Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84Plough Quarterly • Winter 2017 79 the deregulation of our markets. The task of renewing society lies with ordinary believers who can provide that missing moral regula- tion. They should dare to disapprove. Reno therefore calls for “judgmentalism,” by which he means “the courage to speak forthrightly about right and wrong.” At the heart of that moralism must lie a Christian understand- ing of freedom. As Eliot noted, Christians must use Christian principles to structure their thought and action. Christians must understand freedom not as the ability to do whatever we want and to define ourselves however we will, but as the flourishing that comes from obeying the law of God. It is in serving God that we are freed from the captivity of our own desires. It is in dying to ourselves that we find life. This kind of freedom is not sought alone. It is found in, and strengthens, the community we need in order to have rich, meaningful lives. That kind of social solidarity should come through subsidiarity, Reno argues, the idea that social action should take place at the appropriate level of society. The state should not seek to replace churches, clubs, businesses, and families in their important social roles. Subsidiarity promotes human dignity, he argues, “because it encourages a thick local culture that encourages our free, responsible participation.” And the institutions most important and in greatest need of strengthen- ing are churches and families. Even though American society may be more unabashedly secular than Eliot’s Britain was, Reno sees post- Christian America as dissatisfied with its mores. Rich or poor, we all want decency and dignity, and to give ourselves in love to our spouse, our loved ones, and God. The time is ripe to propose the truths of our faith again. Twenty-five percent of Americans attend church weekly, a number that has remained the same for decades. This is the committed core from which Reno thinks we can begin our rebuild- ing efforts, the community of Christians that can leaven our society. The numbers may be smaller in Europe, but the hunger for renewal is no less real. Perhaps most importantly, Eliot reminds us that we cannot build Christian societies by sacrificing Christian principles to elect unchristian politicians. Nor can we pursue a Christian society without remembering that we ourselves need to be reformed. Rather, “only in humility, charity, and purity – and most of all perhaps humility – can we be prepared to receive the grace of God without which human operations are vain.”   Piet Mondrian, Sun, Church in Zeeland Image from the Tate Modern Art Gallery, London