In their book, Nation of Rebels , Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter explain why the Marxian critique of the consumer society as a product of “generalized overproduction” doesn’t work: “There is no such thing as generalized overproduction. Never was, never has been.” More fully, “The problem with Marx’s theory is that it ignores the fact that a market economy is fundamentally a system of exchange. Although we sell goods in return for money, the money itself is not consumed; we... Read more
The folks at First Things have posted a Pentecost meditation of mine on their web site: http://www.firstthings.com. Read more
An article by Orthodox theology George Florovsky summarizes some of the history of the discussion of the motive of the incarnation in Western theology: “Rupert of Deutz (d. 1135) seems to be the first among the medieval theologians who formally raised the question of the motive of the Incarnation, and his contention was that the Incarnation belonged to the original design of Creation and was therefore independent of the Fall. Incarnation was, in his interpretation, the consummation of the original... Read more
In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on... Read more
Perhaps a history of modern aesthetic sensibilities could be written as a history of water. Consider: The shimmering liquity of some Romantic music (eg, Tchaikovsky), the muted submergence of Debussey, Monet’s obsession with the play of light on water. Or maybe romanticism as inspired by a lunar aesthetics. Or maybe both, moon and water together. Read more
Brendan O’Donnell’s Rain from a Rainless Sky (Bright Rock Press, 2006) is a theological meditation on sagebrush. Writing in understated prose as stark as the landscapes where sagebrush thrives, O’Donnell weaves together a biblical theology of trees and weeds, reflections on Gene Robinson and Peter Akinola, and a travelogue of Eastern Washington from the Palouse to the Yakima Valley into a unique work of “theological botany.” There is real botany too, of the amateur naturalist variety that once thrived. O’Donnell... Read more
The first rule of Adcult, Twitchell says, is “Speech is never free.” For example: “In 1986 the [ Reader’s ] Digest turned town an advertising supplement on heart disease and cigarette smoking prepared by the American Heart Association.” The Digest had never printed cigarette ads, but they turned down the supplement because “The RJR Nabisco and Philip Morris companies not only make cigarettes, they also package food stuffs through their Del Monte, Nabisco, General Foods, and Kraft subsidiaries. Those foodstuffs... Read more
In his highly entertaining history of American Advertising ( Adcult USA ) James Twitchell summarizes the dubious contribution of James Vicary to our understanding of subliminal advertising. Vicary claimed that by inserting subliminal messages to “Eat Popcorn” and “Drink Coke,” he had caused movie audiences to increase popcorn consumption by 57.5% and Coca-cola sales by 18.1%. Vicary never divulged how his experiments were controlled, or where he conducted them. Twitchell says he made them up. In January 1958, Vicary flashed... Read more
During the period of the old covenant, God hid things. He hid some things inside the Most Holy Place, where no one could go. He also hid His plans from his people. He had a secret, which was disclosed, and then only in part, to certain “cognoscenti” – prophets and apostles. The gospel opens the veil, and makes the secret known. In Christ, we know what God’s plan is. He opens Himself and His purposes to us without veiling, without... Read more
Extending James Jordan’s observations, posted here earlier today: When Paul talks about the “mystery” revealed in the gospel in Ephesians, he does not confine it to the redemption of sinners from sin. The secret/mystery that had been hidden is about the “summing up of all things in Christ” (1:10) and the inclusion of Gentiles as “fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, fellow partakers of the promise” (3:6). Jesus does indeed redeem through His blood by which we are... Read more
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