Peter J. Leithart

Thomas ( ST III, 60, 1) is interestingly careful in the way he deals with the notion that sacraments are causes. He asks whether sacraments are signs, and his first objection is grammatical: Sacramentum comes from sacrando , which means “sacring,” and, on analogy with medicando , it . . . . Continue Reading »

Thomas asks ( ST III, 60, 5) whether the sensible thing of the sacraments is a “determinate” something. Do we have to use specific things, or may we substitute at will? His answer is that sacramental elements are determinate, and his reasoning has to do with the nature of sacramental . . . . Continue Reading »

In the current issue of The Weekly Standard , Jon A. Shields gives a searing summary of the trial of Kermit Gosnell. He admits, “the liberal position on killing abortion survivors makes a bizarre kind of moral sense,” and then adds: “After all, what is the moral difference between . . . . Continue Reading »

I offer some thoughts on Ephraim Radner’s powerful A Brutal Unity: The Spiritual Politics of the Christian Church at the main First Things site . . . . . Continue Reading »

Ephraim Radner is one of those rare theologians whose work can be described as “relentless.” His most recent book, A Brutal Unity, may be his most relentless yet. Radner dismantles every self-congratulatory, self-protective ecclesiology that blinds Christians to what is self-evident to everyone else: The Church is shattered… . Continue Reading »

In the closing chapter of Defensio Fidei Catholoicae: De Satisfactione Christi Adversus Faustum Socinum Senensem , Grotius provides a fascinating overview of sacrificial practices outside Israel. He moves from the classical world to India, the Americas, and the Canary Islands. He talks about animal . . . . Continue Reading »

Once upon a time, “the arts” did not exist. Of course, from the beginning people painted figures, shaped rock and wood into statues, played or sang melodies, added decorative flourishes to their homes. But for much of human history, these activities were not thought to be in a separate . . . . Continue Reading »

Twice in the final chapters of Revelation, John falls before an angel and the angel tells him to get up: “I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God” (19:10; 22:8-9). It seems a simple reaffirmation of monotheism. Of course, no one . . . . Continue Reading »

Another installment of Pastor Ralph Smith’s studies in Deuteronomy is available at the Trinity House site. . . . . Continue Reading »

A few theologians leave me breathless, and Sam Wells is one of them. In his latest, Learning to Dream Again: Rediscovering the Heart of God , he discusses the aspects of wisdom that are his theme. One is humility, another joy, but stuck between them is suffering shame. This is different from . . . . Continue Reading »