“Like all deserters, Peter demonstrates the sincerity of his conversion by blaming his old friends” (Girard, The Scapegoat, p. 156).
Overcoming the Onto-Polis
Peter Leithart has pointed out the need for another Christendom. I agree with him completely. This is over against the modernity project, which wants to manage everything on secularist assumptions — in science, law, art, politics, academia, custom, and so on. With regard to human society, the structures of modernity run all the way up, …
A Hermeneutic of Hot and Sticky Things
I want to play for a moment with a distinction that Merold Westphal makes, but without saying anything one way or another about what Westphal is doing with it. If a metanarrative is a philosophically-derived account of Enlightenment hubris that is calculated to justify that hubris, then that would be bad. With that stipulated definition, …
God of all Light
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! God of all gods, King of the heavens, we worship You now in the Spirit You have sent, and in the name of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. You have spoken Your Word into this dark world so that we would …
Jesus Is Lord. No, Really.
We are gathered here as the people of God, summoned to be citizens of new polis, a new city, a new kingdom. This kingdom is not intended to function as a sort of shadow government until the end of the world, constantly out of touch, constantly impotent. No, this kingdom was designed to grow and …
Still Being Broken
We are here sitting down with Jesus Christ, and we are doing so in His kingdom. He is Messiah the Prince, and all authority has been bestowed on Him. From the River to the ends of the earth, He is the Lord. From the east to the west, He is the king over all of …
My Own Personal Hermeneutic of Suspicion
In Overcoming Onto-Theology, Merold Westphal begins by urging a hermeneutic of suspicion. To which I cheerfully reply, “Okay! When can we start?” In this book he is addressing his postmodern friends who don’t share his faith, and his Christian friends who “are allergic or even a bit apoplectic when it comes to postmodern philosophy” (p. …
Outside My Heart?
Peter Leithart meant to be provocative in his Against Christianity, but the provocation is the “make you think” kind, and not the bomb-throwing kind. But when you tease out the ramifications of what he is saying, what you have on paper sure looks like it ought to be the bomb-throwing kind, but it still isn’t. …
When Bread Goes Odd
We had some short showings of original films at Trinity Fest, but I was occupied with things and stuff and didn’t get to them. But afterwards, when I had a moment to breathe, I went down to Canon and got a copy of Sourdoughs by Doug Jones, and watched it at home. It was just …
Blessed Meat and Wine
Gracious Father and God, we rejoice before You now, and look to You to continue to pour out Your grace and mercy upon us. We are glad that You have given us this food, and we thank You for the hands that prepared it all. We ask You to bless the meat and the wine, …