Despite his serious theological problems and their
promulgation, Emil Brunner offered a remarkably insightful (even prophetically
spoken into our current politico-historical context!) observation in his inaugural
address at the founding of that specious ecumenical World Council of Church in
1948 in Amsterdam. Hear Brunner speaking of our own experience today.
“The problem by which our age is
dominated is the emerging of the totalitarian state – the new Leviathan
begotten by economic materialism and by the deliberate negation of personal
freedom and responsibility. The danger of totalitarianism would not be so
overwhelming if it were merely a matter of political dictatorship as opposed to
democratic forms of government. Totalitarianism is something more pernicious
than dictatorship. It is the attempt to direct and mould the entire life of the
community and of its individual members in accordance with the dictate of an
omnipotent state, using for this purpose all the powerful methods of
mass-suggestion and police-control provided by modern technics.
“The disquieting feature of our
situation is that totalitarianism—in the sense indicated—is in ascendency everywhere,
even in those countries which are regarded as traditionally democratic.”
As cited by Von Meyenfeldt, F.H. in “The Meaning of Ethos,”
which is available here
and highly, highly recommended.
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