Leithart III

Leithart is brilliant, and his book Against Christianity is an easy, erudite, lucid read. Simultaneously challenging and enjoyable. His main distinction is the one he draws in the last chapter between Christianity (something like what Churchianity is to others not of Leithart's persuasion) and Christendom. Christendom Leithart endorses, arguing that when an Emperor embraces the Faith, and forces the Empire to accept it, that such is the will of God and the existential choice of a man with a purple mantle upon his shoulders. In otherwords, if an individual is free to embrace a faith and implement it around his home (which all good Baptists agree to) then why would an emperor not be free to embrace it and enact laws and change culture based upon the implications of that same Faith? Is Constantine not a man? Is he not free? Is he not free to stand before God and accept responsibility for what he has done? Prick him, does he not bleed?
This is the highlight of his book. Of course, we answer. An emperor, like we, has a conscience, and if he can't live before his living God with the idea of letting a hundred thousand screaming Saxons come raiding into his territory every year, then he will baptize them at swordpoint, in order to make them stop. It's his call. Leithart admits we have fallout from that, but that is our responsibility and calling. To mitigate Constantine's wager. After all, the emperor knew we might have to. And we know that others will deal with the negative consequences of our choices. But we still have to call the ball. It's our move, and evil consequences, no doubt, will dog our steps unseen when we lie asleep.
It is a challenge to accomplish even more good. Anything else is just peace in our times.