John W. De Gruchy points out in his Christianity and Democracy that nineteenth-century Anglican socialists were concerned equally for the possessive individualism of capitalism and liberal democracy, and the deletion of the individual in collectivism.
De Gruchy summarizes the views of William Temple: “respect for individual personality is the root of democracy, and the herd-instinct its greatest danger: an important reminder that the rejection of possessive individualism is not incompatible with respect for individual persons. If respect for the individual goes, organic societies degenerate into totalitarian Fascism.”
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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