Weekly Reads (November 29)

Happy Thanksgiving, readers! We hoped you had a blessed and relaxing holiday with your families.

While this is not directly relevant to theology, if you haven’t already, watch the newly-released trailers for Jurassic World and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Conciliar Post

George Aldhizer, “Lecrae’s Theology of Quality”

Chris Casber, “Through the Internet, Darkly”

Father Gregory Owen, “Treasure of the Inner Life”

Jacob Prahlow, “Book Review: Genesis of the Dead“ (new book from our own Chris Casberg)

Benjamin Winter, “In the Beginning”

From Our Authors

Jacob Prahlow, Pursuing Veritas, “Luther’s Two Kingdoms: Sword and State” (part of a series on Martin Luther’s Two Kingdoms theology)

Around the Web

George Weigel, First Things, “Lessons from Dietrich von Hildebrand”

Bob Crowley, CNN Money, “Monks Start Brewing Beer in America” (video)

Matt Walsh, The Blaze, “Hey Ferguson Protesters: Justice Has Been Done, But You Never Wanted Justice”

Michael Bradley, Ethika Politika, “What is Blessing?”

Elizabeth Scalia, The Anchoress, “Francis and Autism and Worship: All May Be One?”

Paul Asay, Watching God, “Mockingjay – Part One: Panem, Circuses and Christ”

10 responses to “Weekly Reads (November 29)”

George Aldhizer

November 29, 2014

I’m not trying to stir up trouble in this space. However, I believe that Matt Walsh’s response to Ferguson is against what I believe Conciliar Post stands for, in terms of listening to those we may disagree with/may not understand. Walsh’s response thoroughly discredits the voices of the oppressed, opting instead to shut them up in their anger. I do not believe that Walsh’s voice in response to Ferguson and the killing of Mike Brown should be the voice promoted by this website.

Benjamin Winter

November 29, 2014

As someone who is just joining this community (so take my perspective with a grain of salt), I’d like to agree. The “I-see-everything-as-it-truly-is” tone of the Walsh article is certainly not conducive to facilitating dialog about the real issues–surface and underlying–that surround the protests, the indictment, and the incident. Further, it advances a naive notion of American exceptionalism with respect to our justice system. Finally, it is quite insensitive to the tragic fact that a life was ended.

Thanks, George, for calling attention to this. As a native of Saint Louis, I understand something of the tensions that divide our city, and know for a fact that vitriolic writing such as this will only polarize people further.

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Jacob

December 5, 2014

George,
Thanks for pointing that out. As Laura notes in her comment below, not all of these links are going to fit the values of CP. We’ll be sure to add that caveat to future posts.

Personally, I’m not a Matt Walsh fan. He’s abrasive. He doesn’t foster dialogue. He’s vitriolic. I may agree with the kernel of what he says in some of this posts, but the way he goes about saying things is the antithesis of how I hope to converse with people online.

That being said (again, as Laura notes), he is an important voice in the social media/blogging world. And he (at least on the occasions that I have read him) often raises fairly important issues. Obviously (or maybe not), part of what we’re trying to do here at CP is offer an alternative method of having the types of conversations that I think (being charitable) Matt Walsh wants people to have. To do this, of course, we need to be aware of what people are talking about.

This is a difficult and often complicated balance, to be sure. And I appreciate your patience with the Editorial Team as we try to promote civil and faithful dialogue about an important and often divisive issue. JJP

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1. George Aldhizer
  
  December 6, 2014
  
  Thanks Jacob, would love to hear what you think of my comment below to Laura’s comment
  
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Laura Norris

December 1, 2014

The articles selected are not intended to necessarily reflect the mission of Conciliar Post, but to offer a small sample of what people are reading and discussing this week. I added the Matt Walsh article because I repeatedly saw it shared across social media. He may not be a voice we agree with, but he is a prominent voice in theology blogs.

