“Luther, in one of his epistles, said that there was no wickedness, no cruelty, that Zwingli did not charge him with. And in another epistle he complained that Carlstadtius was more malicious against him than ever any of his enemies had been. And as for Oecolampadius, Luther was so provoked against him that he called …
Walking On a Different Sunny Side
“They will be on the sunny side wheresoever it is. Cunning heads and corrupt hearts will serve their own turns by all varieties of times. If they were in Diocletian’s time, they could be pagans; if in Constantine’s, Christians; if in Constantius’s, Arians; if in Julian’s, apostates; if in Jovian’s Christians again, and this within …
Why Isn’t It Peaceful, Like Before?
“If the devil is put into a rage now more than before, it is a sign that he is more opposed than he was before. he possessed all in quiet before, but now his kingdom begins to shake” (Burroughs, Irenicum, pp. 328-329).
Scandals are Interchangeable
One of Girard’s conversation partners (Jean-Michel Oughourlian) says that it “is obvious that bringing to light the founding murder completely rules out any compromise with the principle of sacrifice” (Reader, p. 179). Well, no. Our task here is to point to some of the reasons why Girard falls into this either/or trap. “That is indeed …
A Certain Logic Undeterred
“We beat our brethren till they cry, and then we beat them because they cry” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 319).
The Hand of the Lord On Presbyterians
“Isaiah 9:21: ‘Manasseh against Ephraim, and Ephraim against Manasseh, and they together against Judah. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.’ When we are thus one against another, the anger of the God is not turned away from us, and we may fear His hand will …
Not the Right Color
“To father our wicked divisions upon religion is no other than to bring down the Holy Ghost in the likeness of a dove to be like a vulture or a raven” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 313).
Don’t Give the Agenda to Quarrelers
“Our case would be miserable if we were at the mercy of every quarreler, bound to answer whatsoever he please to put forth. But let us tend to our work” (Burroughs, Irenicum, p. 309).
Rene Girard and N.T. Wright
Those with a conservative background who start reading Girard are struck by how much he “gives away” with regard to the integrity of the scriptural text. That is fine—we ought to notice it. At the same time, it would be a very great mistake to identify him as some kind of liberal. Once you get …
The Scapegoat
The first thing we must do is distinguish the scapegoat of Leviticus, and a coinage of William Tyndale, from the scapegoat of popular usage. Girard has something to say of the former, of course, but his focus is on the latter. He spends a good bit of time defending his approach against those academic skeptics …