —and keep it.” Countering what she views as the false religion of socialism and the eviscerated religion of a secularized church, she explained to the Scottish clerics, “The Christian religion—which, of course, embodies many of the great spiritual and moral truths of Judaism—is a fundamental part of our national heritage. … Indeed we are a nation whose ideals are founded on the Bible. Also, it is quite impossible to understand our history or literature without grasping this fact.”