De Regno Christi

Mark Kalthoff’s talk, ” Science, Scientism, and Republican Government,” at the most recent Philadelphia Society meeting is excellent–and well worth listening to.

http://www.phillysoc.org/kalthoff2010.mp3

There’s nothing Jim Otteson (Yeshiva University; Fund for American Studies) does that isn’t interesting.  He’s just started a new website: Pileus.  It is certainly worth checking out.

From Jim:

I recently reviewed Miller’s classic, Canticle for Leibowitz.  If you’re interested. . . .

http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/features2010/bbirzer_canticle_apr2010.asp

Why the Great Books approach to high education cannot fix the problem of relativism.  Here.

Brad asks an interesting question… where did all this talk of Resurrection Sunday come from? I agree that the whole thing seems a bit unseemly.  Protestants of the purest variety shunned Easter as superfluous, after all every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ.  Further, the Bible does not sanction setting aside one Sunday over another to commemorate Christ and His victory over death.  All Sunday’s are equal.  Puritanism showing its egalitarianism.

Of course, Lutherans and Anglicans have been less “radical” in their purifying tendencies and tried to keep continuity with the Christian calendar.

But what do we make of the evangelical tendency to shun Church tradition,  embrace puritan egalitarianism, and still celebrate Easter while giving it a cheesy name to assuage their conscience?  Muddled indeed.  If Easter’s pagan pedigree is the concern, why embrace the title Sunday?  Is the word Sunday not compromised with its own pagan past?  Should they not be celebrating Resurrection Lord’s Day?  But again you are back to being redundant.

As for me, I embrace those Pagan origins that cause such angst among Evangelicals. Christ has conquered the old gods and plundered their treasures.  The Pagans groped in the darkness, and Christ was the light they sought.  Easter and Sunday pointed the Pagans beyond their paganism and to the true hope of man.  Christ is King and His glorious reign allows us to find the past sanctified rather than erased, fulfilled rather than forgotten.  Salvation is of the Jews, but lets not extinguish the light of the barbarian!

Therefore, I say without hesitation…. Happy Easter

Dear Bill,

A quick question for you.  Is the title “Resurrection Sunday” new and/or limited to a certain segment of Protestants?  I’d never heard this term until this year, and I was seeing it everywhere–from California to Texas to Michigan–over spring break.

I’m posting one picture from Hillsdale.

I must admit, though ‘Easter’ is, in origin, a pagan term, it now sounds far more Christian to my ear than does “Resurrection Sunday.”  The latter title immediately brought to my warped imagination the landing of spaceships and the drinking of laced kool-aid.

Respectfully,

Brad

Last night we attended our first Tenebrae service at the local Anglican Church (a part of the Anglican Church in America/Traditional Anglican Communion).  What a beautiful and moving service.  This is a long way from our former Puritanism but I have fallen in love with the Church Calendar and its liturgical movement through the cadence of seasons.   Last night, as the events of the Passion were recounted from Mark’s gospel, the candles illuminating the sanctuary were, one by one, extinguished.  In the end, darkness.  Silence reigned.  It was finished.  We somberly, and silently, walked from the Church.  Moving.