Peter Leithart on Augustine and Secular Order

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Peter Leithart is, to my mind, one of our finest theological thinkers.  In this post, he offers a few brief words on Augustine on the nature of political order.  Leithart is arguing (and believes Augustine argues the same essential way) that the church and civil realms both--in their unique ways--conduct themselves in ways that bring glory and honor to God.  The state is not "secular" while the Church is not.  If "secular" has to do with time and not place (and Leithart follows John Milbank here), and if the secular realm is the pre-eschatological fulfillment realm, then both church and state are "secular" in that they exist in this time, which is a time when the eschatological kingdom has not come in its fullest.

The Intellectual Journey of Joseph Sobran

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When I meet a senior scholar or someone who has been at life for a while, one of the questions I usually get around to asking deals with their reading and own intellectual development.  In particular I usually ask something like, "What did you read that really helped you, or changed you, or marks you?"  Similarly, I am intrigued with a person's intellectual development, and shifts and twists over time.  I am particualarly intrigued when someone's intellectual journey has taken them down a road which will not benefit them in terms of career, financial gain, prestige, etc.  These people are rare.  The academy is filled with sycophants and a variety of persons who spend their time posturing and jockeying for position.  Early on in my own development I stumbled upon Joseph Sobran.  Sobran died in 2010, and I was sad that he had passed.  I discovered a book of his essays, Single Issues: Essays on the Crucial Social Questions, and it galvinized my already fairly-strong pro-life convictions.  Sobran was a major player at National Review until his convictions ran him afoul of William F. Buckley.  This linked essay traces his intellectual development over time, and is fascinating.  Sobran made a big mistake; he read the Constitution and took it seriously. And he was willing to question the orthodoxy of his day.  May his tribe increase.

George Nash and Reappraising the Right

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For those interested in the kind of things I have been posting on lately, another book by George Nash might be of interest.  George Nash has written, Reappraising the Right: The Past and Future of American Conservatism (ISI, 2009).  The book is divided into five sections: (I) Conservatism Reappraised: Traditions, Institutions, Books, People; (II) William F. Buckley, Jr. and the Advent of National Review; (III) Conservatism and the American Jewish Community; (IV) Herbert Hoover: A Neglected Conservative Sage; (V) Whither Conservatism.  These chapters are lectures, speeches, essays, etc. given/written by Nash.  For my conservative friends who think there might be something askew with the "conservatism" of the last twenty years, and for my liberal friends who suspect the various forms of statism and centralized power that liberals tends to advocate might not be as attractive as they once thought, Nash's book might be of interest.  Happy reading!

Tom Woods on True Conservatism

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Tom Woods is a talented thinker and writer.  In this video, Woods outlines the case for a true conservatism which is not inclined to engage in many of the wars the U.S. has engaged in.

Educating for Wisdom in the 21st Century

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I look forward to giving a paper at a conference at Baylor University (my alma mater).  The conference is titled, "Educating for Wisdom in the 21st Century: Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture" (October 27-29).  I will be utilizing some materials from my book, The Gospel and the Mind: Recovering and Shaping the Intellectual Life, although by October the paper may have taken a different shape than I currently envision.  It will be good to back in Waco, and I hope to see Baylor (and other!) friends.

D.A. Carson Lectures for The God Who is There

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The other day I posted a lecture from D.A. Carson's lecture series (and book), The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story.  The whole series can be accessed here.