Political Theology
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We Cannot Live Without Sunday: When Can the Church Tell the State, No?
What follows are some thoughts about the extent and limits of the church’s obligation to obey the civil authorities. This is particularly relevant to the recent closing of hundreds of churches in Rwanda by the Kagame regime.[1] Nevertheless, I would not begin to presume to offer any admonition or advice to Rwandan believers in general…
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National Apostasy: What does Keble’s Assize Sermon Teach Us Almost 200 years later?
“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against you; but I will teach you good and the right way.” – 1 Samuel 12:23 “For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, And those nations shall be utterly ruined.” – Isaiah 60:12 Intro Almost 200 years…
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Calvin’s Political Theology Revisited
What does it look like when a defender of pluralistic liberalism critiques Christian nationalism (i.e., Christendom) without resorting to charges of racism, kinism, and so forth? Sober criticism of this sort has been scarce in the year since Stephen Wolfe’s book on Christian nationalism was published. As it so happens, though, an attempt at serious…
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Give the King Thy Judgments, O LORD (Part II)
In the previous post, we looked at the context in which Constantine ruled by highlighting the significant events of his rise and reign. Constantine’s Reforms Having set out the events that shaped Constantine’s historical context, the reforms and policies of his reign must be considered in this light. First, Constantine made reforms in the law…
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Give the King Thy Judgments, O LORD (Part I)
Constantine, Augustine, and the Legacy of Western Christendom The streets of Rome thronged with celebrants awaiting the advent of the victorious new emperor. Though it was typical for emperors or kings upon their ascension to be contrasted with their predecessors and praised as the ushers of a new era of peace and prosperity, on this…
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Kinism and Wolfe’s Case for Christian Nationalism
When my review of Stephen Wolfe’s The Case for Christian Nationalism was published, Fr. Ben Jefferies—a former member of the Liturgy Task Force of the Anglican Church in North America, and a once frequent contributor to The North American Anglican who cut ties after my review was not retracted—posted a comment calling both the book…
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The Future of Anglican Political Theology
Political theology is the order of the day, and my, does it make people emotional. Different tribes of Protestants denounce each other for being un-American, or theocratic, or giving away the gospel in search of power. The war is not even between denominations; even within Calvinist churches and their Baptist adjutants in the United States,…
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Civics, Civility, and the Church
Editor’s note: this essay is based on a homily for Independence Day preached by the author at All Saints Anglican Church in San Antonio TX, a parish that uses the American 1928 Book of Common Prayer The role of individual Christians and of the Church in civil and political life is often a matter of…
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The Reformers on Civil Government
Legitimate discourse on the role of the civil magistrate in modern life is range bound between classical liberalism on the political right and progressive liberalism on the political left. The two sides of the liberal coin hold to different perspectives on the role of government in society but share a common telos in what they…
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Canon Law and the Ecclesiastical Leviathan
In his classic 1987 book Crisis and Leviathan, economic historian Robert Higgs convincingly argued that the vast growth in the size and scope of the American government over the course of the twentieth century was due primarily to government actions taken in response to national emergencies. Higgs identifies critical events such as the Great Depression,…