Book Review: Render Unto Caesar

For several years I have recommended two books to people interested in running for public office for the first time: How to Win a Local Election by Lawrence Grey and John Minford’s translation of The Art of War by Sun Tzu. After reading Archbishop Chaput’s book, Render Unto Caesar, I’m now recommending three books.

Written after a friend lost a primary election for the Colorado General Assembly, Chaput is clear about the purpose of his book.

Over the past decade I’ve grown increasingly tired of the church and her people being told to be quiet on public issues that concern us. Worse, Catholics themselves too often stay silent out of a misguided sense of good manners.

The book does not endorse any political party of candidate. Partisans looking for such red meat need to look elsewhere. What Chaput does do is explain how faithful formation is necessary for proper public discourse. It applies to candidate and citizen alike, and requires unapologetic effort.

To survive, American democracy depends on people of character fighting for their beliefs in the public square—legally, ethically, and nonviolently, but forcefully and without apology. Anything less is a form of theft from the nation’s health.

Much like Cardinal Ratzinger’s warning against the “dictatorship of relativism,” Chaput attacks America’s cult of self-esteem, saying “It’s not hard to claim that anything anyone does, anywhere, is inherently wrong.”

Orwell knew that words have power because they convey meaning…Dishonest public debate with its misuse of words leads to bad laws and dangerous politics…In a different age, we called this lying. Now we call it spin. But whatever we name it, voter cynicism and a weaker democratic life are the result.

For non-Catholics, Render Unto Caesar isn’t inaccessible. Chaput does a very good job of explaining several principles of Catholic Social Teaching, in part to educate American Catholics as well. He also explains what Catholics really don’t have a home when it comes to political parties, something that I have grown to realize over the years myself.

Party loyalty is a dead end. It’s a lethal form of laziness. Issues matter. Character matters. Acting on principle matters. The sound bite and the slogan do not matter. They belong to a vocabulary of the herd, and human beings deserve better.

For anyone who takes their citizenship seriously, Render Unto Caesar is a must-read.

This article is cross-posted at www.IllinoisReview.com.

Here are other articles I have written on this topic:

• What Do I Make of This?
• Three Books You Must Read Before Entering Politics
• Book Review: Diplomacy