From Munich to Marx: Bishop Barron Calls Out ‘Thin’ View of Culture
If you’re a socially conservative Christian culture watcher, you’ve likely crossed paths with the analysis and commentary of American Roman Catholic bishop Robert Barron.
Serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota, he’s also the founder of “Word on Fire” ministries — a global outreach that helps distribute his teachings. Bishop Barron has numerous degrees including a doctorate in sacred theology.
Communicating on his social media platforms, the Bishop doesn’t shy away from wading into what many might consider to be controversial subjects. Earlier this week, he addressed comments made by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez last week at the Munich Security Conference.
Speaking to students in Berlin, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was critical of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s emphasis concerning the impact and tradition of religion and culture helping to frame the past, current and future state of world affairs.
“I think it’s also important to note how thin that foundation is,” she said. “Culture is changing. Culture always changed. Culture for the entire history of human civilization has been a fluid, evolving thing that is a response to the conditions that we live in.”
Hearing those and other words, Bishop Barron sounded a warning, suggesting that Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s emphasis on the “material foundations in the class struggle” is “right out of the Marxist playbook.”
Said the Bishop:
I mean, of course cultures are alive, they change and evolve. It doesn’t mean for a second we can’t identify the key elements within a culture that gives it its character. But to characterize culture as ‘thin’ is a Marxist move.
Marx said that culture is simply an epiphenomenal superstructure on top of the economic substructure. And don’t be distracted, therefore, by the culture. That’s just protecting the economics at bottom. Well, again, listen to her. Let’s pay attention to the material conditions and to class struggle. Again, that’s the Marxist playbook.
Bishop Barron went on to warn about a trend he’s observing — of radical politicians advocating for “unapologetically Marxist” policies right out of the “Communist Manifesto.” He pointed out the countless individuals who previously escaped that tyrannical political philosophy in Europe, Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela. Why would we deliberately encourage and even welcome such destructive ideology in the United States of America?
“It concerns me not just as someone who follows politics, but as a bishop of the Catholic Church,” he said. “Marx himself said the first critique is a critique of religion. And his political adepts followed him. The first thing that the Marxist tyrannies went after, in most cases, was religion.”
He ended by declaring:
“Take a look, everybody. Attend to the language. In a way, they’re telling us who they are and what they’re for. And I think that should be very concerning to everybody.”
It’s not uncommon to hear many folks, including Christians, dismiss the need to be aware of what’s going on politically or even culturally. To “get involved” is to somehow dirty oneself in the muck and mire of distasteful and exhausting controversies. They would prefer to take refuge in their “holy huddle” and rise above it all.
As Christians, we don’t enjoy that luxury. What’s happening culturally, especially the proliferation of a toxic ideology like Marxism, impacts everyone. While we don’t put our ultimate hope in politics, the Lord uses us to positively impact and influence the policies that govern our nation and our fellow citizens.
History has demonstrated time and time again that only the fool ignores what people say, “…for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).
