Robert Jenson addresses this perennial question (Systematic Theology, 1.228-9) in a characteristically Jensonian fashion, by reminding us of the dynamics of discourse: “In all true mutual discourse . . . each must be both subject for and object of the other. As I am present to address you, I am a subject and you are my object. But if this is not reciprocal, if I evade being your object and so frustrate your presence as subject, I enslave you.” The... Read more
Musically, evangelicals are all charismatics now. Read more
Judd Owen’s Religion and the Demise of Liberal Rationalism calls on liberals to pay attention to the foundational issues raised by liberalism’s antifoundational critics. Owen recognizes that liberalism does not propose a “neutral” theory of politics. While political regimes do not take sides in religious disputes, and thus exercise a practical form of neutrality, liberalism cannot be justified on a “neutral” basis. Rather, liberalism has a theory of man, the state, the good life, and the place of religion in... Read more
Robert Jenson writes: “our enjoyment of God is that we are taken into the triune singing. Perhaps we may say we are allowed to double the parts. And here too we must insist on concreteness. That the proclamation and prayer of the church regularly bursts into beauty, indeed seems to insist on music and choreography and setting, is not an adventitious hankering to decorate. A congregation singing a hymn of praise to the Father is doubling the Son’s praise, and... Read more
John Gray (Liberalisms) argues that the “argument from ignorance” is at the heart of certain liberal theorizing, that it cannot hold up to scrutiny. Human knowledge is limited, and that puts constraints on political certainty. Besides, it is argued that human knowledge advances best when freedom is maximized. Gray contests the latter claim as it appears in Mill’s On Liberty. Scientific knowledge doesn’t necessarily advance under conditions of “unfettered contestation” (243). Citing Polanyi and Kuhn, he suggests that “the continued... Read more
In his Out of the Wreckage, George Monbiot cites the famous 1968 article of Garrett Hardin on the “Tragedy of the Commons.” In Monbiot’s summary, Hardin argued that “common property will always be destroyed, because the gain that individuals make by over-exploiting it will outweigh the loss they suffer as a result of its over-use.” Consider a herdsman using common land for pasture: “With every cow the man added to his herds, he could gain more than he lost: he... Read more
Heiner Ruschaupt writes: “In Greek society labor was viewed as an inescapable fate imposed by the gods. To be like the gods meant to live free from labor. In the world of the ancient Orient, labor was viewed as a burden, as slave labor for the gods, who therefore were free from labor. The goal was to withdraw from this service, from this labor as far as possible. Labor was a burden without dignity” (quoted in Thomas Schirrmacher, Love Is... Read more
Markus Rathey (Bach’s Major Vocal Works) argues that Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is a love song. Several threads of argument support this conclusion. In composing the Oratorio, Bach recycled music from earlier compositions, including the quasi-operatic Lasst uns sorgen, which renders a myth about Hercules in musical form. Hercules stops at a crossroads, where he is forced to choose between two women, Pleasure and Virtue (like the young man addressed in the book of Proverbs). Pleasure tempts Hercules with a love... Read more
Christianity Today reported this week on a controversy among European Evangelicals about relations with the Roman Catholic Church. Thomas Schirrmacher and Thomas K. Johnson of the World Evangelical Alliance, responded with a defense of Evangelical collaboration and dialogue with Catholics. Schirrmacher and Johnson note the difference between the Reformation and the present day: “The serious theological problems separating us from the Catholic Church today are different from those faced by the Reformation. For example, Catholic teachings on Mary pose a greater obstacle... Read more
Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy’s *In the Cross of Reality,* the first volume of his *Sociology*: “Rene Descartes’ mother died shortly after childbirth. . . . He never found relief from the formal strictness prevalent among grown men, with its presumption of standing by one’s given world. Prematurely, this child had no choice but to take a stand. But where no mother’s lap exists . . . the motherless child must try as calmly and imperturbably as possible to learn to stand” (281-2).... Read more
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