Richard John Neuhaus at the First Things blog relates the following:
[Senator Sam]Brownback tells a story about a chaplain who challenged a group of senators to reconsider their conception of democracy. “How many constituents do you have?” the chaplain asked. The senators answered: 4 million, 9 million, 12 million. “May I suggest,” the chaplain replied, “that you have only one constituent?”
Brownback pauses. That moment, he declares, changed his life. “This”—being senator, running for president, waving the flag of a Christian nation—”is about serving one constituent.” He raises a hand and points above him.
Mr. Sullivan comments: “And so conservatism slowly dies in America, replaced by religious fanaticism.”
I can easily imagine Andrew Sullivan if he was blogging during the Reformation saying the same thing to St. Thomas More’s "The King’s good servant, but God’s first." Of course I am sure Mr. Sullivan would have had other arguments with St.Thomas More anyway. Thomas More was willing to submit his body rather than deny Catholic truths, while Mr. Sullivan is willing to submit to his body and deny Catholic truths.
Besides what is the point of holding any philosophy that does not keep God in mind? If you think your idea of a conservatism doesn’t serve the ultimate truth which is God, then it would be good if your conservatism dies.
As a side note Fr. Neuhaus’ constant reminder to subscribe to First Things finally induced me to subscribe. I have been lurking on free back issues for years instead of subscribing.
15 comments
At least Andrew Sullivan is consistent.
More. not Moor.
One of my favorite saints, too. DId you see that Dawn just discovered him?
I love my senator!
Yes, even for us non-politicians, we sometimes lose sight of our singular Constituent. Something tells me that “I served my political party well.” and “I was reelected, over and over again.” are not going to be acceptible excuses on the Last Day.
I’ve subscribed to First Things for years. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to each issue. That’s why I am SO thrilled with the First Things blog. The wait between issues was just too long for me.
Andrew Sullivan’s review of Peter Ackroyd’s magnificent biography of St. Thomas More gave me a strong incentive to buy the book.
A great post, Jeff, and for me an ironic one.
For anyone interested, Sullivan’s review of the Ackroyd More biography can be found at:
http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/10/25/reviews/981025.25sullivt.html
You know, I’ve never liked First Things. I can’t get over the idea that a man who is ordained to the Catholic priesthood, with the power to confect the Blessed Sacrament and to absolve sins, can’t find any better use for his time than to edit a magazine which prints the opinions of Episcopalians and Buddhists. It’s been my opinion from the start that when Neuhaus converted he understood everything about the Church except that he no longer had the option to pick and choose what he’d believe. As far as I know he still hasn’t explained the universal-salvation flap satisfactorily.
Thomas More gets no sympathy from me, nor should his “martyrdom” engender any excessive sympathy from any quater. He presided over the trials and imprisonments of over 40 protestant “heretics,” had another 6 burned at the stake, and spent much of his career post-1525 trying to hunt down William Tyndale who had the audacity to translate the Bible into English. Then he refuses to acknowledge the king as the head of the Catholic church in England on the grounds of “freedom of conscience,” is executed, and then beatified by good ol’ Pope “I have the powers and authoritah that makes all the peoples fall down” Pius IX. Sheesh…what goes around comes around.
A couple of things.
Mr Tyndale’s Bible is full of error which is why they were looking for him. Think of heresy this way: Heresy is grand theft of the soul. Is there a more heinous crime?
I have to say that the conversion to Catholicism of Sam Brownback and his subsequent witness has been refreshing. Imagine God first! I am proud to have him as my senator.
As Lord Chancellor, it was More’s duty to hunt down heretics and have them tried. If they were found guilty, they were imprisoned. If they were recidivists, then they were sent to the stake. That was the law at the time.
BTW, it is intersting to note that Thomas More, Bishop John Fisher, and William Tyndale are listed in the Anglican calendar as martyrs.
mrp and JimC,
You aren’t being far to Marc.
He made a very good point. Thomas More is rightly hailed for putting his conscience above the laws of England. But it is a fact that he died for breaking the very same kind of law he had others punished for while he was Lord Chancellor.
You can’t hail More as a martyr without condemning those who killed him. But what about the ‘recidivists’ who were judicially murdereed while More served as Chancellor?
But it is a fact that he died for breaking the very same kind of law he had others punished for while he was Lord Chancellor.
And what law did he break?
Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher were declared as martyrs by both the Holy See and the CoE. As I recall, the Pope did excommunicate Henry VIII. I’ll go along with that.
And even Richard Rich didn’t accuse Thomas More of heresy.
Don’t get too carried away with Robert Bolt’s characterisation of Thomas More, worthy though that is. More’s speech from the dock is very clear; he died because he refused to bend to Henry’s declaration of himself as Head of the Church, which was “directly repugnant to the Law of God”. More wasn’t primarily a martyr to “conscience” but to divinely revealed truth, i.e. “You are Peter and upon this rock” etc. (Matthew 16:18)
Sen. Brownback rocks! It’s the best part about being from Kansas!