
I want to share a bit about my motivation for writing Thy King Dumb Come. Gulliver’s Travels has always been one of my favorite books. I am proud of my Irish heritage, and Jonathan Swift was an Irish author who used Gulliver’s Travels to critique the British monarchy. So when I found myself wanting to critique Republican social and political hypocrisy in the era of Donald Trump, I thought of using a similar rhetorical construction.
I was especially interested in pointing out how Christians have been deceived into supporting Republican candidates even though the policies and behaviors of prominent Republicans like Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump are completely inconsistent with a Christian life.
The challenge was bringing this all together in a coherent narrative. I was just finishing a masters degree, and so it was natural to start with a simple description of my fatigue at the end of a day of studying. My dog, Peanut, had just died, and I really have a picture of him holding his favorite toy, much like the first sketch in the book. And one of my favorite philosophers, Socrates, was tried and executed for pointing out the injustice of his Athenian society. So I hit on the idea of bringing all this together in a Gulliver-esque tale. This approach also opened up the possibility of expressing my Christian faith (as given me by my mother) by incorporating Jesus as one of my guides in a journey through Green Valley.
All in, writing the book was a labor of love. I hope you enjoy reading it. Even if you disagree with my political views, I hope you think about how hard it is to reconcile ethical theory with the behavior we accept from the political leaders we elect.
I was especially interested in pointing out how Christians have been deceived into supporting Republican candidates even though the policies and behaviors of prominent Republicans like Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump are completely inconsistent with a Christian life.
The challenge was bringing this all together in a coherent narrative. I was just finishing a masters degree, and so it was natural to start with a simple description of my fatigue at the end of a day of studying. My dog, Peanut, had just died, and I really have a picture of him holding his favorite toy, much like the first sketch in the book. And one of my favorite philosophers, Socrates, was tried and executed for pointing out the injustice of his Athenian society. So I hit on the idea of bringing all this together in a Gulliver-esque tale. This approach also opened up the possibility of expressing my Christian faith (as given me by my mother) by incorporating Jesus as one of my guides in a journey through Green Valley.
All in, writing the book was a labor of love. I hope you enjoy reading it. Even if you disagree with my political views, I hope you think about how hard it is to reconcile ethical theory with the behavior we accept from the political leaders we elect.