Was Constantine Bad? with James Wood
Knowing Faith
Church Power vs. Exilic Witness
Hosts and James discuss tensions between a politically favored church and an exilic, countercultural Christian identity.
James Wood joins Jen Wilkin, JT English, and Kyle Worley to discuss the influence of Constantine on Christianity.
Questions Covered in This Episode:
- Who was Constantine? What was his relationship to Christianity in the ancient world?
- Did he really convert?
- What are the Christians of this time thinking about Constantine?
- How does Monasticism replace martyrdom?
- Is there a protestant approach to living in the tension?
- What are the goods of Christendom?
- How does this history shape our understanding of the competing perspectives on church and state today?
- What are faithful Christian perspectives of church and state?
- How would you contrast pagan Christianity from the kind of public Christian witness you advocate for?
- Explain the subordination of the secular.
Guest Bio:
James Wood is Associate Professor of Religion and Theology at Redeemer University, a teaching elder in the PCA, a cohost of Mere Fidelity Podcast and the Civitas Podcast, and has written and writes for a number of publications, including Plough, Comment, First Things, World, and Theopolis, among others. He holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Toronto, a Th.M. from Princeton Theological Seminary, an M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary. He is married to Clare, and they have five daughters.
Helpful Definitions:
- Gelasian Dyarchy: The "two swords" doctrine.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
- Romans 13, 1 Peter 2, Revelation 13
- “Defending Constantine” by Peter Leithart
- “Christ & Culture Revisited” by D.A. Carson
- “The Desire of the Nations” by Oliver O'Donovan
- “Institutes of the Christian Religion” by John Calvin
- “The Politics of Pagan Christianity” by James Wood
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