The Politics of the Gospel by Jean-Marie Paupert (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 815 The Politics of the Gospel. By JEAN-MARIE PAUPERT. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1969. Pp. 19~. $4.95. This is not a profound book nor is it a shallow one. It is a deeply-felt call for "evangelical action." One may dispute, as I do, M. Pauper's exegesis of the Gospels and his reading of history, but one senses his Christian concern. He makes a number of uncomfortable but very cogent observatiOns about Christians and Christianity. Pauper's theme is that Christians " are simply unfaithful to the Kingdom of Heaven when ... they are divided on an essential political problem that is also a problem of Truth." He defines "politics" as having to do with "everything that depends on and flows from the social life of man." But lest he trap himself, he introduces a distinction between " formal " politics that deals with "types of power, organizational systems, administration, government and law," and "essential" or "real" politics, the "concrete and substantial reality " of political and social life. Though he appeals to Marx for confirmation of this distinction, it never remains very clear and continually bothers him throughout the book. Paupert seeks to explain historically how the problem of " politics " and the Gospel has arisen and how various solutions have been proposed. He seeks to find out what Christ recommended, how these recommendations became blurred and, finally, how the evangelical insights may be made clear to contemporary man. This is a large order for a book of 174 pages, and, almost apologetically, Paupert keeps telling the reader he has not the time to go into all the complexities. Complexities there are! The first section discusses the New Testament approach to "polities." Jesus was opposed to theocracy and caesaropapism; he made a clear distinction between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of man. But there are relations between these two kingdoms, though an undoubted primacy of the Kingdom of God. The question of temporal power, of legal justice, of peace and non-violence, of patriotism are examples of the " political realities" which extend into the "political universe of the Gospel." Evangelical economy, Paupert insists, "is structured by a tension between poverty and money." In fact, so fundamentalist is Paupert's exegesis on the question of money that he eventually calls for the creation of an economy without money. I would think that the evangelical strictures are just as relevant whether we use script, chits or gold coins. As far as international and internal relations go, Paupert asserts that "a recourse to force and violence is absolutely proscribed." Non-violence is a "a direct and immediate consequence of the evangelical law." Paupert is here most consistent with his principles. In an Epilogue he castigates the " theologians of revolution " and the " comfortably pious " who play the role of " suburban Che Guevaras." In the second section, entitled" Avatars of Evangelical Politics," Panpert 816 BOOK REVIEWS rapidly covers nineteen centuries of Christian experience which includes a short chapter devoted to "Bossuet, Victim of His Century." There are verw few in the New Left, I think, who have heard of or care about Bossuet. In the final section Paupert discusses the application of evangelical l)rinciples to today's situation. He asserts once again Christianity's "indifference " to forms of government, but he manages to condemn most of them as " un-Christian " anyway. He analyzes the "Right " and " Left," seeking an " absolute Right and Left." It is no surprise that, given his descriptions and his outlook, he concludes that " the evangelical spirit cannot be harmonized with a right-wing mentality "; and that the " Gospel of the Lord is truly of the Left," though he castigates leftists for their sins of omission and commission. I would criticize and argue with numerous statements of fact and interpretation in this book. But it has been stimulating to read. The same cannot be said about the Foreward contributed by Daniel Berrigan. My advice is to skip it and read Paupert. Aquimu Institute Dubuque, Iowa RICHARD K. WEBER, 0. p. ...