The rise, the fall and the tomorrow of Christian democracy
Christian democracy is one of the most important political movements in postwar Europe.
It was the Christian Democrats in the governments of various European countries who revived their countries from the ashes of World War II with their decisions and consistent policies.
At the same time, European Christian Democrats have in recent decades become silent witnesses and accomplices to Russia's tyranny, whose loyal soldiers are committing genocide, whose loyal media outlets are distorting reality, and whose loyal diplomats are turning the world security order into toilet paper.
Why and how has this rapid transformation occurred and a future in the socio-political agenda of tomorrow in Europe?
A brief history of the early Christians
Before looking closely at the Christian Democrats of the XX-XXI centuries, it is worth remembering that the key element in the popularization of Christianity in the I-II centuries was ethics and new rules of human interaction. Roman chroniclers clearly recorded what distinguishes Christians from others:
- they don’t abandon children, they take care of those who have lost their ability to work, they take care of widows, they redeem orphans if they see that they are being abused;
- for them, community is more important than clan, so they support not only those with whom they have family or business ties, but even (which was scary to think then) people of other nationalities and status, because as the Apostle Paul wrote, "there is no Greek, no Jew, no circumcision, no uncircumcision, barbarian, hermit, slave, free… ";
- following the example of their leaders, they work (the apostle Paul provided for his life by hard work and taught to work) and consider work an important element for prosperity. At the same time, luxury did not matter to the early Christians, for their leader, Jesus of Nazareth, taught that wealth was an unnecessary necessity;
- they do not consult with the oracles, but make their own decisions based on the teachings of Jesus and his followers;
- they have all their issues resolved with security, because they are not afraid of death (because they believe in the resurrection in their physical body), so they can act boldly and paradoxically, not questioning the government, but questioning the established order.
Christians in postwar Europe
Christian thought became a leader in post-war Europe through the efforts of Konrad Adenauer, Alcide de Gasperi, and Robert Schumann, who did much for the restoration of their countries and European integration as Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta for Barcelona's hegemony in 2010. How and under what conditions the policy of Christian democracy operated after the Second World War can be recorded in the example of the Federal Republic of Germany:
- I'll start with security. First Allied bases and then NATO take security issues off the agenda of citizens and political elites;
- horrified by what has opened up in Dachau, Auschwitz, Majdanek and other camps and massacres, European elites are declaring the other as equal, and otherness can no longer lead to persecution or inequality. The slogans "Celebrate Diversity" and "Diversity / Equality" date back to this period;
- thanks to the "Schuman Declaration", the economies of postwar states are reoriented from an aggressive struggle to cooperation based on the win-win principle;
- the specter of communism still lurks around, and not only in the Warsaw Pact countries, where it has been registered as a temporary residence by Soviet tanks ready to suppress any impulse of democratization. Therefore, political elites are fighting for reform on the type of "social market economy", adopting Protestant ethics, initiative and the principle of "who cares - he has";
- thus, on the basis of the Christian principles of dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity and the common good, European values emerged that would allow the framework of social relations to be accelerated in such a way as to accelerate economic growth and prosperity after the Second World War.
Welfare trap
The problems of the Christian Democrats in power began, as in any government, at a time when economic growth has slowed.
Nobody was in a hurry to explain to voters that this is normal and to impose a progressive tax on the rich (especially inheritance), because then the rich will not invest in election campaigns. Therefore, developed and rich democracies have periodically been tempted to take advantage of a globalized world where values and principles can be neglected when it comes to interests.
At the moment, the cannibalistic authoritarianisms that are riding on commodity economies and access to cheap labor are rubbing their hands, because European values and principles are becoming fiction for a moment. And international relations look like a grotesque dialogue:
– We are for rights and freedoms
– Wonderful. And we have it as cheap as anything.
– in addition this cheaper one, isn't this the Uighur genocide?
– But do not pay attention, look how cheap and beautiful.
– Can you pay by card or cash?
Equality for equal and more equal than others.
The strange new world of prosperity, equality and triumph of liberalism bequeathed after the Cold War never came.
