Reflecting on the current “politics of anger” and “culture of competitive victimhood,” Jonathan Sacks calls on Americans to renew their social covenant—which, as Sacks draws on the Bible to explain, is distinct and prior to the political contract that brings government into being. Doing so involves rebuilding such institutions as marriage, religion, and community and replacing narrow identity politics with reinvigorated patriotic feeling. Fortunately, through its stories of such leaders as Joseph, Josiah, and Ezra, the Bible shows how the social covenant can indeed be renewed. (Video, 40 minutes. A complete transcript is available at the link below.)
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More about: American founding, Hebrew Bible, Politics & Current Affairs, Religion and politics