The fusion of monotheism, nationalism, and politics can lead to divisive and violent outcomes, highlighting the danger of aligning religious beliefs with political power.
Monotheistic faith traditions face the challenge of reconciling core beliefs with political plurality, promoting non-violence while respecting diverse beliefs and nurturing inclusive nationalism.
Deep dives
The complex relationship between religion, nationalism, and violence
The podcast episode explores the interconnectedness of religion, nationalism, and violence. It highlights the danger of aligning religious beliefs with political power and the potential for divisive and violent outcomes. The conversation delves into the phenomenon of monotheism integrating with nationalism, and the implications of such a fusion on shaping notions of truth, justice, and ultimate allegiance. The speakers discuss how monotheistic traditions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, with their respective understandings of monotheism, can navigate the challenges of pluralism and political plurality while striving for peace and non-violence. The dialogue emphasizes the need for Christians to collaborate without compromise, meaning working together with others for common goals while maintaining core beliefs, and to critique without dualism, which involves holding up a mirror to those in power without dismissing their role or resorting to absolutist thinking.
The complexity of ultimate allegiance and truth claims
The podcast discussion delves into the concept of ultimate allegiance, particularly in the context of monotheistic faith traditions. It focuses on the implications of professing ultimate allegiance to a single God and the associated truth claims that come with it. The speakers explore how monotheism, in its various forms, asserts a divine commitment to justice and how adherents are called to emulate this justice in their actions towards others. The conversation acknowledges the potential for these truth claims to create binary divisions, foster violence, or exploit power. It suggests that the challenge lies in finding ways for monotheistic traditions to reconcile core beliefs with political plurality, allowing for freedom of religion without imposing exclusive allegiance, and nurturing inclusive nationalism that respects diverse beliefs and promotes non-violence.
Rethinking the concept of monotheism and its implications
The podcast episode offers a nuanced examination of the concept of monotheism within the context of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The speakers question the categorization of monotheism as an overarching framework and propose a reconsideration of its understanding. They highlight the distinctive nature of Trinitarian monotheism in Christianity, emphasizing the complexities introduced by the worship of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit. The conversation underscores the need to view monotheism beyond simplicity, recognizing the diverse conceptions of love, grace, and living in the world that each monotheistic tradition brings. This deeper understanding challenges the traditional monotheistic paradigm and calls for a more robust theological approach that acknowledges the complexities and interactions within each tradition.
Balancing collaboration and critique in faith and politics
The podcast explores the delicate balance between collaboration and critique in the realms of faith and politics. The speakers discuss the importance of Christians collaborating with non-believers on common goals while maintaining core beliefs. They stress the need to discern when collaboration may compromise important values and when critique is necessary to speak truth to power. The conversation highlights the challenges of navigating the tension between upholding one's faith convictions and engaging in political dialogue. It emphasizes the idea that Christians can stand for justice and the common good while respecting the proper role of political entities. Overall, the podcast underscores the complexity of faith and politics, urging Christians to critically engage with the world without resorting to dualistic thinking or absolutist approaches.
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"Christians are called to collaborate without compromise and to critique without dualism." (N.T. Wright, from today's episode)
What better way to secure the greatness of your political state (or maybe political party) than to invoke the name of God as being uniquely supportive of your team? It brings a sickening and divisive new meaning to Romans 8:31—”If God is for us, who can be against us?”
In this episode, revered New Testament scholar N.T. Wright joins Miroslav Volf to discuss Monotheism, Nationalism, & Violence. Together they reflect on the history and current realities of what happens when these three elements converge. The conversation was inspired by N.T. Wright's response to a short digital booklet by Miroslav Volf entitled Monotheism, Nationalism, & Violence: 25 Theses, which is available for download at faith.yale.edu.
“In this essay, written in form of 25 interlocking theses, I approach the problem of religiously motivated or legitimized violence by exploring the relation between monotheism and nationalism. The first is allegedly the most violent of all forms of religion and the second one of the most violent forms of political arrangements, especially when it is cut loose from universal moral commitment and tied to some form of tribal identity (“exclusive nationalism”). I argue that monotheism is a universalist creed and that it is compatible only with inclusive nationalism, a nationalism that is a form of special relations framed by a universal moral code. When monotheism is aligned with exclusive nationalism—when it becomes a “political religion” aligned with exclusivist nationalism—monotheism betrays its universality, a feature which lies at its very core, and morphs into violence, generating and legitimizing henotheism: our god of our nation in contrast and competition to other nations with their gods. Alternatively, if monotheism keeps its universality while associated as political religion with exclusive nationalism it will tend to underwrite dreams of nationalist imperialism: our god and our nation as masters of the world.”
Show Notes
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“The price monotheism always has to pay for its alliance with exclusive nationalism is the loss of its soul. When monotheism embraces exclusive nationalism, monotheism’s God morphs from the creator and lover of all people and all creatures into a selfish and violent idol of a particular nation.”
Instrumentalizing God
What is religion anyway?
Brent Nongbri, Before Religion: A History of a Modern Concept
Martin Riesenbrot, A Promise of Salvation, A Theory of Religion
Christians were regarded with suspicion, as atheists
Wright: “…this leads some to say religion is itself a dangerous and violent thing because it leads to people saying I have this God and he's more important than your God or whatever. And all sorts of violence stem from that. Indeed, one could argue that the Enlightenment's redefinition radical redefinition of the word religion over against its, say, early centuries use, has been part of the problem. But that, that would be perhaps a more polemical thesis.”
Religion plays an important role in political society.
How did religion work in the ancient world?
Is religion a force for evil in society? Working from a secularist paradigm or not?
Monotheism revised by Christology
Two Christian groups anathematizing each other
“Nothing hangs on the word religion.”
Ultimate allegiance, and to what?
What are the political responsibilities of the state to religion?
Naming proper allegiance
Wright on Jesus and Political Authority in John 19: “In other words, in the famous Romans 13, um, it's not a totalitarian passage, though some have read it like that. But Paul says there is no authority except from God. In other words, there is the one God, but God wants his world to be wisely governed by human authorities. But he will then call them to account. And my favorite passage on that is in John 19, when Jesus is being interviewed by Pontius Pilate. And Pilate says, don't you realize I have the right to have you killed? And Jesus says, and it's extraordinary, think of Johannine theology, that Jesus says this to Pilate. You could have no authority over me unless it was given to you from above and then the corollary is therefore the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin and that's that's a very interesting differentiation which no doubt Pilate couldn't understand at all and of course violence enters in straight away because Pilate's response is to send him off to be crucified.”
Polycarp (paraphrased by N.T. Wright): “Now I won't worship your God, but I will respect you enough to honor you if you want to have a conversation about this.”
“That one God is doing justice in the world.”
Jan Assman: creating the states in which violence in the name of God is possible
Bringing in atonement theology
“All three monotheisms in some sense affirm the freedom of religion.”
Noble ideal of the post-enlightenment world: an inclusive nationalism and inclusive monotheism.
Freedom of religion
Christianity as trinitarian monotheism
Romans 8: Spirit groaning
Jesus’s cry for dereliction
Wright: “Collaborate without compromise and to critique without dualism.”
Production Notes
This podcast featured N.T. Wright and Miroslav Volf
