MLitt - Martinalia

Sign in Subscribe

MLitt

A collection of 9 posts

"Theology in the Crosshairs: Toward a Martial Hermeneutic"

"Theology in the Crosshairs: Toward a Martial Hermeneutic"

*The following is my M.Litt dissertation, supervised by John Perry. This digital version lacks the citations and footnotes of the submitted work. Prologue The way Jason was rubbing at his eye troubled me. It was not the clumsy, fleeting swat characteristic of a person satisfying an itch or deterring

M.Litt Coursework

coursework Featured

M.Litt Coursework

Dissertation: Theology in the Crosshairs: Toward a Martial Hermeneutic (John Perry) * Later abridged for a presentation at Eastern University (St Davids, PA) Martinmas (Fall 2014) Eschatology with Judith Wolfe (Di5415): "War Without Eschatology (End): Apocalyptic Instincts in Christian Ethics" Origins of Christian Theology with Mark Elliott and NT

“War Without Eschatology: Apocalyptic Instincts in Christian Ethics”

“War Without Eschatology: Apocalyptic Instincts in Christian Ethics”

Long before Oxford ethicist Nigel Bigger ‘reacts’ against the “wishful thinking” of Christian pacifism in his 2013 monograph, In Defence of War, pacifist John Yoder lampooned so-called Christian realism as “pie in the sky” for its failure to articulate an eschatologically realistic cosmological perspective. Who was the hopeless idealist

“Illuminating this Present Darkness: Paul’s Armor of God in Ephesians Across Church History”

“Illuminating this Present Darkness: Paul’s Armor of God in Ephesians Across Church History”

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our[a] struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but

“Maximos’ Promising Difficulties: The Origins, Trajectory, and Potential of the Confessor’s Ambigua”

“Maximos’ Promising Difficulties: The Origins, Trajectory, and Potential of the Confessor’s Ambigua”

In the following paper, I set out to describe the significance of the Ambigua of Maximos the Confessor in terms of his own oeuvre and career, theological development before and after its composition, and finally as an example for doing theology today. In the first section, I outline Maximos’ overall

“deus, ergo supplico: The Primacy of Prayer in Christian Belief”

“deus, ergo supplico: The Primacy of Prayer in Christian Belief”

The Latin phrase lex orandi, lex credenda roughly translates as “the law of prayer is the law of belief.” This phrase evokes the complex relationship between piety and doctrine, between experience and intellect. Does one precede the other? Do they exist inextricably as a symbiosis, as eternal equals? This is

“As We Have Heard, So We Have Seen: Pulling Political Theology from the Psalms”

“As We Have Heard, So We Have Seen: Pulling Political Theology from the Psalms”

Probably because of their place in the liturgy and contemporary reception of them as worship songs, the Psalms are not thought of as “theology” proper. The experiential value too often out weighs the intellectual work to which they can call us. Extensive interpretations of other books of the Bible exist,

“How Realistic are Christian Politics? A Case for Eschatological Realism”

“How Realistic are Christian Politics? A Case for Eschatological Realism”

In theological ethics, two opposing schools of thought dominate the question of war and peace, each with their corresponding intellectual heavyweights. Following WWII, the conversation was dominated by Reinhold Niebuhr’s “Christian realism,” itself a reaction against Walter Rauschenbusch’s Social Gospel movement that found popular support in the early

"Catastrophe Repeated? A Theological Review of Alasdair MacIntyre’s After Virtue"

"Catastrophe Repeated? A Theological Review of Alasdair MacIntyre’s After Virtue"

First published in 1981, Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue is the first work of his "mature" period, at the age of 52. A beautifully crafted argument with clear transitions between individual claims (and chapters), its clarity certainly contributed to its wide readership and critical acclaim. Though it