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< | The Evolution of Dualism: From Jesus' First Delineation to Modern Evangelical Americans' Conceptions |
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> | The Evolution of Dualism: From Jesus' First Delineation to Modern American Evangelical Conceptions |
| | -- By JackSherrick - 21 Feb 2021
New Testament Origins of Dualism |
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< | Jesus of Nazareth has been called many names: King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Immanuel, Son of God. I would like to introduce an additional title into the corpus of names held by Jesus: Coiner of Enigmatic Phrases. Jesus lives up to this newly minted title inLuke 20, Mark 12, and Matthew 22 which showcase Jesus the orator at his most clever and inscrutable. Jesus was approached by several ill intentioned questioners who sought to catch Jesus in a rhetorical trap. They nonchalantly asked whether or not it was right to pay taxes to Caesar. If Jesus had responded in the negative, he could have faced a premature execution by the Romans. If he had responded in the affirmative, he could have angered the Jews laboring under the yoke of Roman occupation who viewed Jesus as a liberator. Instead, Jesus gave a pregnant pause and asked for a denarius. After surveying the coin Jesus asked whose image was inscribed on the currency. "Caesar's," the would-be deceivers answered. Jesus then responded with "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." If Jesus hadn't been preoccupied with being the Messiah, he could have had a lucrative career as a lawyer. This clever response has become an oft-quoted maxim that encapsulates the relationship many believe Christians should have with the secular elements of society. |
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> | Jesus of Nazareth has been called many names: King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Immanuel, Son of God. I would like to introduce an additional title into the corpus of names held by Jesus: Coiner of Enigmatic Phrases. Jesus lives up to this newly minted title inLuke 20, Mark 12, and Matthew 22 which showcase Jesus the orator at his most clever and inscrutable. Jesus was approached by several ill intentioned questioners who sought to catch Jesus in a rhetorical trap. They nonchalantly asked whether or not it was right to pay taxes to Caesar. If Jesus had responded in the negative, he could have faced a premature execution by the Romans. If he had responded in the affirmative, he could have angered the Jews laboring under the yoke of Roman occupation who viewed Jesus as a liberator. Instead, Jesus gave a pregnant pause and asked for a denarius. After surveying the coin Jesus asked whose image was inscribed on the currency. "Caesar's," the would-be deceivers answered. Jesus then responded with "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." This clever response has become an oft-quoted maxim that encapsulates the relationship many believe Christians should have with the secular elements of society. |
| | Subsequent Attempts to Establish the Contours of Dualism
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| | Protestant Dualism |
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< | Massachusetts Puritans chose to merge the secular and divine. According to Haskins, a number of the colony's laws were based on the Old Testament while there was also a moderate embrace of various forms of English law during the early period. (Haskins page 7). |
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> | The Protestant Reformation led to the emergence of a news forms of dualism. Luther advocated for obedience to secular rule even when it did not align with the values of the burgeoning Protestant faith. When German Peasants waged war against the aristocracy, Luther penned a scathing letter condemning the peasant's plight and beseeching them to acquiesce to aristocratic rule. Luther agreed with many of the peasant's demands but nevertheless instructed the peasants to "suffer to the end, and leave the case to Him (God)." In contrast to Luther's clear delineation between the spiritual and earthly, Haskins writes that Massachusetts Puritans assumed a more active role in secular society. Puritan leader Richard Baxter wrote, "it is action that God is most served and honoured by." The Puritan view of dualism fueled the group's embrace of capitalist values and catalyzed a subsequent evolution in their dualist views. Max Weber argues that Puritans, and later American Protestants feel obliged to zealously engage in a secular calling to individually prove that they are members of the elect. These Protestant capitalists were moved to render their labor to a secular authority but were no longer as civically engaged as the Puritans before them. |
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< | The Massachusetts meetinghouse illustrates the blending of the secular and divine. There was compulsory church attendance (88)
Thomas Shepard pleaded for stricter observance of town bylaws, Hugh Peter urged the support of economic programs, and John Cotton preached on the ethics of trade and business practice. Each year, special election sermons exhorted reverence for the symbols of government by commending the fit character of civil leaders (88). Tried once by the civil authorities then again by the church. the county courts sentenced people to confess their sin before their congregation. |
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< | "Thus, the church communities were not only active agencies of law enforcement within the colony but also sources of positive law in the sense that law consists of the rules and standards whereby men are expected to order their conduct" (89) |
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> | Modern American Views amongst White Evangelicals and the Black Protestant Churches |
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< | Excommunication did not preclude one from holding public office (93) |
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> | White Evangelicals |
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< | Miller - the puritans showed "how a discipline gathered out of the Word could subserve the political ideals of civil supremacy and national unity" (93) |
