Posts
In the last several days, about a dozen new people began to follow this blog. Plus, I added a new “follow by email” feature (on the right-hand column), so maybe more. I don’t recall ever having so many new followers at one time. I believe it is safe to assume it is because I was introduced to a new audience:
One of the more reliable Internet blogs that I read is Bionic Mosquito.
Pastor Baldwin followed this with a long cite from my recent post, The Sons of Disobedience. His post is entitled All Humanity Is Under Siege, and it is worth a read as he adds meaningful meat to what I had written.
But my purpose is not to review his post. It is to welcome those of you who have joined recently. I feel it important to provide a short summary of my purpose and journey with this blog.
I began writing at this blog more than ten years ago. When I began, it was primarily an exploration of libertarian theory. This eventually evolved into a search for liberty – which, I came to conclude was a different thing than purifying libertarian theory.
To make a long story short: if one is after liberty, the thin non-aggression principle is not sufficient. A common culture is necessary, as this reduces the possibility of conflict. Further, a specific common culture – one grounded on Christian ethic and natural law – is necessary as a foundation for liberty. This path, what I called The Search for Liberty, can be traced here. A longer examination of this portion of the journey is offered here.
All of this has led me to examine much about Christianity. But I try to avoid, or at least minimize, any doctrinal confrontation or debate. Those who regularly provide comments here (from whom I have learned much) respect my desire on this: Christians have been debating such issues for 2,000 years – men more knowledgeable than any of us. We need not pull ourselves apart over these issues – especially not today, not in the battle we are facing.
My purpose is to examine where and how Christianity influenced the liberty found in the West – which also was the most complete liberty in the world.
You will find in this regard that I am very ecumenical. I really try to take the approach of the hallway (or entryway) from Mere Christianity by CS Lewis: there are a small handful of things we need to agree on; after this, find the room that best fits you.
I value the Scriptural teaching found in many Protestant Churches; I value the cultural history and natural law ethic of the Catholic tradition; I value the beautiful and meaningful worship in the Orthodox Church.
And I value exploring all of these for my purpose: where, how, in what manner, did Christian history and a Christian ethic move us toward the liberty we once enjoyed. And, what is necessary if we are to move again toward that liberty.
If you look at the bibliography tab, you will find I have examined books by Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox writers (and countless other books on history, political philosophy, etc.). I am currently in the middle of a series examining a book by GK Chesterton (who, I believe, needs no introduction), and John Strickland, an Orthodox theologian who is examining the entirety of Christendom, 2,000 years covering East and West.
I will often cite Scripture; I will also go for some time without doing so. I will just as often cite lyrics, usually from Rush or Dream Theater – two progressive rock bands of which I am rather fond.
I tell you all of this so you won’t be surprised: not everything I write would pass for an amateur sermon or homily. Regarding The Sons of Disobedience, I came across a verse that prompted the entire thought of the subsequent post. Sometimes God moves me in such ways.
Anyway, I thought to put this out just for a short summary of the journey I am on.
In Islamic theology, and based on a prophetic Tradition, dissent among scholars is a mercy from God.
ReplyDeleteToday, I was reading an article by George Will and found an interesting line, which when I did a search on, came up with this expanded source which I quote below, from a book by Adrian Wooldridge:
Where Weber erred was to claim exclusive powers for Protestantism: Martin Luther's greatest contribution to the creation of the modern world was not so much Protestantism as competition. By breaking the Catholic Church’s monopoly of faith, the Reformation forced priests of all denominations to improve their performance or lose their market share. The Jesuits, who operated as the shock troops of the Counter-Reformation, recognized that the best weapons against educated Protestants were educated Catholics. They invented the most efficient system of teacher training the world has seen, starting with exhaustive self-education (you can't be a great teacher without being well educated yourself) and involving systematic winnowing of the unfit at every stage of a long apprenticeship. The Jesuits worked hard to find bright children in every corner of society on the grounds that the rich did not have a monopoly of intellectual talent. They developed a curriculum that focused as much on secular subjects as on theology on the grounds that God’s wisdom was scattered around the universe rather than contained in a single text. Novices started off by learning Latin and Greek grammar, spent a couple of years studying the great works of classical poetry, history and, most importantly, rhetoric; then they spent three years studying philosophy, beginning with logic and moving on to Aristotle, mathematics and philosophy; and finally they spent four years studying theology. Their pupils included a striking proportion of the intellectual elite of the Early Modern era, from fierce critics of the Church such as Descartes and Voltaire to brilliant defenders such as Matteo Ricci.
Sadly, the Jesuits have gone off the rails. Jesuit universities, at least in the US, are as culturally destructive as any elite Ivy League school.
DeleteI always thought of you having thousands of followers, BM. Maybe everyone is like me and never noticed the follow button. I will click it now and see what happens : )
ReplyDeleteJeff, with my pace of 2-4 posts per week, I average, perhaps, a thousand page-views a day - for whatever that's worth. Still not a large number, but large numbers have never been my objective here.
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