Baptism and Citizenship, III

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 10:47 pm By Peter Leithart

One final quotation: “The creation of a plural system of Churches with their separate baptisms (Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist) implied also the emergence of a plural system of civil citizenries or communities. Therefore, in the case of States with multiple confessional communities, new systems had to be devised to test the fealty to the King of his subjects, independently from their faithfulness to one or the other of the new, confessional Churches or denominations. One such system, which overcame confessional pluralism,... Read more

Baptism and Citizenship, II

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 10:47 pm By Peter Leithart

Another quotation from the aforementioned article: “The abolition of compulsory baptism at birth was the most radical kind of sacramental reform ever conceived in the 16th century. In fact, it implied not only separation from the old compulsory Church, but also secession from the State: adult baptism, based on freedom of choice and conscience, brought along with it not only the constitution of a selective church, composed only by the few elected by grace; it also meant separation from the... Read more

Baptism and citizenship

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 10:47 pm By Peter Leithart

In an article in Religion and Philosophy , Elena Brambilla and Joaquim Carvalho discuss the connections between baptism and citizenship under the ancien regime. They begin by distinguishing two levels of citizenship: “It is therefore essential to consider, as a preliminary step, and also at the historical level, the distinction between civil rights (meaning negative or human rights) and political rights. Until the end of the Ancien Régime ‘political rights’ were very exclusive, and were defined by the secular Commune,... Read more

Auden on tragedy

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 10:46 pm By Peter Leithart

Auden distinguished Christian and pagan tragedy: “Greek tragedy is the tragedy of necessity, i.e., the felling aroused in the spectators is ‘What a pity it had to be this way’: Christian tragedy is the tragedy of possibility, ‘What a pity it was this way when it might have been otherwise.’” Read more

Jewishness of John

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 11:45 pm By Peter Leithart

Critics of John’s gospel commonly claim that it is closer to something from the Orphic mysteries than from Judaism. One wonders if these critics have ever read the gospel, which mentions the Jews over sixty times, shows Jesus attending all manner of Jewish feasts, focuses its attention on the conflicts of Jesus and the Jews. Far from being the “spiritual” gospel it’s been purported to be since Clement, it is far and away the most contentious gospel of the four.... Read more

Predestination and Logic

Last updated on: September 7, 2017 at 12:04 am By Peter Leithart

Rosenstock-Huessy does not especially like Calvin’s doctrine of double predestination, but at the same time he argues that the doctrine preserves necessary within Calvin’s theology. (This from an essay entitled “Generations of Faith,” in Volume 1 of his Collected Papers.) His discussion begins with the claim that “our school children all learn the wrong logic.” Logic is concerned with human interaction with the Logos, and so “a complete logic would be the whole life of the logos, of God’s dialogue... Read more

Sermon Notes, Second Sunday of Lent

Last updated on: September 7, 2017 at 12:02 am By Peter Leithart

INTRODUCTION This week, we start a brief topical series on the family. This being Lent, we want to look at family life from the perspective of the cross. THE TEXT “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church . . . .” (Ephesians 5:22-6:4). (more…) Read more

Sermon Outline, Second Sunday of Lent

Last updated on: September 7, 2017 at 12:01 am By Peter Leithart

Eucharistic meditation, First Sunday of Lent

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 11:39 pm By Peter Leithart

3 John 5-6: Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they bear witness to your love before the church; and you will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. The conflict between Gaius and Diotrephes was many-sided. It was a conflict between submission to the apostles and defiance of the apostles. It was a conflict between humility and pride, between service... Read more

Baptismal meditation

Last updated on: September 6, 2017 at 10:47 pm By Peter Leithart

3 John 2, 11: Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. 3 John 2 has been an important verse in the history of modern American Christianity. It was the verse that young Oral Roberts suddenly discovered one morning as... Read more