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What kind of revolution? A Christian-Communist dialogue
- GenresTheologyPhilosophy
218 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1968
14 people want to read
About the author
James Klugmann
14 books2 followersNorman John Klugmann, generally known as James Klugmann, was a leading British Communist journalist and author who became the official historian of the Communist Party of Great Britain.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 17, 2022
Recently I have felt quite guilty with myself as to the poor quality of my reading habits. Having started two new jobs, my time has slowly drained away from being able to indulge in one of my favourite activities. It is in the brief moment of respite that I do actually have the ability to enjoy myself and nowhere was this more evident than with this book.
What is fascinating about this book is that it does indeed offer some form of dialogue as an object between Christians and Communists. We see this by the complex intermix of both Christians (from all denominations and practices) write essays alongside Marxists (from all denominations and practices), to truly offer a fascinating synthesis of philosophical belief. I think that Christian Communism, and the dialogue inherent between the two sects of ideas has fallen away since 1968 and it is nice to the brain to have some sort of intellectual crossover being made.
I thought in particular the essays about Marx and Religion, as to his actual philosophy and his links to Hegel and Feuerbach was genuinely interesting, as well as the essay about Teilhard and his understanding of cosmology. Those were the outstanding pieces, which showed a brilliance of description as well as a genuine understanding of the nature of the respective philosophies.
I think what left this book from being 5* was the 'jumping around' effect I felt was inherent within it. Of course in any volume with multiple essays from different sources, this is bound to happen, but here it sometimes felt quite jarring. The lack of continuity often made one chapter an empathetic section on the nature of Christology, and then the next being a revolutionary call to arms from a member of the British Communist Party.
Ultimately, it was a good book, and well-worth a read; a fascinating area of study that I think deserves much more academic attention than it currently gets.
What is fascinating about this book is that it does indeed offer some form of dialogue as an object between Christians and Communists. We see this by the complex intermix of both Christians (from all denominations and practices) write essays alongside Marxists (from all denominations and practices), to truly offer a fascinating synthesis of philosophical belief. I think that Christian Communism, and the dialogue inherent between the two sects of ideas has fallen away since 1968 and it is nice to the brain to have some sort of intellectual crossover being made.
I thought in particular the essays about Marx and Religion, as to his actual philosophy and his links to Hegel and Feuerbach was genuinely interesting, as well as the essay about Teilhard and his understanding of cosmology. Those were the outstanding pieces, which showed a brilliance of description as well as a genuine understanding of the nature of the respective philosophies.
I think what left this book from being 5* was the 'jumping around' effect I felt was inherent within it. Of course in any volume with multiple essays from different sources, this is bound to happen, but here it sometimes felt quite jarring. The lack of continuity often made one chapter an empathetic section on the nature of Christology, and then the next being a revolutionary call to arms from a member of the British Communist Party.
Ultimately, it was a good book, and well-worth a read; a fascinating area of study that I think deserves much more academic attention than it currently gets.
December 13, 2022
An interesting collection of essays regarding the Christian-Communist dialogue in England, an expanded sequel of sorts to the much shorter volume Dialogue of Christianity and Marxism edited by Klugmann a year before. Klugmann, John Lewis, and Jack Dunman reappear in this volume with essays on the Marxist side, whilst Paul Oestreicher and the Quaker William Barton reprise their roles on the Christian side. Also contributing are the Christians Anthony Dyson and Edward Rogers, the Marxists Sam Aaronovitch and Ivor Montagu, and the "Christian and Marxist" Dominican Laurence Bright. As this is a collection of essays, I will review each one.
~Preface (Paul Oestreicher)
Oestreicher's preface is a short account of the history of the dialogue stretching back to the 30s, as well as the circumstances that engendered its revival in 1968. Like much of the work, Oestreicher focuses on the practical solidarity achieved between Christians and Marxists in fighting racism in Britain.
I. "Marx and Religion" (John Lewis)
In this essay, Lewis traces the origins of Marxism in the debate regarding religion and atheism within the Young Hegelian circle, and Marx's connection with the pseudo-religious humanism of Feuerbach. He makes an interesting if weak argument that Feuerbach and Marx latched onto the side of Hegel's thought "that history seen as the gradual unification of the ideal and the real, as the incarnation of the Divine in humanity." This was certainly Feuerbach's view, but Marx's criticism of Feuerbach in other places seems to place Marx squarely in the realm of "the realm" and opposed to the very concept of the "Divine." Of course, one has to take into account Lewis' rather eclectic brand of Marxist Humanism and his conventional education in bourgeois philosophy. Lewis also refuses to declare Marx a "materialist," arguing that the difference between mechanical and dialectical materialism is so stark that to call Marx a "materialist" is incorrect—I find this a concession on Lewis' part unfounded in Marx's thought.
