The Politics of Envy vs. The Politics of Freedom

DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), and SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) policies represent more than bureaucratic initiatives; they are attempts to redefine humanity itself. As modern society distances itself from God, it seeks to rebuild its own reality, reshaping identity in the process. Men today pride themselves on the belief that they can construct a better world than the one given by God. They envision judgment and call it utopia; they promote confusion and label it love; they foster envy and call it justice. In their arrogance, they strip away the imago Dei, reducing human beings to mechanized pawns in a colossal power play.

The politics of envy describes the world's current state of affairs, making heroes out of fiends and virtue out of vice. This worldview convinces the masses that society is little more than a cesspool of power imbalances, demanding revolutionary action to rectify supposed injustices.

In this postmodern world, power and influence belong to the envious. Political capital is measured by the layers of one’s grievances, not personal achievements. Victimhood, real or imagined, has become the currency of the day. Modern identity politics, as articulated by thinkers like Kimberlé Crenshaw, encapsulates this shift. Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality suggests that “cultural patterns of oppression are interrelated, bound together by societal systems.” Attributes like ethnicity, gender, and class become the basis for claims of systemic injustice.

Crenshaw’s framework draws from cultural Marxism, a worldview that reduces all of life to identity politics and power struggles. Disparities between groups are taken as evidence of injustice and the need for revolution. This activism, according to Crenshaw, is not about "supplication" but about "demanding" and "changing the very face of power itself."

The politics of envy is a powerful weapon in the arsenal of revolutionary movements. Cloaked in the rhetoric of justice and equality, it fuels the pursuit of power and societal disruption, often under the banner of freedom. Revolutionaries plant the seeds of envy to legitimize their quest for totalitarian control within a centralized political structure. Revolutions inevitably lead to tyranny. They consistently aim to blur and erase distinctions (think open borders), promote emasculation and effeminacy in the pursuit of sexual androgyny, disarm and neutralize opposition, demoralize society, and foster overdependence. They also seek to seize ownership and control of wealth, all while holding Biblical Christianity in contempt and ridicule.

Revolutions, by their nature, reject history, reason, and true justice. They are determined to be unburdened from what has been and what ought to be. They seek a future where their enemies do not exist but often can’t see beyond what they hate. They convince themselves that freedom is power, and that power itself is truth. Revolutions prey on weak and vulnerable people who have no real fear of God and no true understanding of freedom. Wherever freedom is misunderstood and misdefined, it becomes an elusive virtue.

Envy, like all sins, is erosive and entropic. It is the manifest rage of discontentment and bitterness. Envy never aspires; it always detracts. It lacks a true ambition to build and instead seeks to tear down what others possess.

The politics of envy thrives on discontent. Its proponents speak of justice and empathy, yet they weaponize these terms to justify theft, destruction, and the consolidation of power. The ultimate beneficiaries are the very leaders who propagate this ideology, enriching themselves while leaving those they claim to champion impoverished.

Consider the revolutionary ideologies of today: socialism politicizes the envy of wealth; feminism, the envy of patriarchy; transgenderism, the envy of sexual distinction; Critical Race Theory, the envy of skin color; secularism, the envy of Christian influence; globalism, the envy of national sovereignty; and postmodernism, the envy of truth itself. These movements are not driven by the pursuit of higher ideals but by envy, tearing down rather than building up. It might not be obvious, but even atheism, which opened the door for many of these ideas, is essentially the politicized envy of deity. Whenever man has sought to hold the reigns of divine sovereignty, he brings himself and the world to ruin; his envy crippling his capacity to live as he was created to.

Envy, like all sins, is erosive and entropic. It is the manifest rage of discontentment and bitterness. Envy never aspires; it always detracts. It lacks a true ambition to build and instead seeks to tear down what others possess. It demonizes disparity and justifies theft as a means of retribution. It uses disarming words like “justice” and “empathy” and, in doing so, seeks to convince people that its cause is noble and virtuous. Envy is fundamentally fruitless–an attempt at establishing an encroaching culture of death.

Opposing this politicized envy is fraught with risk. Dissenters are branded as bigots, subjected to public shaming designed to crush opposition. Yet Christianity, more than any other belief system, stands firm against these revolutionary ideologies, making it the primary target of revolutionary activism and policy. As Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci noted, socialism seeks to "overwhelm Christianity," infiltrating schools, churches, and the media to transform societal consciousness. Similarly, 19th-century feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton viewed Christianity as the “greatest stumbling block” to women’s emancipation. Christianity is hated by revolutionaries precisely because it stands in the way of man's natural propensity to live by lies and practice evil. 

A pervasive belief has taken hold, convincing many that true liberation lies in emancipation from Biblical virtues rather than in genuine freedom from sin and tyranny. The inability to experience true freedom stems from a lack of reverence for God and a disregard for His commandments. In this exchange, truth has been traded for falsehood, beauty for utilitarianism, and goodness for the glorification of evil. This idolatry has permeated society, fostering widespread destruction and despondency. Without the fear of God, authentic freedom will remain forever out of reach.

True freedom is realized within the boundaries of God’s holy Law. Contrary to popular belief, God’s law does not restrict freedom; rather, it enables it. The only thing God's law forbids is sin, which undermines human joy and true freedom.

True freedom and fruitfulness are found solely in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who liberates humanity from the bondage of sin. Freedom is not the license to pursue every whim but the ability to fulfill the purpose for which humanity was created and commissioned by God. True freedom is realized within the boundaries of God’s holy Law. Contrary to popular belief, God’s law does not restrict freedom; rather, it enables it. The only thing God's law forbids is sin, which undermines human joy and true freedom.

Christianity stands as the greatest challenge to the politics of envy. Rather than inciting revolution, it advocates for reform and promotes virtues such as faith, hope, gratitude, joy, love, personal responsibility, self-discipline, and stewardship.

The Christian who is joyful, hopeful, fruitful, familial, hardworking, knowledgeable, discerning, responsible, and virtuous is a righteous nuisance to envious revolutionaries. This kind of person is difficult to manipulate or control. They question false narratives because they are firmly anchored in a grander, true narrative. They are not ruled by fear and willingly count the cost of their fidelity. These are free men and women who cannot be bought and will not cower in the face of adversity. They speak the truth with courage and conviction. They produce more than they consume. They assume personal ownership and responsibility for themselves, their communities, and their property. They understand true justice and are not swayed by emotional manipulation. Living with sincere gratitude for God’s benevolence, they cultivate a culture of thanksgiving. They are governed by the politics of freedom, joy, and fruitfulness—principles rooted in the worship of Jesus Christ, the King of kings. In a world dominated by the politics of envy, we need free men and women who delight in virtue and possess the ability to think, fight, and build. This is the kind of person we aim to cultivate at New Saint Andrews College.