Respect and Restraint

Acts 2:41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

It was Peter’s message, given to “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem…”  His message was the Resurrection.   I don’t believe that there is an instance of even Jesus drawing so many at one time; this is the power of the Resurrection.  The entirety of Christianity hinges on this event; it is the one thing on which Christians of all denominations agree.  Unfortunately, there is not much else.

At this blog, I explore topics that underlie liberty – these topics include the culture and tradition of the West – call it Christendom.  I write on these with a focus on how this culture and tradition affected the governance of the time as well as how it was necessary in developing whatever positive aspects we see in liberty.

As regular readers know, I try to stay out of the doctrinal and theological aspects of Christianity, and I encourage those who wish to provide comments to also do the same.  Beyond the Resurrection, things start fraying at the edges – and some of this fraying is rather personal (as it should be) to many. 

Why do I bring this up now, especially when – for the most part – this community has been considerate of my request? 

Rebel in the Ranks: Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the Conflicts That Continue to Shape Our World, by Brad S. Gregory

I have started reading this book.  It is going to be difficult for us to work through it and still stick to my desired ground rules.  But it will be a worthwhile endeavor, I believe.  Many relevant topics can be explored through this book:

·        If the decentralized governance of the medieval period offered reasonably libertarian law, it will be helpful to understand why this crumbled.

·        It is worth understanding the costs and benefits to entrenched power in the face of criticism.

·        In a most divisive circumstance, how effective was the decentralized nature of early sixteenth century Europe?  How beneficial?

·        Was such a division of Christendom inevitable, given the realities of the time?

There will be more.  What I will do my best to stay out of are issues that will drive us to want to defend doctrine and theology; to the extent I introduce any such issues, my intent is to limit these only to where I believe these could be helpful in giving color to the governance issues that are my focus here.

Conclusion

As we work together through this book, whenever you feel your blood boil just remember the Resurrection.