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Description
Nick Spencer sets out to rescue an innocent parable, mugged for political ends, ignored by passers-by, and then left for half-dead at the edge of the English language.
The parable of the Good Samaritan has been used by almost every major British politician over recent years – from Theresa May and Tony Blair to Margaret Thatcher and Jeremy Corbyn. But they don't all use it to say the same thing.
Discussing the various figures who've politicised the Samaritan, Spencer – described by the Economist as 'like a prophet crying in the post-modern wilderness' – explains why and how Jesus' famous parable got mixed up in politics. From abolitionists to warmongers, prime ministers to activists such as Dr Martin Luther King, he uncovers the reasons for the parable's popularity – and then asks the killer question: who gets it right?
If the Good Samaritan has been dragged on to the political stage, whose side is he on?
Table of Contents
1 'He welcomed them and spoke to them'
Talking God
Talking politics
The words we live by
A divine register
2 'They did not understand what this meant'
Introducing the political Samaritan
The parliamentary Samaritan
The Thatcherite Samaritan
The Labour Samaritan
The contemporary Samaritan
Conclusion
3 'How do you read it?'
Arriving at the parable
Enter the lawyer
The parable
A priest and a Levite were walking along a road
Samaritans
The 'Good' Samaritan
So, you can see, the parable obviously means...
Church interpretations
Conclusion
4 'Go and Do Likewise'
Who's right?
Christianity in the UK
Reasonable political language
Politics
Political rhetoric
Postscript: Picking up a half-dead metaphor
Acknowledgements
Notes
A Note on the Author
Product details
| Published | Nov 16 2017 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 208 |
| ISBN | 9781472942203 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Continuum |
| Illustrations | No illustrations |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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