In other words, democracy (“the power of the people”) requires that the people be worthy of the power entrusted to them. But the “will to power,” the perennial temptation to “be like God” (Genesis 3:5), is ever with us. And it undermines our democracy at every turn.
The American variety of democracy assumes that there are inalienable rights that cannot be infringed by popular vote. That assumption is behind the Bill of Rights, as well as Supreme Court decisions like Brown v. Board of Education, which ended segregation. If we don’t assume and commit to certain truths about the world prior to democracy, it will devolve into mob rule, something both unsustainable and unjust. If you don’t believe that, the French have a guillotine or two to sell you.
We do not abandon our principles because the fight has gotten dirty. We must continue to uphold the value of personal liberty and responsible self-government even when the people around us aren’t. If we put aside our principles to fight a temporary political battle, we may find when the dust clears that our principles are gone.
Over libraries and other public buildings across Christendom we find Jesus’ declaration, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). However, such inscriptions omit Jesus’ necessary precondition: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” (v. 31).
Congressional inaction is a great danger that places stress on our system of government. When Congress twiddles its thumbs, the Supreme Court exercises growing power in American life, and the president issues executive orders, which get immediately overturned when a new party comes into power. Meanwhile, the bloated federal bureaucracy enacts onerous regulation after onerous regulation with little pushback from Congress.
An international democratic think tank has added the United States to its list of “backsliding democracies” for the first time. The group says that the United States has succumbed to “authoritarian tendencies” in recent years.
Documents reportedly show how Facebook ignores Instagram’s adverse impact on teens and the spread of misinformation on its platform. In addition, it reportedly makes alterations to its algorithmic feed that boosts user engagement while simultaneously increasing hostility and discontent.
