Figgis has his Catholic prejudices, but he’s on to something in this summary of the political ecclesiology of Wyclif, forerunner of teh Reformation: “Scholastic in form, Wyclif’s writings are modern in spirit. His de Officio regis is the absolute assertion of the Divine Right of . . . . Continue Reading »
I’m wondering if the Republican field is actually a lot more open than most people think. I don’t think Gingrich’s numbers last and he has very large numbers. Gingrich is, at the moment, pulling from both those Republicans who value authenticity and those who value . . . . Continue Reading »
JN Figgis ( Political Thought From Gerson to Grotius ) writes, “The normal value . . . of political theories is a ‘long period value.’ The immediate significance of an Algernon Sidney or an Althusius is small and less than nothing as compared with a practical politician, like . . . . Continue Reading »
Louis Dumont ( Essays on Individualism ) notes that “the word by which the old scholastics designated society, or corporations in general, [was] universitas , ‘whole.’” By this they referred to the institutions, values, concepts, language that was “sociologically prior . . . . Continue Reading »
Gingrich is polling at 50% in Florida. He is more than doubling Romney’s support in the Rasmussen poll. Peter asks below if there is enough time to stop Gingrich. If we were talking on Christmas Day, I’d say no. But it is December 1st and I’ll be very, very . . . . Continue Reading »
JN Figgis ( Studies of Political Thought From Gerson to Grotius ) writes, “In the Middle Ages the Church was not a State, but the State; the State or rather the civil authority (for a separate society was not recognized) was merely the police department of the Church. The latter took over . . . . Continue Reading »
Dumont argues that the Gelasian “two powers” theory is often misread. The theory is not a simple hierarchy, the state subordinated to the church, but a ” hierarchical complementarity .” Priests are indeed superior to kings, but they are “subordinate to the king in . . . . Continue Reading »
Gingrich is surging in the polls and, with Cain’s new issue and possible withdrawal,, Gingrich stands to gain even more in the short-term, but I still don’t expect it to last. The problem of stopping Gingrich is insistent, but it is insistent for the right-of-Romney candidates not . . . . Continue Reading »
The State Department reports that in Saudi Arabia “The public practice of any religion other than Islam is prohibited. There is no separation between state and religion, and the deep connection between the royal family and the religious establishment results in significant pressure on all . . . . Continue Reading »
The State Department reports that Egypt’s “respect for religious freedom remained poor,” notes that “Christians and members of the Bahai Faith, which the government does not recognize, face personal and collective discrimination, especially in government employment and the . . . . Continue Reading »
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