Ok, I know some do not like videos. I, however, think they can and do serve a good purpose on this blog. For this reason I have decided to post this interview with James Carroll, author of the book, Constantine's Sword. And though the book deals specifically with early medieval Christianity, many of the issues mentioned in the book (and in the video) are some of the themes mentioned on this blog. For example, the "orthodox" v. "infidel" battle, which is, of course, not unique to early American history but has been around as long as Christianity itself.
And here's a dissenting view of Carroll's work:
Part I:
Part II:
2 comments:
Zero comments so far? Zero as in zero?
OK, I'll jump in, Brad.
Well, I'm the one around here who hates videos, because I have to sit through some idiot spouting off and my computer's too slow to fast forward, like you can otherwise do with nonsense.
[Plus I read this blog at work. Shhhhhhhhhh. Can't crank up the sound. So now you know where I'm coming from.]
So I looked up James Carroll---ex-Catholic priest, far-leftist, Bible revisionist, and slags on the Catholic Church at every opportunity, likes Hans Kung, hates Dubya Bush.
Duh.
So of course, he gets a column at The Boston Globe and wins book awards with his attacks on Catholicism/Christianity.
Duh.
This isn't totally ad hominem---at work I quietly looked up some transcribed interviews Carroll gave elsewhere. I get it. I get him. What he vomits is completely predictable---I could make odds on the proportion of red and green.
I did fit in some of the Greek Orthodox deacon's rebuttal when I got home, Brad---he torched Carroll on methodology alone. I liked the Jesus Seminar as an inquiry, but Carroll quotes its Biblical guesses as fact?
Garbage in, garbage out. But James Carroll has a column in The Boston Globe and many book awards. The Greek deacon is just a Greek deacon, and who gives a spit?
But props to you, Brad, for presenting both sides of the story, although I think most folks will never make it to the deacon's rebuttal. Sometimes I even think you want to present both sides of the story.
Thanks for commenting, Tom. I pretty much agree with everything you said. And thanks for recognizing that I AT LEAST try to give both sides of an argument. That's my problem these days...I haven't been able to make up my mind as to where I stand. I'm certainly NOT a "Christian Nationalist" but at the same time I am 100% with you about the role of religion in America. Again, just can't make up my mind.
The second reason for all the videos is very simple: they are easy posts to do and I want to broaden the scope of the blog. More posts = more readers, so you can probably expect to see more of these short, simple, to the point posts...not that the longer, more prepared and researched posts don't have an appeal as well.
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