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> | Today, American evangelicals have developed their own views on dualism. Emerson and Smith studied American evangelicals and found that evangelicals feel little obligation to politically contribute to institutional secular reform. Evangelicals break from past dualistic precedent in that they find secular governments irreparably corrupt and their adherence to civil laws does not stem out of a spiritual compulsion to obey. Rather, evangelicals believe that evangelizing is their primary, if not sole responsibility to the secular world. This belief stems from what Emerson and Smith call the miracle motif. This is the belief that the state of society is not dependent upon secular laws or institutions, but upon the character of the individuals that compose society and secular issues can be improved by adding more adherents to the Christian faith. |
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< | Augustine
John Donne questions the relationship between physical frailty and divine |
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> | Implications of this View |
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< | Luther advocated for obedience to secular rule. When German Peasants waged war against the aristocracy, Luther penned a scathing letter condemning the peasant's plight and beseeching them to acquiesce to aristocratic rule. Luther agreed with many of the peasant's demands but nevertheless instructed the peasants to "suffer to the end, and leave the case to Him (God). " |
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> | White evangelicals have neither the zeal for political engagement as that of the early Massachusetts Puritans nor the honor for earthly authority as that of early and Pre-Reformation Christians. This portends doom for the continued strong political influence of evangelicals. I predict that another Christian group will displace white evangelicals as the most influential group in American politics if current evangelical dualist attitudes persist. The change is already occurring. In Georgia, predominantly black Protestant churches mobilized to elect Joe Biden, Reverend Warnock, and Jon Ossoff. According to Emerson and Smith and as evidenced by efforts such as Souls to the Polls, Protestant Black churches have a more Puritan view of dualism in that they believe Christians ought to have a more active role in civic government. The next iteration of American Christian dualism is developing and I predict that the group that blurs the line between Caesar and God and renders the most to Caesar will grow their political influence the most in the coming decades. |
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< | The Christian willingness to obey secular leaders yet abstain from involvement in secular government led to the establishment and rapid growth of an episcopal government. |
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< | Among many American Protestant Christians, there is a prevalent attitude that the secular and divine and largely unrelated. |
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< | Modern Views of Dualism Among American Evangelicals
Christianity is a varied faith and modern views of dualism vary from sect to sect and even from church to church. I will hone in on However, it is possible to isolate large swathes of the Christian population and conduct a separate analysis on a given population's current stance on dualism. Emerson and Smith studied American evangelicals and found that
The miracle motif is a belief held by many Christians that the best way to improve society is to "love one another" and to add more people to the church. The state of society is not dependent upon secular laws or institutions, but upon the character of the individuals that compose society. |
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< | Many Christians are willing to subject themselves to secular laws that do not align with their religious laws because they put little stock in the quality of their temporal lives relative to the eternal wellbeing of their souls. They also have a belief that original sin has placed a low ceiling on the degree of justice that can possibly be achieved on earth. Regardless of how "good" a law is, the corrupt nature of the human condition precludes the law from having much of a positive impact. Instead, there is a prevailing belief in the that positive change is best achieved on an individual rather than institutional level. |
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< | Introduction |
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< | In 1524, German peasants waged war against the aristocracy. The peasant demanded legal advantages that the aristocracy had deprived them. During the conflict, the peasants sought the support of the father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. Luther's opposition to the oppression of the Catholic Church suggested to the peasants that he would take a similar stance against the aristocracy's political oppression. However, rather than give the peasants his blessing, Luther penned a scathing letter condemning the peasant's plight and beseeching them to acquiesce to aristocratic rule. Luther agreed with many of the peasant's demands but nevertheless instructed the peasants to "suffer to the end, and leave the case to Him (God). " |
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< | Idea
Luther's position is representative of the outlook many Christians hold today. Many Christians are willing to subject themselves to secular laws that do not align with their religious laws because they put little stock in the quality of their temporal lives relative to the eternal wellbeing of their souls. They also have a belief that original sin has placed a low ceiling on the degree of justice that can possibly be achieved on earth. Regardless of how "good" a law is, the corrupt nature of the human condition precludes the law from having much of a positive impact. Instead, there is a prevailing belief in the that positive change is best achieved on an individual rather than institutional level. As a brief caveat, this essay is not seeking to paint all Christians with a broad brush. Many Christian organizations such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference seek to radically restructure society through legal means and do not hold the fatalistic or dismissive attitudes towards legal change that I describe in this essay. |
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< | Expected Life Utility
Many Christians view their life on earth as merely a blip in the eternal timeline of their existence. This makes sense if you assume that your soul has an eternal lifespan. (Average life span on earth/eternal life span of the soul ≈ 0). The following equation seeks to explain how those who believe in the eternity of their existence would seek to optimize their expected life utility. |
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< | y=β_1 X_1+ β_2 X_2+ ε where y = expected utility over span of entire existence; X_1 = temporal utility; X_2 = post-temporal utility; β_1 < ∞; and β_2 = ∞. |
