Georgetown professor Joshua Mitchell wrote a superb piece for American Reformer called “Wither the Reformation in America?” It describes the major divisions in the Christian church, and how each group has a different paradigm for relating the heavenly and the earthly, nature and grace, etc.
This essay sparked a lot of discussion, including an issue of Ross Douthat’s New York Times newsletter devoted to it.
Mitchell joins me on the podcast this week for a discussion of the article and the ideas in it. He explains why America remains a deeply Hebraic, covenantal nation — and why the current culture war is best understood as a distorted continuation of the Reformation. From the Plato-Aristotle divide to Luther’s turn to History, from Tocqueville’s warnings to the spiritual economy of stain and redemption, Mitchell offers a profound diagnosis of where American Christianity stands today.
It’s very thought provoking and you won’t want to miss this one. I was particularly struck by his very critical take on Aristotle!
Here’s the Youtube version.
