One should not be surprised, given Peter Leithart’s track record, that something as imaginative as the Trinity Institute for Biblical, Liturgical , and Cultural Studies is to be formed in Birmingham, AL. But it is nonetheless an extraordinary event that should be celebrated not only among the Reformed, but all Christians should see this as a welcomed development for the renewal of the ministry and the church. The refusal to separate biblical teaching from its proper home in liturgy is a wonderful development. Moreover, for people in the Reformed tradition to recover the catholicity of the church obviously has important ecumenical implications. Given how it’s understood in the Institute’s proposal, I can even affirm that experiment they call “Christendom” if Christ is indeed at the center. All I would ask is for Ceasars to abide by the commitments of Romans 12. This new endeavor of Peter Leithart will be, and should be, widely supported.
Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke University
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