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< | Assuming this equation dictates behavior of certain populations of religious adherents, a rational actor has little reason to do anything to improve their temporal condition. If post-temporal utility is infinity, why care at all about earthly affairs unless it impacts your post-temporal expected utility? The only concern is to ensure that sign on X_2 is positive and not negative, everything else is utterly insignificant in the grand scheme of things. This sort of thinking would justify Luther's command to "suffer to the end and leave the case to Him." The expected life utility would also predict Luther's stance on the Peasant's War because Luther believed that the Peasant's efforts to achieve reform were condemning them to an eternity in hell. The risk/reward tradeoff is so imbalanced that enduring existing structures is the most rational choice under the model. |
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< | Miracle Motif
The miracle motif is a belief held by many Christians that the best way to improve society is to "love one another" and to add more people to the church. The state of society is not dependent upon secular laws or institutions, but upon the character of the individuals that compose society. Emerson and Smith first analyzed the miracle motif and found that it contributes to white evangelical Christians' opposition to radical social change. The miracle motif allows people to disassociate the distinction between a whole and its elements. The rationale is that a country is made up of states that are made up of counties that are made up of cities that are made up of neighborhoods that are made up of families, that are made up of individuals. Therefore, the best way to improve the country would be to improve the individual. This line of thinking eliminates the distinction between individual and group action. Arnold's Folklore of Capitalism dispels the notion that an organization is merely the sum of the individuals that compose its membership. Arnold lays out laws of political dynamics that describe the unique qualities of organizations that are resistant to the changing character of the individuals that compose their membership. Failure to understand this nuance instill a belief that change can only be accomplished from the bottom up. |
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< | Original Sin
I worked in construction this past summer and would frequently exchange world-views with my foreman Jim, a devout Lutheran. One day, we were discussing America's military strength and I suggested reducing military spending as a means of preventing future wars. Jim gave me a perplexed look and responded, "why would I try to stop war? I don't try to stop the sun from coming up?" Jim's views can be considered representative of Protestant American Christians. Many Christians view the human condition as a depraved state devoid of significant potential for improvement. Original sin has marred temporal existence beyond repair and any attempt to reach the prelapsarian heights of Eden is an exercise in futility. Not only does such an endeavor have an impossible goal, it borders on the sort of pride exhibited by those builders of the tower of Babel who sought to be equal to God. This sort of attitude invites disengagement from legal reform. The courts nominal quest for justice serves an unachievable purpose. A belief in original sin plays a role in the promulgation of the miracle motif. Widespread reforms are seen as fruitless but change is possible on an individual scale.
Conclusion
This analysis is intended to provide helpful heuristic framework to understand some Christians' psychological relationship to secular law. It is not intended to be a hatchet job on Christian thinking nor an exoneration of the behaviors that arise out of this sort of thinking. This analysis could be further nuanced by considering factors such as political ideology and racial attitudes or by extrapolating my argument onto other faiths. While many Christians may have a fatalistic and unengaged attitude towards secular law, they still have outsized political influence in America. White Christians compose only 43 percent of the American public yet they make up 55 percent of American voters. This indicates that fatalistic attitudes may not necessarily depressed turnout. |
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> | I made major changes to my first draft and moved that essay to JackSherrickFirstEssayNotes |
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< | Thoughts on how to improve this essay in the next draft/Notes
My weakness is from nature, who hath but her measure; my strength is from God, who possesses and distributes infinitely (Meditation VI Donne)
As therefore thy Son did look upon the coin, I look upon the king, and I ask whose image and whose inscription he hath, and he hath thine; and I give unto thee that which is thine; I recommend his happiness to thee in all my sacrifices of thanks, for that which he enjoys, and in all my prayers for the continuance and enlargement of them. (VIII Expostulation)
Laws are, "the product of, or a response to, complex social and psychological pressures. Their purpose is to secure, limit, and adjust the demands and desires of men with respect to things, to one another, and to the community. Law in this sense consists partly of received precepts and ideals and partly of legislative enactments, judicial decisions and the orders of public officials.The law is a compound of past as well as of present forcesl it is both ananchor to tradition and a vehicle for change. The law is the highest inheritiace by which the people are preserved" (p. 4 Haskins)
Linking psychological attitudes towards behavior, as Weber does in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
I could discuss Brown as a counterargument wherein religious belief motivates one to actively oppose secular jurisprudence rather than acquiesce to it. Someone mentioned on the pad that there seems to be a correlation between being an activist leader and having strong religious beliefs.(e.g. Brown, King, Malcolm X). I agree but believe this correlation is only present in activist leaders, not necessarily in the less ardent supporters of a movement.
Also, I could introduce some Marx. I'm familiar with his quote "religion is the opium of the people" but I haven't read Marx's writings on religion.
A contemporary and somewhat ridiculous version of Luther's message to the peasants that they should "leave the case to God."
Remove the caveats, don't be so direct in discussing additional ideas that could be taken from this theory
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