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The mystery of the liturgy coincides totally with the mystery of operativity
- Giorgio Agamben
 
In my opinion, Giorgio Agamben is the most important contemporary European theorist.  Political theology in the anarchist tradition, to which Agamben subscribes, has for its goal the exorcism of theology from political economy.
Though Agamben is a leftist, his argument is in the spirit of Eric Voegelin –…

We have endeavored to practice the craft of biblical interpretation along the lines of our participative approach, on the premise that all forms of interpretation might be helpfully viewed as forms of participation.  Obviously the precise form of the participation varies with the particular reality in which one is participating.  Participator and that in which one is participating need to…

Readers will likely know that Jesus studies and Christology, like other fields of study, exist within an intense conflict of approaches, stemming from the social and historical vectors noted in the first chapter.  Those interested might benefit from the following map.  Like all maps, it leaves much out; too much detail, and the roadways will not appear.  Since our participative…

What was most surprising to you as this book’s author?
There may yet be further surprises for me as time passes and I think back upon it. But let me share with you where I am on this right now. First, I was invited by the Dean of our local Episcopal Cathedral in Boise, ID, to offer a brief theological workshop…

Your Kin-dom Come: The Lord’s Prayer in a Global Age.  William Thompson-Uberuaga.  Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2018.
 
The purpose of this book, William Thompson-Uberuaga tells us at the beginning, is the recovery of the “one heart” that unites what Pope John Paul II called the “two lungs” — the Eastern and Western Christian traditions— of the one universal Christian community.  In…

As socialism ascends in popularity across the western world, many are infatuated with the promises it offers. According to a recent Gallup poll, among the Democratic Party, socialism is now more favorable than capitalism (Newport, 2018).
Socialism’s tentacles are have begun the Catholic Church. Reverend Ben Johnson articulated issues pertaining to Catholicism and socialism on the Acton Institute’s website. He explained…

Pope Francis, in his wise reflections on holiness in Gaudete et Exsultate (“Rejoice and Be Glad”), discusses Gnosticism and Pelagianism as “two subtle enemies of holiness.”
The Pope calls them “anthropocentric immanentism disguised as Catholic truth.” That is, they are both unhealthy patterns by which humans stay focused on themselves and on worldly concerns.
His discussion of Gnosticism notes how its essential…




Every theory of doctrinal development assumes a philosophy of history; this is the basic proposition which colors the following essay. But though I think it is true, it is by no means beyond the pale of controversy. This is so, first of all, because the precise nature of doctrinal development is not itself beyond controversy. Furthermore, the “philosophy of history”…

The Idol of Our Age: How the Religion of Humanity Subverts Christianity. Daniel J. Mahoney. New York: Encounter Books, 2018.
 
Machiavelli accuses Christians of un-civic softness. His attention distracted by Heaven, the Christian neglects reality on earth. Since material reality turns out to be the only kind Machiavelli admits, head-in-the-clouds Christians bemuse themselves, sometimes to the Florentine’s amusement but more usually…