II. "Christian Attitudes to Communism" (Edward Rogers)
Rogers' essay is a brief overview of the attitudes of different Christian sects across the world towards Communism and Marxist thought, as well as some interesting diversions into Christianity as the "most materialistic of all religions...necessarily a social religion...anticipating and welcoming continual change." He has a rather negative attitude towards Maoism that I find unfounded (though unsurprising considering his pro-Brezhnev company) and a strange identification of the socialist and capitalist economic systems that is totally unfounded and echoes "state capitalist" rhetoric that even most Trotskyists would reject.
III. "Marxists, Christians and Society" (Jack Dunman)
Dunman's essay is interesting in that, in stark contrast to other Marxist figures in the Christian-Marxist dialogues like the early Garaudy and Ernst Bloch, Dunman rejects the concept of "Utopia" as inherently flawed, weakening and delaying the struggle for revolutionary change. He quotes William Morris' view of Hell as "every man for himself," and lays out issues with capitalism that inherently oppose the Christian conception of brotherhood in limiting "fellowship" and restricting "good relations...to smaller groups." He makes an interesting point about "wage-freeze" as a weapon of the bourgeoisie during capitalist crisis, somewhat out of place in his essay but extraordinarily relevant to the modern capitalist "long crisis" that capitalism finds itself in. He ends with a critique of Christian pacifism as aiding the destruction of "Christian virtues" and halting "the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth."
IV. "Ethical Aspects of the Marxist-Christian Dialogue" (William E. Barton)
Unsurprising for a conventional Quaker, Barton seeks to tackle issues of ethics between Christians and Marxist-Leninists based off of his visits to the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet Union during the 50s and 60s. Somewhat surprisingly, he takes a mostly positive view of the moral conceptions within Marxist-Leninist societies that I found so fascinating I took nearly an entire page of notes. He even notes a positive understanding of the Maoist "Down to the Countryside" policy as a breaking down of moral barriers between the intellectuals and the working class (no doubt to the ire of his anti-Mao co-authors). I found this quote most fascinating:
"There are many other ethical challenges for the Christian in the Marxist-Leninist theory and practice of social organization, for example the fostering of a sense of community in Marxist-Leninist society. One gets the impression there that often the individual feels a sense of belonging to a group and of sharing in a communal purpose. Of course, one could quote examples of alienation, frustration and repression which threaten personal fulfillment. Yet it is possible to make a favourable comparison between the Marxist-Leninist 'community' and the loneliness and aimlessness which pervade much non-Communist society. The sense of belonging in Communist countries is stimulated by a high level of active participation in communal life. This may seem like regimented activity to the Western observer and indeed much of the participation does not fit into the categories of Western political democracy. But, in fairness, one should recall that Marxist-Leninist society aims at conscious and voluntary involvement of its citizens." (pg. 84)
V. "Marxism, Democracy and Religion" (Sam Aaronovitch)
Aaronovitch's essay, however brilliant it is in critiquing bourgeois conceptions of democracy and how this very "democracy" is what allows for fascist and anti-democratic forces to take power, is frankly out of place. It deals little with religion, and seems only there to placate the anti-Communist fears of any Christian reader. There is, however, a quote I found a wonderful rebuttal to the very concept of representative "democracy," contrasting formal democracy with the "genuine" democratic process:
"To keep the masses inert means making democracy passive and not dynamic...[against] the policy of continuous involvement."
VI. "Christian and Marxist" (Laurence Bright)
Bright's essay is fascinating and heartening. He is the first of all Christian-Marxist dialogue I have read (discounting those Christian Marxists who were generally outside of this dialogue, like Harry F. Ward or Claude C. Williams) that declares himself a Marxist. As he himself says, he has "switched sides," so to say. He takes a critical understanding of theology common to the post-Barth Christian intellectual environment of the time to come to this beautiful statement:
"If Christianity is a revolutionary movement rather than belief in abstract doctrinal statements, if it is concerned with change in man's actual situation, with political ways of breaking down unjust division between men, then is at least not incompatible with Marxism in a broad sense."
Whether Bright merely sees himself as a "practical" Marxist, or sees dialectical materialist philosophy compatible with Christianity like the views of Denys Turner, however, is left rather unclear.
VII. "Peace on Earth" (Ivor Montagu)
Montagu's essay is an outline of the USSR-aligned Marxist-Leninist perspective on war and the possibility of Christian-Marxist solidarity and practical cooperation in the movement against war (particularly Vietnam). He unleashes a weak diatribe against the Maoist critique of the policy of "Peaceful Co-Existence" that doesn't truly do justice to the Maoist critique by merely referring to Lenin and Chicerin's use of it in a much different context. He ends with a strong critique of any Christian pacifism:
"To withhold oneself from this struggle is not pacifism, it is desertion. Passivity means, in effect, the comfort and aid of toleration for the oppressor."
