The Political Samaritan: How power hijacked a parable

by Nick Spencer

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 who gets it right? If the Good Samaritan has been dragged on to the political stage, whose side is he on?

208 pages, Paperback

Published January 16, 2018

About the author

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British theologian and chairman of Theos, a think tank examining politics from a religious perspective.

Reviews

[Rae]

All the angles are here. UK POV. Politics. Religiosity project.

“For all its technical details, politics is about the nature of our responsibilities to one another.”