Dr Richard Beck joins Stephen Backhouse to help launch his latest publication "Black Magic in White Houses". Politics is not called the ‘dark arts’ for nothing. Wherever one finds groups and individuals intent on forcing their agenda through the system, silencing their opponents, or decimating their foes with lethal violence, one finds shades of black magic. The essay is about the way we all imagine this sort of power in our churches, corporations and countries whether we mean to or not. It is published as a YoHo Journal, and it was they who sponsored the event and kindly let us release this recording. As befitting a bunch of theology pirates, there is a language warning!
Magical thinking has not disappeared from the modern political imagination. Politics is not called the ‘dark arts’ for nothing. Wherever one finds groups and individuals intent on forcing their agenda through the system, silencing their opponents, or decimating their foes with lethal violence, one finds shades of black magic. In service of getting what they want, who among us is not averse to manipulating boardroom membership, stacking church, charity or community organisations with the ‘right’ people, participating in party putsches or enacting ideology purges? Who has not abrogated their responsibility, their voice, their resources or their moral conscience to some promising leader striding across a flag strewn stage, accepting worship and offering the world? Richard Beck joins Stephen Backhouse and guests to talk about the launch of Stephen's new YoHo Journal "Black Magic in White Houses". As befitting a bunch of theology pirates, there is a language warning!
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More from Richard Beck HERE. More about the Yoho Journals and Unfiold Media HERE.
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