VIII. "Teilhard de Chardin and the Christian-Marxist Dialogue" (Anthony Dyson)
A consideration of the views of Teilhard de Chardin and the use of his views as an impetus to the Christian-Marxist dialogue that occurred after his death. A focus on Garaudy's use of Teilhard and Teilhard's concept of "faith in man" being supposedly shared by Christians and Marxists.
IX. "Communism—The Future" (James Klugmann)
Klugmann's understanding of the concept of Communism and how both Christianity and Marxism admit the possibility of changing the nature of humanity in an effort to establish Communism/the Kingdom of God on earth.
X. "Christians and Communists in Search of Man: 50 Years After the Russian Revolution" (Oestreicher)
Oestreicher argues that Marx only rejected God so fervently because of the reactionary position of the institutional Church and religion during his time, and that "the God Marx rejected is a god that every Christian also would do well to reject." He argues that both Marxists and Christians wish for the triumph of "good over evil" (despite the fact that Marxists do not see morality in such a dichtomy), and admits that the Communists had been doing more to uphold the true nature of Christianity than Christians had up until the time of the dialogues and the post-Barth/Bonhoeffer reorganization of Western theology alongside liberation theology.
~Epilogue (Klugmann)
A summary of the dialogue and reflection on the future possibilities for Christian-Marxist collaboration in the practical and theoretical realms:
"If, as was clear, we could not agree on life after death, could we examine together our hopes for life on earth? If we could not agree on God, could we in any way find common faith in man?"
~Preface (Paul Oestreicher)
Oestreicher's preface is a short account of the history of the dialogue stretching back to the 30s, as well as the circumstances that engendered its revival in 1968. Like much of the work, Oestreicher focuses on the practical solidarity achieved between Christians and Marxists in fighting racism in Britain.
I. "Marx and Religion" (John Lewis)
In this essay, Lewis traces the origins of Marxism in the debate regarding religion and atheism within the Young Hegelian circle, and Marx's connection with the pseudo-religious humanism of Feuerbach. He makes an interesting if weak argument that Feuerbach and Marx latched onto the side of Hegel's thought "that history seen as the gradual unification of the ideal and the real, as the incarnation of the Divine in humanity." This was certainly Feuerbach's view, but Marx's criticism of Feuerbach in other places seems to place Marx squarely in the realm of "the realm" and opposed to the very concept of the "Divine." Of course, one has to take into account Lewis' rather eclectic brand of Marxist Humanism and his conventional education in bourgeois philosophy. Lewis also refuses to declare Marx a "materialist," arguing that the difference between mechanical and dialectical materialism is so stark that to call Marx a "materialist" is incorrect—I find this a concession on Lewis' part unfounded in Marx's thought.
II. "Christian Attitudes to Communism" (Edward Rogers)
Rogers' essay is a brief overview of the attitudes of different Christian sects across the world towards Communism and Marxist thought, as well as some interesting diversions into Christianity as the "most materialistic of all religions...necessarily a social religion...anticipating and welcoming continual change." He has a rather negative attitude towards Maoism that I find unfounded (though unsurprising considering his pro-Brezhnev company) and a strange identification of the socialist and capitalist economic systems that is totally unfounded and echoes "state capitalist" rhetoric that even most Trotskyists would reject.
III. "Marxists, Christians and Society" (Jack Dunman)
Dunman's essay is interesting in that, in stark contrast to other Marxist figures in the Christian-Marxist dialogues like the early Garaudy and Ernst Bloch, Dunman rejects the concept of "Utopia" as inherently flawed, weakening and delaying the struggle for revolutionary change. He quotes William Morris' view of Hell as "every man for himself," and lays out issues with capitalism that inherently oppose the Christian conception of brotherhood in limiting "fellowship" and restricting "good relations...to smaller groups." He makes an interesting point about "wage-freeze" as a weapon of the bourgeoisie during capitalist crisis, somewhat out of place in his essay but extraordinarily relevant to the modern capitalist "long crisis" that capitalism finds itself in. He ends with a critique of Christian pacifism as aiding the destruction of "Christian virtues" and halting "the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth."
