Do Not Disavow

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Do Not Disavow By: Rick Davis   When Charlemagne established law Salic in barb’rous land, The gospel flourished, and he saw Christ’s praise on every hand.   (“Do you approve his methods now?”) I do not disavow.   King Godfrey took Jerusalem From bloody paynim hands And brought a halt to Musselmen Invading Christian lands.   (“He did some mean things anyhow!”) I do not disavow.   King Richard with his scarlet shield And passant lions ‘bossed Rode forth again unto the field To regain what was lost.   (“His deeds at Acre you allow?”) I do not disavow.   Unto the Germans Luther brought The gospel full restored, And Calvin at Geneva taught The glory of the Lord.   (“The Jews? Servetus? Holy cow!”) I do not disavow.   Stonewall and Lee like knights of old Fought for their native soil, The true and lovely to uphold Against the tyrant’s spoil.   (“Those vile racists ...
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Between Babel and Beast

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This book by Peter Leithart on the relationship between the Church and American Empire is brilliant. The entire volume is essentially an extended footnote to his much larger work “Defending Constantine” that was published a couple years ago. This “extended footnote” has 50 pages of endnotes in itself, creating a sort of footnote-ception. If you like scholarly notes, then this book is for you!

Leithart is at his strongest when, working within his stipulated definition of “empire”, he explores the nuances of the relationship between empire and the people of God in the Bible. He rightly draws out the complexity of the Bible’s treatment of imperial themes and squashes both the modern anti-imperial and older pro-imperial readings of Scripture. He also does a great job of pulling the pious mask off America’s Thucydidean motivations for war. Fear, honor and interest drive American foreign policy, but the whole project is veiled with quasi-religious rhetoric that is often cheered on by oblivious Christians with flags in their church sanctuaries.

Leithart is at his weakest when interpreting the Middle Ages and the Reformation. I wish he had been as nuanced in his treatment of history as he was in his treatment of theology and Scripture, but it is after all only a 150 page book. This is an important addition to scholarship about Church and Empire that needs to be widely read by pastors and church leaders throughout America.

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