If you're not a subscriber, and if you can still find a copy, I recommend the March 2012 issue of First Things. Two essays, "Religious Freedom Abroad" and "The Dangers of Anti-Sharia Laws," helpfully illustrate how anti-Islam hysteria, dismayingly prevalent among conservative Christians, can undermine basic American Constiutional values. They suggest better ways forward in both domestic and foreign policies.
"Presbyterianism's Democratic Captivity," by Joseph D. Small, provocatively examines whether the processes and philosophical assumptions of democracy are consonant with presbyterian principles and the Church's obligations to handle matters of doctrne and practice with pastoral care. He writes from within the Presbyterian Church USA, and so, as he laments that denomination's recent rejections of Biblical ethics, an OPC man can't help but think that the recent apostasies were made inevitable by the PCUSA's rejection of Scriptural authority throughout the first two-thirds of the 20th century. Nonetheless, there's food for thought for even the most recalcitrant OPC presbyter here.
No comments:
Post a Comment