Let's talk about Putinism. Why? For two reasons:
First, Putinism is a form of politics that starts with a worldview that completely contradicts the world revealed through the gospel. Our worldview forms our ethics.
Secondly, Russia is aggressively disseminating Putinism, much like the Soviet Union once spread communism. This should not only raise alarm but also prompt immediate action among Americans.
What exactly is Putinism, and why should we be deeply concerned about it?
The fall of the Berlin Wall was an extraordinary moment, symbolizing the end of the Cold War and the triumph of liberal democracy. Many nations that emerged from the Soviet Union are now liberal democracies and allies in NATO and the EU.
However, democracy failed to flourish in Russia. Figures like Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and Vladimir Putin were involved in the hope of establishing democracy, but it gave way to a kleptocracy.
Kleptocracy is a system in which a small number of oligarchs accumulate great power and wealth and rule the country. Russia's transition from communism to capitalism created opportunities for the powerful to seize resources.
Unlike 19th-century America, Russia lacked liberal institutions and democratic rule, resulting in a kleptocracy with a fig leaf of democratic rule.
By 2012, Putin and his cronies had amassed such wealth and inequality that the people rose in protest. Putin stole the election by weaving a story of perpetual victimhood, casting the West, especially the United States, as the enemy.
The Putinist Worldview:
There is no future, only a present filled with threats. Progress towards prosperity is not a priority.
Love your neighbor is for losers. Others are either friends, temporarily useful idiots, or foes.
There is no accountability for leaders. Putinist leaders blame failures on perpetual enemies at the gates.
Putinist leaders distract the people by inventing or exploiting crises.
Truth is whatever the strongman says it is. Fake news is a strategy to create propaganda, discredit alternative sources, and declare the strongman as the only reliable source.
Belongingness is signaled by embracing the strongman's proclamations, celebrating victories, or expressing outrage as demanded.
The Big Lie: Tell a lie so big that followers would never believe the leader would do that to them. The Big Lie binds people in a fellowship of mendacity.
The Eucharistic Worldview
In contrast, the gospel reveals a world moving towards fulfillment as God imagines it. God's love and presence are the truth about the world.
Christians believe in moving towards God's future, transforming the present, and growing into the goodness God imagines.
God's decision to be with us means there is ample cause for joy and peace. We can afford to speak the truth and share in neighborly love.
What binds us together is not a conspiracy of lies but a community of sufferings, sharing in the cup and bread in neighborly love.
As we do this, we see God's light reflected in our neighbor, revealing Putinism for what it is—a big lie that will wither like the grass. Thanks be to God.
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