Liberalism is considered a 'dis-incarnation' that undermines Christianity's authenticity and inherent connection to Roman institutions.
Schindler argues that the integration of Christianity with Roman institutions represents the true essence of Christianity and challenges certain Christian perspectives.
Deep dives
The concept of the real and its connection to Aristotle and Catholic thinking
In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses the concept of the real as used by D.C. Schindler in his book. He explains how Schindler refers to an earlier type of real that emphasizes the thingness of each thing, drawing from Aristotle's understanding of the world as providing forms and standards for truth and what works. Schindler, as a Catholic thinker, is influenced by Aristotle through Aquinas and believes that the Christian tradition, which combines Greek natural law, Roman institutions, and Jewish theological perspective, safeguards the thingness of things. This challenges modernity and liberalism for breaking up the tools needed to perceive reality and the common good.
Liberalism's rejection of Christianity and its impact on politics
The podcast delves into how Schindler argues that liberalism not only rejected Christianity's ambition to be a political entity but also Christianity itself. He labels liberalism as a dis-incarnation and posits that it substitutes the specific God of Judeo-Christian tradition with a God of potentiality. This view challenges the traditional understanding of the church as a defining authority and reality. The speaker highlights how liberalism, with its emphasis on individual subjective choice and tolerance, fundamentally differs from the previous view of the church as a comprehensive and universally applicable truth. The rejection of the church by liberalism is seen by Schindler as severing the roots that hold the political order together.
The intertwined relationship between the church and Roman institutions
Another key point discussed in the episode is the relationship between the church and Roman institutions, particularly exemplified by the donation of Constantine. Schindler argues that the church, in a paradoxical way, fulfilled the Roman aspiration of a harmonious whole by integrating the world's people into enduring legal institutions. This melding of the church with Roman institutions challenges certain Christian perspectives, but Schindler suggests that it represents the true spirit and intention of Christianity. The episode also raises questions about the church's relationship with the political order, proposing that it is not a self-enclosed sphere separate from the world, but rather has a fundamental bearing on existence in the world, influencing and being influenced by political arrangements.
Laurie discusses some of DC Schindler’s main themes in his introduction and first chapter in The Politics of the Real: The Church Between Liberalism and Integralism. Among the arguments Schindler makes that are challenging to contemporary sensibilities: that the combination of Christianity with Roman Institutions was not a mistake but somehow an unfolding of Christianity’s presence in the world, and that Liberalism is a “dis-incarnation” that strikes at the root of Christianity itself and is inherently atheistic.
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