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Constantinianism

Statue of Constantine the Great, York

Constantinianism is a religiopolitical ideology in Christian politics that epitomizes the unity of church and state, as opposed to separation of church and state. This view is modeled after an ideal Christendom, which arose during the reign of Constantine the Great.

Contemporary theologians have used the term to characterize a view that Christians should readily participate in liberal democracies.

Meaning

Fundamentally, the Constantinian view deeply identifies the Church and state, taking inspiration from the Roman Empire following the Edict of Milan.[1] Some elements of this identification are willingness by the church to use coercive power structures of the state and a tendency towards Christian triumphalism.[2]

Criticism

Stanley Hauerwas argues against a Constantinian view, saying that it leads to a compromised form of Christian ethics, "[It] leads Christians to judge their ethical positions, not on the basis of what is faithful to our particular tradition, but rather on the basis of how much Christian ethics Caesar can be induced to swallow."[3]

John Howard Yoder and Karl Barth have been identified as an anti-Constantinian due to their shared "church-world" distinction.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ Hagman, Patrik (2014). "The Constantinianism of the Free Church Tradition and the Promise of a New Asceticism". Between the State and the Eucharist: Free Church Theology in Conversation with William T. Cavanaugh. Wipf and Stock. p. 103. ISBN 9781630873813. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  2. ^ Nugent, John C. (2013). "A Yoderian Rejoinder to Peter J. Leithart's Defending Constantine". Constantine Revisited: Leithart, Yoder, and the Constantinian Debate. Wipf and Stock. p. 101. ISBN 9781610978194. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  3. ^ Wendel, W. Bradley (2012). "Lawyering in the Christian Colony: Some Haerwasian Themes, Reflections, and Questions". Law and Contemporary Problems. 75 (4). JSTOR 24244658.
  4. ^ Carter, Craig A. (2001). The Politics of the Cross: The Theology and Social Ethics of John Howard Yoder. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press. pp. 81–83. ISBN 9781587430107.
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