An admirably concise, compelling, and elegant summary of the classic Christian just war tradition by John Jay.
Politics
Imagining a People: An Essay on the Possibility of Political Representation
The second installment of an essay reflecting on political theology through the lens of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy.
The Return of the Vigilante: An Essay on the Possibility of Political Judgment
The first of two essays reflecting on judgment and justice in conversation with Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”.
“Generous Self-Illusions”: Reformed Protestants and the French Revolution
The lessons and warnings of Reformed Protestants during the French Revolution.
Martin Luther and Tax: A Protestant Perspective on Redistributive Taxation
The redistributive grammar of Luther;s theology of the Lord’s Supper underlie his vision for poor relief.
Inhabiting the Places of Promise: Martin Luther’s Teaching on the Three Institutions
A focus on Luther’s “two kingdoms” theology often neglects his views on the “three estates” of church, household, and state.
Christ and Caesar: A Response to John MacArthur
Last week, John MacArthur used his immense stature in the evangelical church to call Christians to civil disobedience. WE
Hemmingsen on Three Kinds of Justice
Christian justice, as Hemmingsen defines it, is “the obedience of Christ imputed to the one who believes.” The one who is just “evangelically,” or “according to the gospel,” is the one whose sins are forgiven and to whom the justice of the Son has been imputed.
The Neglected Craft: Prudence in Reformed Political Thought
Aristotle described politics as involving art or craft (techne). It, too, required skill. It, too, could produce excellent, even wondrous edifices: regimes. Once upon a time, the Reformed tradition saw politics in the same manner. Althusius, for example, spoke of “the art of governing.”[1] Joseph Caryl, a Westminster Divine, described rulers as engaging in an “art” or a “craft.” These thinkers, moreover, developed this artistry, doing so consciously within a Reformed framework.
“Nursing Fathers”: The Magistrate and the Moral Law
Not many passages in the New Testament speak directly to political order. The first part of the thirteenth chapter of Romans is perhaps the most famous. I would like to focus in this essay on vv. 3-4, which may appear prima facie to be something of an interpretive crux. Are these verses descriptive or prescriptive? That is, are they simply declarative, or are they imperatival, telling us what magistrates ought to do?