George Weigel mocks the Social Kingship of Christ. George Weigel teaches us the Social Kingship of Christ is a dead doctrine in the post-Vatican II Pluralistic Church. The Church taught it for nearly …More
George Weigel mocks the Social Kingship of Christ.
George Weigel teaches us the Social Kingship of Christ is a dead doctrine in the post-Vatican II Pluralistic Church. The Church taught it for nearly 2,000 years (see: www.latin-mass-society.org/2006/socialkingship.html www.catholictradition.org/Christ/kingship2.htm & www.christorchaos.com/ACatechismofthe… ) but times have changed. Weigel and Bottum assert the Social Kingship of Christ doctrine has morphed into a Kingship of Christ over the individual. For Weigel and those of us who agree with him, Vatican II has allowed a lot of great changes, this is one of them. After the revolutionary victories over the social authority of Christ the King and His Church, our society can focus on better things like pluralism and spreading freedom around the globe.
George Weigel proclaims the state should never place itself under the authority of Christ the King and under the authority of the Church.
Joseph Bottum was wrong in stating Pope Leo XIII opposed the Social Kingship of Christ. Pope Leo XIII in fact supported the Social Kingship of Christ. This is what Leo XIII taught:
"This world-wide and solemn testimony of allegiance and piety is especially appropriate to Jesus Christ, who is the Head and Supreme Lord of the race. His empire extends not only over Catholic nations and those who, having been duly washed in the waters of holy baptism, belong of right to the Church, although erroneous opinions keep them astray, or dissent from her teaching cuts them off from her care; it comprises also all those who are deprived of the Christian faith, so that the whole human race is most truly under the power of Jesus Christ.
"In these latter times especially, a policy has been followed which has resulted in a sort of wall being raised between the Church and civil society. In the constitution and administration of States the authority of sacred and divine law is utterly disregarded, with a view to the exclusion of religion from having any constant part in public life.... When men's minds are raised to such a height of insolent pride, what wonder is it that the greater part of the human race should have fallen into such disquiet of mind and be buffeted by waves so rough that no one is suffered to be free from anxiety and peril? When religion is once discarded it follows of necessity that the surest foundations of the public welfare must give way, whilst God, to inflict on His enemies the punishment they so richly deserve, has left them the prey of their own evil desires, so that they give themselves up to their passions and finally wear themselves out by excess of liberty.
"And the greatness of this power and the boundlessness of His kingdom is still more clearly declared in these words to the Apostles: "All power is given to me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew xxviii., 18). If then all power has been given to Christ it follows of necessity that His empire must be supreme, absolute and independent of the will of any other, so that none is either equal or like unto it: and since it has been given in heaven and on earth it ought to have heaven and earth obedient to it. And verily he has acted on this extraordinary and peculiar right when He commanded His Apostles to preach His doctrine over the earth, to gather all men together into the one body of the Church by the baptism of salvation, and to bind them by laws, which no one could reject without risking his eternal salvation.... Therefore not only Catholics, and those who have duly received Christian baptism, but also all men, individually and collectively, have become to Him "a purchased people" (I Peter ii., 9). "
George Weigel teaches us the Social Kingship of Christ is a dead doctrine in the post-Vatican II Pluralistic Church. The Church taught it for nearly 2,000 years (see: www.latin-mass-society.org/2006/socialkingship.html www.catholictradition.org/Christ/kingship2.htm & www.christorchaos.com/ACatechismofthe… ) but times have changed. Weigel and Bottum assert the Social Kingship of Christ doctrine has morphed into a Kingship of Christ over the individual. For Weigel and those of us who agree with him, Vatican II has allowed a lot of great changes, this is one of them. After the revolutionary victories over the social authority of Christ the King and His Church, our society can focus on better things like pluralism and spreading freedom around the globe.
George Weigel proclaims the state should never place itself under the authority of Christ the King and under the authority of the Church.
Joseph Bottum was wrong in stating Pope Leo XIII opposed the Social Kingship of Christ. Pope Leo XIII in fact supported the Social Kingship of Christ. This is what Leo XIII taught:
"This world-wide and solemn testimony of allegiance and piety is especially appropriate to Jesus Christ, who is the Head and Supreme Lord of the race. His empire extends not only over Catholic nations and those who, having been duly washed in the waters of holy baptism, belong of right to the Church, although erroneous opinions keep them astray, or dissent from her teaching cuts them off from her care; it comprises also all those who are deprived of the Christian faith, so that the whole human race is most truly under the power of Jesus Christ.
"In these latter times especially, a policy has been followed which has resulted in a sort of wall being raised between the Church and civil society. In the constitution and administration of States the authority of sacred and divine law is utterly disregarded, with a view to the exclusion of religion from having any constant part in public life.... When men's minds are raised to such a height of insolent pride, what wonder is it that the greater part of the human race should have fallen into such disquiet of mind and be buffeted by waves so rough that no one is suffered to be free from anxiety and peril? When religion is once discarded it follows of necessity that the surest foundations of the public welfare must give way, whilst God, to inflict on His enemies the punishment they so richly deserve, has left them the prey of their own evil desires, so that they give themselves up to their passions and finally wear themselves out by excess of liberty.
"And the greatness of this power and the boundlessness of His kingdom is still more clearly declared in these words to the Apostles: "All power is given to me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew xxviii., 18). If then all power has been given to Christ it follows of necessity that His empire must be supreme, absolute and independent of the will of any other, so that none is either equal or like unto it: and since it has been given in heaven and on earth it ought to have heaven and earth obedient to it. And verily he has acted on this extraordinary and peculiar right when He commanded His Apostles to preach His doctrine over the earth, to gather all men together into the one body of the Church by the baptism of salvation, and to bind them by laws, which no one could reject without risking his eternal salvation.... Therefore not only Catholics, and those who have duly received Christian baptism, but also all men, individually and collectively, have become to Him "a purchased people" (I Peter ii., 9). "
JudeMarian
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My opinion ... Jesus outranks Obama and Oprah. The Pope outranks them both too. Does that make me unpatriotic? Or do I just have my priorities in line with God's agenda rather than man's? 
Perhaps the state has no business making theological calls. That sounds apt enough. But I think this call has already been made, and it wasn't the state that made it. 