Laura Norris

December 3, 2014

I’d also like to add here that many of us editors discussed the Walsh article and affirmed that Walsh, while he spoke with his usual intense tone a strong wording, did bring up points appropriate to this blog’s voice, including his offer of other causes the protesters could adopt in place of misrepresenting what the autopsies confirm actually happened to Brown. The problem surrounding the Ferguson events, which the Walsh article hints at, is that rather than focusing on the tragedy or the real issues, most articles misrepresent the facts to advance one view over another (i.e. that this was a racial issue, class issue, militarization issue, conspiracy, etc). I’m also a Saint Louis native and grew up near neighborhoods where cops were killed by gangs, so I understand the deep-lying tensions and complexity of the case.
Furthermore, if part of Conciliar Post’s mission is to represent all voices involved, Walsh’s voice does represent a different voice than that commonly adopted by the media. No article will every completely represent the voices of all sides.

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1. Benjamin Winter
  
  December 3, 2014
  
  “Why not protest a president who has done nothing positive or constructive for the black community?”
  
  Does that really seem like a cause that protesters “could adopt in place of misrepresenting what the autopsies confirm?” Sure, there are a few good points mixed into Walsh’s article–for example, in the list of things to protest in lieu of Ferguson, some of his ideas were provocative. But that doesn’t change the fact that his tone blatantly insults those who disagree with him. This invective is evident from the get-go in the piece’s title: “Hey Ferguson Protesters…”
  
  I do not know how you can make the case that Walsh’s rhetoric in this piece simply uses “intense tone a[nd] strong wording.” There is no possible way that a proponent of the view Walsh argues against could read his piece and be convinced to change his or her thinking. Walsh’s diatribe is not dialog: it only affirms the perspectives of the people who see the following in black communities (excerpted from the article’s comments section):
  
  catoyounger-Nov. 25, 2014 at 4:00pm
  72 upvotes
  There is nothing to “understand”. No “other shoes” to walk in. No “pain” that drives people. There is simply a criminal underclass that is being encouraged to run wild by liberals, who are traitors to civilization. Office [sic] Wilson simply did his job, but the “soft on crime” liberals try to change EVERYTHING into race and class better than any classic communist ever could.
  
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2. George Aldhizer
  
  December 6, 2014
  
  So, it seems to me the reasons offered for including Walsh as a “weekly read” is because 1) he’s an important voice in the blogging world, 2) we need to offer an “alternative voice” in order to create alternative conversations than the status quo, 3) we need to “represent all voices involved,” and 4) Walsh brings up good points regarding the Ferguson case/situation.
  
  It seems, regarding 2 & 3, the only thing on Conciliar Post’s website regarding Ferguson is the Matt Walsh article, therefore we can’t say we are offering an “alternative voice” or are “representing all voices involved”. This is incredibly troubling to me. First, Walsh is a white male, and on that basis alone should not be the first (much less only) person to be cited on this blog. Second, we aren’t representing all voices involved. There is only Matt Walsh within “weekly reads.” If Walsh is the only voice people of this website are reading regarding the situation in Ferguson then I feel that’s a problem. If Walsh is to be considered an “alternative” to what is commonly read or consumed, then we HAVE to have him alongside of other reads (for example, the “It’s Time to Listen” series at Christianity Today by Black Christian leaders, thejourney.org’s race roundtable, #evangelicals4justice, and much more).
  
  Regarding 4, I think Walsh’s rhetoric, as Benjamin explains, is laden with racism and a blissful ignorance of the systemic issues surrounding the ferguson protests/riots. While Wilson may end up actually innocent (the facts of the case can go either way), there is no place for certainty (as Walsh espouses) nor a lack of concern for the people who feel this case is emblematic of police brutality exhibited upon black communities.
  
  As for 1, I’m with you. Walsh is an influential voice, and for that reason should be read. However, if Walsh is the only read offered by this blog, then that is a tragedy.
  
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3. Laura Norris
  
  December 6, 2014
  
  George, thank you for note. Because of personal and career time constraints, I can only peruse so much of what’s out there. If you have an great and reasonable alternative article, please send it my way or share it here.
  
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4. George Aldhizer
  
  December 7, 2014
  
  I hope I don’t come across as antagonistic, saying “Hey Laura! You ought to read more!” That’s not my intention. My heart is for Christians to recognize Ferguson goes beyond the facts of the case and into the lives of black people in this country. I hope that isn’t read as me being prideful against the editors of Conciliar Post. Far from it for me to be prideful against you guys. I love this website and I love what you (and we) do here. I think that’s why I’m passionate when I see where it can be improved upon.
  
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