For me, a reflection of this harsh reality is President Macron's statement that Putin and Russia cannot be humiliated by military defeat. As I read this statement: "We, the strong of this world, cannot be humiliated by the defeat of Putin and Russia."
I will use the football metaphor again. The recently established UEFA League of Nations is radically different from qualifying matches for the World Cup and the European Championship. All three tournaments feature UEFA national teams, but the League of Nations has a key difference - the strong play many matches with the strong and the weak with the weak. In the League of Nations, it is impossible for a pharmacist from San Marino to play 90 minutes against the owner of the Golden Ball. Because for the owner of the Golden Ball it is to some extent a humiliation, and for the sellers of TV commercials it is also a loss of earnings due to low ratings.
Is Russia covering the fifth part of Georgia’s territory? - Nothing terrible is happening, trade is in full swing, Putin is taking part in G8 meetings, preparations are underway for the Olympics in Sochi.
Russia bomb Aleppo, destroys civilian objects and civilians live?- No problem, trade continues, preparations are underway for the World Cup.
Russia is killing several hundred innocent victims. These include families with children. They all flew in a plane shot down by the Russian military - no big deal, Nord Stream 2, the French president and Putin on the rostrum in Luzhniki, is being completed.
Mention the fact, hat Putin and Russia cannot be humiliated by military defeat, Macron said honestly what he thought. After all, only equals can judge and humiliate Putin - these are mostly former Goliath empires. And upstart Davids don't have that right. Because if we humiliate Putin's military defeat now, the question will be: "Why have you, dear world leaders, been silent all these years?"
Modern koine
Christianity was a very innovative and subversive idea, two thousand years ago. One of the tools that helped spread this idea within the known world was the colloquial Greek (koine), which was understood both in modern Mykolayiv and in present-day Turkey or Tunisia, Spain or Syria.
Social networks + English can be one of the tools, if not to restart the world order, then at least to raise important issues. It is from the TikTok that the new Malalas will come, who will look at Mr. Scholz and Mr. Macron and will not only tell horrible stories about their lives, but will also ask:
"Who gave weapons to those who cut down my village? Did you know that and did nothing? How so? You are for humanism and the value of human life. What bothered you?
Whose Private Military Company guards the crystal mine (those that are indispensable in expensive equipment) in my tribe, and why don't we get anything from that mine, but should we be happy with the humanitarian aid that Bono brought us?
Why is it buying fruit at 3 cents in the middle of nowhere and selling it for 3 euroes in Marseilles and Hamburg called liberalism? But running from raping and killing on that territory to Marseilles or Hamburg called crime?
Christian Democracy tomorrow
Our struggle, our resistance and the daily approach of common victory are in one way or another rooted in the fact that dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity and the common good are important to us. And all these are not words from presentation slides or analytical reports, but the daily reality of millions of citizens: soldiers, volunteers, doctors, social workers.
Very often, without saying all this out loud, we build processes and approaches on the principles of Christian democracy.
Our ambassadors and workers of the International Front Court are also returning Christian Democracy to its sources, carefully poking gentlemen in expensive jackets into the values and principles they declare (gentlemen look miserable every time).
Our struggle gives a chance to the next Davids that when they try to challenge the next Goliath, everyone around will not wait for the end of these three days for which Goliath has to torture David, so that he can stand in grief somewhere near the candlelit monument and return to "business as usual". Therefore, our experience can be decisive for the reboot of both Christian Democracy and the global security architecture.
Well, ecclesiologists who study and develop churches and communities must finally pay attention to other studies in a wide range from sociology to economics, from postcolonialism to game theory. Because working with such an important and delicate matter as communities and people, one cannot be confused and not understand fundamental things. Otherwise, there is a chance to slide into communication and activities in the style of Pope Francis, when it is not clear who attacked whom, who is torturing whom, who is the cause of world hunger and for whom to pray, and who must finally be knocked out so that he can no longer kill and rape .
Andriy Andrushkiv, Executive Director of the Center for United Action, the Sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Master of Theology
