Finding Truth in the Left-Right Distortion
If the Left-Right distinction didn’t just drop out of the air but is rather the remnant, the shattered remains of Trinitarian culture, then we should positively expect to find some truth in all the shards.
Within the Trinity, both freedom and equality are high and holy kinds of love. “[I]n all things…the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped” (Athanasian Creed). As aspects of Trinitarian life, we must yearn for both. We can’t just love equality or just love freedom. Either alone is idolatry.
The Left-Right distinction became prominent as Christian culture faded and Enlightenment secularism rose. Since both the Left and the Right reflect concern for different virtues of Trinitarian life, we shouldn’t expect truth in only one side. Many times truth won’t be in either side, due to impersonalism, etc., but many times it’s in both.
Focusing on freedom can let us to see some true things; in the same way, focusing on equality will open our eyes to other things. This shouldn’t frighten either side. The only weird move is to assume there’s no insight or truth in the opposing side. We certainly won’t find the whole, integrated truth in only one side. That we can find only in the Trinity. Still, the shards are often helpful, though always inferior.
One question both sides should always be asking is: what is the other side good at spotting? What good habits have they mastered by clinging to one aspect of the Trinity? That might also remind us regularly to be searching for our blind spots.
Doug Jones
