Immigration and Statism

Last updated on: July 31, 2015 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

During the gold rush of 1848, Chinese immigrants began to move into the United States in large numbers, especially in California. Between 1850 and 1882, a quarter-million immigrated, many of them working on railroads and mines, in dangerous working conditions, with little pay and few tools. During the 1860s and 1870s, various forces converged against the Chinese workers. Labor leaders objected when Chinese were brought in to break strikes, and as unemployment rose the Chinese were seized on as a... Read more

In the City

Last updated on: July 31, 2015 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

In John’s final vision (Revelation 21:9-22:5), new Jerusalem descends from heaven as a bride. Her jasper walls sparkle, the city itself is transparent gold, the foundation stones are precious gems. She is, in sum, a rich city. Within Jerusalem, there is constant light. The glory of the nations comes into the city, and everything abominable is kept out. From God’s throne flows the water of life, and beside the river is the tree of life with fruit for food and... Read more

Keeping Time, Keeping Together

Last updated on: July 30, 2015 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

William H. McNeill’s Keeping Together in Time explores the role of “emotional bonding through rhythmic muscular movement” in history (52). The significance of the phenomenon occurred to him during military training in 1941: “A sense of pervasive movement in unison is what I recall; more specifically, strange sense of personal enlargement; a sort of swelling out, becoming bigger than life, thanks to participation in collective ritual” (2). It was not only the military that used these techniques: McNeill writes that marginalized persons “often responded... Read more

Musical Bridges

Last updated on: July 30, 2015 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

In an essay on “barriers and bridges” in American religion, Stephen Warner emphasizes the role of music in building bridges, forging solidarity without requiring assent to a common set of propositions. He offers a florilegium of quotations from various scholars: “At an emotional level, there is something ‘deeper’ about hearing than seeing; and something about hearing other people which fosters human relationships even more than seeing them.” “Hymns are not sets of words on a page but events.” Music is... Read more

Show & Tell

Last updated on: July 30, 2015 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

The verb “show” (deiknuo) occurs eight times in Revelation, and the eight uses fall into a neat pattern. Twice at the beginning (1:1; 4:1) and twice at the end (22:6, 8), the verb is used with a generic object. God shows “things which must shortly take place” (1:1; 22:6), “what must take place after these things” (4:1), and “these things” (22:8). The book is framed by this fourfold indication of purpose. The four uses of the verb within this frame... Read more

Overlapping Structures in Revelation 21-22

Last updated on: July 30, 2015 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

James Jordan has suggested that the vision of new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9-22:5) is arranged as a chiastic recasting of the creation week: A. Day 1: Light in the city, 21:10-11 B. Day 2: Boundaries and measurements of the city, 21:12-17 C. Day 3: Materials of the city, 21:18-21 D. Day 4: Sun and moon of city, 21:22-23 C’. Day 5: Swarms of kings into city, 21:24-27 B’. Day 6: Garden, 22:1-2 A’. Day 7: Throne and light, 22:3-5 Each “half”... Read more

Unmixed America

Last updated on: July 29, 2015 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

Stephen Warner argues that in analyzing American religion and culture, we need to go beyond the contrast of assimilation v. multiculturalism, and beyond the simple opposition of the “culture war.” He suggests that the category of mestizaje, mixing, is more fruitful. In particular, he briefly explores the historical reasons why the United States sees so little of it. Warner writes, “US society and its culture have changed greatly over our history, but we have not wanted to admit it. From... Read more

Niebuhr and Mission to the Jews

Last updated on: July 29, 2015 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

John Cuddihy (No Offense, 31-43) gives an illuminating and damning analysis of Reinhold Niebuhr’s transformation from the son of a Missouri Lutheran pastor to the famous urbane public theologian. For Cuddihy, the interest of the account is not merely in Niebuhr’s own transformation but in the way his experience illustrates the ways that American civil religion, with its demand for civility, pressures and transforms traditional “incivil” religions. Cuddihy traces Niebuhr’s early involvements in race issues in Detroit, when he shared... Read more

Seven Heads

Last updated on: July 29, 2015 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

In a 2007 Bibliotheca Sacra article, Mark Hitchcock examines various theories about the identity of the seven heads of the beast in Revelation 17:9-11. It’s been proposed that the number seven is purely symbolic of fulness, and that the heads are not to be identified with any historical characters. Hitchcock’s critique hit the nail squarely: “the problem with the symbolic interpretation in this text is that the symbol has no concrete, meaningful referent. If all the text means is that the... Read more

End of the End

Last updated on: July 29, 2015 at 12:00 am By Peter Leithart

The final chapter of the Bible (Revelation 22:6-21) is a rapid series of speeches and dialogues, structured in fourfold parallelism. Each new section introduces a new speaker or speech with some form of “he said.” The speakers move from an angel to Jesus to the Spirit and bride. The chapter can be outlined as follows: A. He said, these words are faithful and true, 22:6. B. I am coming quickly, 22:7a. C. Blessing, 22:7b. D. “I John” saw and worshiped... Read more