Barth on Infralapsarianism

September 24, 2003 By Peter Leithart

Well, Barth at least agrees that there is a nature/grace dualism implicit in the infralapsarian position. Strikingly, he points to the danger of anthropocentrism in supralapsarianism, arguing that by making the salvation of individual x and the damnation of individual y the primary purpose of the whole show, supras encouraged thoughts of God to immediately collapse into thoughts of man, and of self-interest. Infras avoided this by saying that there is a realm of creation and providence “supposedly independent” from... Read more

Barth and Berkhouwer on Election

September 24, 2003 By Peter Leithart

I’m poring over Barth and Berkhouwer on decrees and election, and seem to be making some progress. Try this: The doctrine of the decree is not merely that everything is predetermined. When the decree is formulated this way, it is hard to distinguish from determinism, and the decree has very little to do with the gospel. The gospel, in this formulation, is set against the backdrop of the decree. But election is not itself good news. It’s just what is... Read more

Every Tree

September 24, 2003 By Peter Leithart

Every tree That sheds autumnal glory In hope of spring Reveals The eternal life Of God Read more

Judas and Election in John’s Gospel

September 24, 2003 By Peter Leithart

Odd thing: John’s gospel has more references to God’s will and choice and election than any other gospel. But in two cases, Jesus insists that He chose the disciples in the context of talking about Judas. John 6:70: “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” And 13:18: “I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats my bread has lifted up... Read more

Judas and Election in John’s Gospel

September 24, 2003 By Peter Leithart

Sermon Outline, September 28

September 24, 2003 By Peter Leithart

Sermon outline for September 28: Luke 8:1-56 INTRODUCTION Luke likes to organize his gospel into triads. In chapter 7, there were a series of triadic patterns: Jesus asks three times “What did you go into the wilderness to see?” (vv. 24-26), the sinful woman does threefold homage to Jesus (washing, kissing, and anointing His feet, v. 38), making up for the triple insult of Simon’s inhospitality (vv. 44-46). Chapter 8 as a whole is organized in threes. Jesus speaks about... Read more

More Derrida

September 24, 2003 By Peter Leithart

From Derrida, still talking about the analogy of father-son and origin-speech: the father is not the generator or procreator in any “real” sense prior to or outside all relation to language. In what way, indeed, is the father/son relation distinguishable from a mere cause/effect or generator/engendered relation, if not by the instance of logos? Only a power of speech can have a father. The father is always father to a speaking/living being. In other words, it is precisely logos that... Read more

Derrida, Hesiod, Fathers, and Sons

September 24, 2003 By Peter Leithart

Back to thinking about Derrida, Hesiod, fathers, and sons. If the origin of speech is, as Derrida says, the “father” of the discourse, then the opposing myths of father-son (i.e., Hesiod and the gospel) are also opposing theories of signification and language. Derrida is of Hesiod’s tribe, who believes that the son murders the father, indeed is fated to. But there is an alternative father-son myth, an alternative theory of signification: That the Son reveals the Father fully, because He... Read more

Smith on Pickstock

September 24, 2003 By Peter Leithart

James Smith of Calvin College has an important analysis of Catherine Pickstock’s attempt to conflate Christian incarnation and Platonic participation in his book, Speech and Theology (in the Radical Orthodoxy series). He admits that participation can affirm the material and bodily as instruments for the soul’s salvation, but questions whether Pickstock has done justice to the fact that, for Plato, embodiment is the result of a “fall.” As he says, “On a radically incarnational or creational register, the material does... Read more

Sullivan and Reagan

September 23, 2003 By Peter Leithart

On his website, Andrew Sullivan quotes the following statement from the recently published letters of Ronald Reagan: I guess what I am trying to say is that I oppose the dogmas of some organized religions who accept marital relationship only as a “‘tolerated” sin for the purpose of conceiving children and who believe all children to be born in sin. My personal belief is that God couldn’t create evil so the desires he planted in us are good and the... Read more