IV. "Ethical Aspects of the Marxist-Christian Dialogue" (William E. Barton)
Unsurprising for a conventional Quaker, Barton seeks to tackle issues of ethics between Christians and Marxist-Leninists based off of his visits to the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet Union during the 50s and 60s. Somewhat surprisingly, he takes a mostly positive view of the moral conceptions within Marxist-Leninist societies that I found so fascinating I took nearly an entire page of notes. He even notes a positive understanding of the Maoist "Down to the Countryside" policy as a breaking down of moral barriers between the intellectuals and the working class (no doubt to the ire of his anti-Mao co-authors). I found this quote most fascinating:
"There are many other ethical challenges for the Christian in the Marxist-Leninist theory and practice of social organization, for example the fostering of a sense of community in Marxist-Leninist society. One gets the impression there that often the individual feels a sense of belonging to a group and of sharing in a communal purpose. Of course, one could quote examples of alienation, frustration and repression which threaten personal fulfillment. Yet it is possible to make a favourable comparison between the Marxist-Leninist 'community' and the loneliness and aimlessness which pervade much non-Communist society. The sense of belonging in Communist countries is stimulated by a high level of active participation in communal life. This may seem like regimented activity to the Western observer and indeed much of the participation does not fit into the categories of Western political democracy. But, in fairness, one should recall that Marxist-Leninist society aims at conscious and voluntary involvement of its citizens." (pg. 84)
V. "Marxism, Democracy and Religion" (Sam Aaronovitch)
Aaronovitch's essay, however brilliant it is in critiquing bourgeois conceptions of democracy and how this very "democracy" is what allows for fascist and anti-democratic forces to take power, is frankly out of place. It deals little with religion, and seems only there to placate the anti-Communist fears of any Christian reader. There is, however, a quote I found a wonderful rebuttal to the very concept of representative "democracy," contrasting formal democracy with the "genuine" democratic process:
"To keep the masses inert means making democracy passive and not dynamic...[against] the policy of continuous involvement."
VI. "Christian and Marxist" (Laurence Bright)
Bright's essay is fascinating and heartening. He is the first of all Christian-Marxist dialogue I have read (discounting those Christian Marxists who were generally outside of this dialogue, like Harry F. Ward or Claude C. Williams) that declares himself a Marxist. As he himself says, he has "switched sides," so to say. He takes a critical understanding of theology common to the post-Barth Christian intellectual environment of the time to come to this beautiful statement:
"If Christianity is a revolutionary movement rather than belief in abstract doctrinal statements, if it is concerned with change in man's actual situation, with political ways of breaking down unjust division between men, then is at least not incompatible with Marxism in a broad sense."
Whether Bright merely sees himself as a "practical" Marxist, or sees dialectical materialist philosophy compatible with Christianity like the views of Denys Turner, however, is left rather unclear.
VII. "Peace on Earth" (Ivor Montagu)
Montagu's essay is an outline of the USSR-aligned Marxist-Leninist perspective on war and the possibility of Christian-Marxist solidarity and practical cooperation in the movement against war (particularly Vietnam). He unleashes a weak diatribe against the Maoist critique of the policy of "Peaceful Co-Existence" that doesn't truly do justice to the Maoist critique by merely referring to Lenin and Chicerin's use of it in a much different context. He ends with a strong critique of any Christian pacifism:
"To withhold oneself from this struggle is not pacifism, it is desertion. Passivity means, in effect, the comfort and aid of toleration for the oppressor."
VIII. "Teilhard de Chardin and the Christian-Marxist Dialogue" (Anthony Dyson)
A consideration of the views of Teilhard de Chardin and the use of his views as an impetus to the Christian-Marxist dialogue that occurred after his death. A focus on Garaudy's use of Teilhard and Teilhard's concept of "faith in man" being supposedly shared by Christians and Marxists.
IX. "Communism—The Future" (James Klugmann)
Klugmann's understanding of the concept of Communism and how both Christianity and Marxism admit the possibility of changing the nature of humanity in an effort to establish Communism/the Kingdom of God on earth.
X. "Christians and Communists in Search of Man: 50 Years After the Russian Revolution" (Oestreicher)
Oestreicher argues that Marx only rejected God so fervently because of the reactionary position of the institutional Church and religion during his time, and that "the God Marx rejected is a god that every Christian also would do well to reject." He argues that both Marxists and Christians wish for the triumph of "good over evil" (despite the fact that Marxists do not see morality in such a dichtomy), and admits that the Communists had been doing more to uphold the true nature of Christianity than Christians had up until the time of the dialogues and the post-Barth/Bonhoeffer reorganization of Western theology alongside liberation theology.
~Epilogue (Klugmann)
A summary of the dialogue and reflection on the future possibilities for Christian-Marxist collaboration in the practical and theoretical realms:
"If, as was clear, we could not agree on life after death, could we examine together our hopes for life on earth? If we could not agree on God, could we in any way find common faith in man?"
July 17, 2024
A very interesting and important book for both Marxists and the religious. I particularly enjoyed the section near the end about Catholics and Marxists working together in Spain and Latin America against fascist dictatorships.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews