Selfish individualism or Christian principle? A critique of Margaret Thatcher's idea of individual liberty with reference to Methodism.

Maidment, R. J. 2017. Selfish individualism or Christian principle? A critique of Margaret Thatcher's idea of individual liberty with reference to Methodism. Global Journal of Classical Theology 14 (2) , pp. 1-33. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Much has been written about Margaret Thatcher’s premiership and her political ideas, including individual liberty. There has also been some consideration of whether or not her political thinking was influenced by her Christian faith. In recent academic research, this claim has been scrutinised. Notably, Eliza Filby (King’s College, London) has offered an historian’s critique of the way Thatcher invoked Christianity, in the context of the apparent secularisation of British society in the 1980s. Filby argues that whilst Thatcher’s critics correctly claim that her belief in the liberty of the individual created a more secular society, this was never Thatcher’s intention. This essay offers a theological critique of Thatcher’s idea of individual liberty, which has been criticised as mere ‘selfish individualism,’ but which Thatcher herself claimed to be a Christian principle. It presents a full account of Thatcher’s idea, how she connected it with Christianity, and the extent to which it can be legitimately claim to be a product of her own ‘Nonconformist’ tradition. Special attention is given to the theological tradition of Methodism in which Thatcher was raised.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BR Christianity J Political Science > JC Political theory
ISSN:	1521-6055
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	27 April 2020
Last Modified:	19 Nov 2023 12:22
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/131222

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