If politicians speak of the church and politics, they usually stir the dogs of war. Lindsay Tanner and Tony Abbott recently gave more thoughtful speeches about the place of the churches in public life, which merit a reflective response.
Tanner developed the argument set out in his book, Open Australia (Pluto Press, 1999). He believes that in Australia, such phenomena as a high suicide rate, loneliness, endemic poverty, chronic unemployment, drug taking and alcoholism disclose a disturbing level of alienation. This breakdown of trust affects the quality of a society and eventually affects economic growth.
Tanner argues that the cause of alienation is the individualism that has accompanied economic growth and social liberation since the 1960s. When we conceive that our identity is constructed by the exercise of individual choice, communal enterprises and unselfish commitments appear quixotic. So, since the 1960s, movements and institutions that appeal to shared meaning have been in decline. At the same time, people who cannot find the happiness promised them suffer from alienation.
Tanner believes that the way forward is to maintain the freedoms that have recently been gained, while encouraging communal values. The government’s role is to facilitate participation in society. It should also encourage communal organisations, which provide access to participation.
This is the background to Tanner’s reflection on the social role of churches. Like other community institutions, churches have been weakened by contemporary individualism. Dogmatism and social activism alike have failed to stem their decline. But they have a bright future if they encourage altruistic relationships and communities in which people can participate in society. He counsels them not to allow dogma or prejudice to lure them into opposition to particular kinds of relationships: they should rather look only to the quality of relationships. He regards this emphasis as in keeping with the core beliefs of Christian churches.
Tanner’s argument that churches are caught in the great conflict between individualist and communal constructions of the world is persuasive. His call for a politics that encourages participation in society and supports communities is also welcome. His argument, however, poses two questions to churches. The first is whether churches can accept the inclusive focus on the quality of relationships that Tanner suggests. The second and deeper question is whether the bargain which he proposes to churches is sustainable: by accepting the gains in individual freedom that individualism has brought, and complementing them with communitarian