September 9, 2020
Catholic theologian Douglas Farrow and Lutheran political scientist Andrew Bush join the show to discuss recent essays on coronavirus lockdowns and assess the reasons for and prospects for civil disobedience.
In “The Health First Heresy,” Farrow examines the response of the Catholic Church and other Christian leaders to state orders to end corporate worship. Whatever concessions the church may make to the state regarding the conditions in which worship takes place, the church cannot simply suspend its appropriate activities indefinitely until the state gives its permission.
In “The Limits of Expertise,” Bush assesses how “following the experts” (which experts? In what areas?) has gotten us this far, and considers his position as a politician as an expert. He points out the danger of acting as if it were a substitute for knowledge.
content
[8:30] “The heresy of health first.” Prioritizing the soul over the body
[17:29] Make a sound decision or suspend corporate worship indefinitely. To what extent can the church make concessions to the state in matters of worship?
[23:37] We must realize that the world is run by people who despise religious worship
[32:09] Areas where church and state authority overlap
[40:08] The modern desire for total control exceeds the desire to avoid suffering.
[42:58] Religious leaders need to plan for their next excuse to close worship services
[49:56] Ask me — which scientist? In what field?
[56:30] Expert track record
[58:56] Legal implications of accepting lockdown
[62:47] Shifting the goalposts from “flattening the curve” to eliminating all cases
[1:04:13] Rules by experts contradict consent of the rulers.
[1:07:47] Other motivations behind the lockdown
[1:10:29] Why you need to start coordinated civil disobedience now – no need to wait for a vaccine
[1:21:06] Balancing resistance to irrational fears with appropriate precautions
link
Douglas Farrow, “The Health First Heresy”
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/08/07/the-health-first-heresy/
Andrew Bush “The Limits of Expertise” https://americanmind.org/essays/the-limits-of-expertise/
Douglas Farrow attends Catholic World Report https://www.catholicworldreport.com/author/farrow-douglas/
Andrew Bush, in American Mind https://americanmind.org/author/andrew-busch/
and Claremont Book Review https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/author/andrew-e-busch/
Eve Simon Episode 56 general theory of authority
https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-56-vindicating-authority-aquinas-guilbeau-op/
Scott Hambrick in Episode 27 and Online Great Books
https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/episode-27-always-wanted-to-study-great-books-heres-how-youll-actually-follow-through-scott-hambrick/
Online Great Books opens a new registration period on October 13th. Get 25% off your first 3 months when you join the waitlist using this referral link. https://hj424.isrefer.com/go/ogbmemberships/tmirus/
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