The Civitas Podcast Episode 36: Surveying Modern Political Theology, with Peter Leithart and James Wood
Oct 31, 2025
Dive into a rich conversation on the nuances of Christian nationalism and political theology. Discover why thinkers like Barth and Bonhoeffer are seen as unconventional yet influential. Explore challenges like reconciling Christianity with liberalism, and the roles of magistrates in public life. Students' enthusiasm for figures like O'Donovan reveals a hunger for practical insights. The hosts dissect the implications of historical traditions on modern faith and public action, ultimately viewing current challenges as opportunities for theological revival.
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Course Structure And Creative Divergence
- James Wood structured the course from apostolic-era political thought through Reformation and modern streams, highlighting magistral reformers, radicals, and Presbyterian thought.
- He emphasized how modern thinkers diverge creatively, especially Barth, Bonhoeffer, Niebuhr, and Yoder, complicating continuity with tradition.
Renewal Risks Cutting Off Tradition
- Creative theologians can provoke new conversations but risk cutting later generations off from prior resources.
- Rusty Reno's critique: renewal projects may create 'Year Zero' innovators who obscure tradition.
De Lubac: Resourceful Yet Stylistically Radical
- De Lubac and the nouvelle theologie drew heavily on patristic sources while breaking from scholastic style.
- Rusty Reno's complaint targeted style and method as much as substance in that renewal.
