Marginal Christianity

PROPOSITION 4 Christianity Is Neither a Prostitute nor a Chaplain Three Prayers Father William Corby was present in early July 1863 at Gettysburg. The opposing armies faced off. Corby called the soldiers together for what became a famous moment. He offered the following prayer of absolution for their sins and blessed them in battle. Colonel St. Clair Mulholland gave this account: “There is yet a few minutes to spare before starting, and the time is occupied in one of the most impressive religious ceremonies I have ever witnessed. . . . [The Irish Brigade] stood in columns of regiments closed in mass. As the large majority of its members were Catholics, the Chaplain of the brigade Rev. William Corby, CSC, proposed to give a general absolution to all the men before going into the fight. While this is customary in the armies of Catholic countries of Europe, it was perhaps the first time it was ever witnessed on this continent. . . . Father Corby stood upon a large rock i...

PROPOSITION 3 American Hope Is a Bastard America, despite poplar opinion, creates a bastard offspring whenever it forces itself upon Christian faith. Ronald Reagan’s regular use if the Puritan John Winthrop’ image of the new world as a “city set on a hill” as a lens to (mis)interpret the Christian faith in an idolatrous way is a familiar example. This trope os nonpartisan being used on both the left and the right. “For Paul, God entrusted a ministry of reconciliation to the church. The church, rather than grounding its identity in any form of ethnic superiority or nationalism, would in fact set aside the various mechanisms of power and hostility attached to particular identities. The church comprised people of every land, tribe, ethnicity, welcoming all. The church then was called to go forth and sow seeds of reconciliation. Hostility and partisanship were to be defeated through love of enemies and doing good for those who do us wrong.” (Kindle Loc.567) “For Paul, i...

PROPOSITION 2 The End of History Has Already Begun Camp’s first proposition is that history has a goal, a teleology, a future. Christian faith is an interpretation of this history with a future. This sets Christianity apart for some other philosophies, spiritualities, and religions, but not all (e.g., Marxism). What sets it apart from all others is Proposition two: the end of this history has already begun. If Christianity sees history going somewhere, it also believes that somewhere has already come forward to be present in the history that is moving toward it! That a bit mind-binding, I know. That why it will be important to pay attention to Camp on this point. It   is Jesus and his resurrection that creates this new situation. And since this newness is a real change in our world it represents a new political possibility (neither right nor left). Jesus’ resurrection “ ushers in the end of history, vindicates the way of Christ, and inaugurates a new political pos...