Politics as Discipleship: Guiding Youth Towards the Common Good

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the intersection of faith, youth, and politics, and it argues that Christian discipleship is itself a life of politics, that should have a consequential impact within the public sphere, by virtue of its confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. Through an Augustinian-Thomistic framework of Christian political life, this thesis begins by demonstrating how it is possible for the Christian youth to engage the realm of secular politics. Politics, being a creational good, beckons a life of learning how to live peaceably with other members of our society, as well as pursuing just societal conditions that are more conducive to the flourishing of all. So, to understand how young people are approaching the work of politics, the second and third chapters explore the world of youth and politics. Specifically, the second chapter devotes attention to the anxious politics of Gen Z, and the third chapter examines their entanglements with the elite, or those in power. By setting these chapters against the backdrop of the first, this thesis suggests that, when it comes to youth political engagement, there is much to be admired but also much to be concerned about. Thus, in efforts to provide a path forward, the fourth and final chapter holds out to young Christians a theo-political vision. By exploring the reality of God’s kingdom, that is, this thesis concludes by demonstrating the life of politics that Christ makes possible, and offers a way to imagine what that looks like in their own political engagements moving forward.