The Roots of American Order Book Club

Chapter VIII - The Constitution of the Church and State

O = 

R = 



D  = 

E = 

R =  

Dear Cindy,


I am not ready for this week's book club *meeting* on Tuesday (4/10), and am posting this Lancaster/York bouquet with a request for a week's Spring Break.


Love, Dana

Easter Collect

O God, who for our redemption didst give thine only-begotten Son to the death of the Cross,

and by his glorious resurrection hast delivered us from the power of our enemy;

Grant us so to die daily from sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection;

through the same thy Son Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Poetry Month 2012

Someday I hope to create my own poetry anthology.  In the meantime, every April I try and highlight a few that I encountered throughout the  year.  

Here's the link to the ones for 2012...

at Hiddenart (Xanga).

The Roots of American Order Book Club
Chapter VII - The Reformers' Drum


If you have never read this book and think you dont have the time, please reconsider.  We're making it easier for you.  Read Cindy's applications as well as others.  Here's the link to our roundtable discussion.

Origins =  Humanism gained ground.  The primary representative of this new-found religion was a count, one Pico della Mirandola, who borrowed philosophical tenets from Plato, Christianity, and sorcery,  He wrote The Dignity of Man, a manifesto declaring man's god-like capabilities.  This philosophy found expression in churchmen like Erasmus in The Netherlands and Thomas More in England.  Five centuries later America's poet Ralph Waldo Emerson would echo Mirandola's sentiments. 





Reformers = Kirk diplomatically explains that both Protestants (Luther's 95 Theses) and Catholics (Council of Trent) reacted to the excesses of the Renaissance culture which exalted man's egoism (humanism).  Renaissance concupiscence, power politics, and pagan worldview contrasted with the Reformation's Christian morality, principles of justice and freedom, and Biblical worldview.  What started as debates among theologians became a forever breach in Christendom.



Divine Comedy  = makes me think of the Lord, our God, laughing as in Psalm 2 at all this earthly turmoil.  In fact, Kirk wants us to recognize Dante Alighieri, a most imaginative poet.  That Divine Comedy joined scholastic philosophy and medieval imagery synthesizing knowledge and belief.  I have never read this great poem, but aim to acquire not only John Ciardi's translation but also Anthony Esolen's.

Ecclesiastical Eruptions = Knotty questions starting with Mirandola's 900, spurred by Luther's Bondage of the Will, and systematized by Calvin's Institutes effected the break from The Pope, most notably in King Henry VIII's boldness and the establishment of The Church of England.  This seems to be the beginning of today's myriad of Christian denominations.

Renegade Churchmen = Kirk gives us Richard Hooker and John Knox, both fascinating minds who fathered national churches, The Church of England and the Church of Scotland, respectively.  Hooker, more moderate, was the proponent of "via media" (a throwback to Aristole's "golden mean") which characteristic is very English to us Americans.  Knox, a more forceful personality, preached incessantly against the wickedness of the Church (Kingly) Establishment in favor of Biblical Authority.  

Ever interested in history, I am truly appreciating Dr. Kirk's even-handed survey. It so explains me, as I was reared Anglican (I love, love, the Book of  Common Prayer) and became Presbyterian (The Westminster Confession of Faith answered more questions than The 39 Articles) at age twenty.  Our family roots are Scotch-Irish.  We've been Americans since the War for Independence.   


Marching to that different drum,  it's gonna be hard to uproot me.




Added later ~ 
In honor of National Poetry Month, here is a Link to a 16th century poet who marched to a different drum and made a difference:  Marguerite de Navarre

The Roots of American Order
 Chapter VII Favorite Quote

Rather, colonial America generally shared the Reformers' detestation of Renaissance notions and ways.

The early Renaissance they rejected as the blending of a resurrection of licentious paganism with a corrupted Catholicism.  page 228

What commenced as a debate about theological questions and church discipline soon made an open breach in Christendom; and there followed a century and a half of devastation, the Wars of Religion, Catholic against Protestant, and one Protestant sect against another.

In the name of the Son of Man, the Redeemer, zealots took the sword against other Christians, illustrating practically the Christian dogma that all men are sinners.

Yet out of that long agony of religious fanaticism (mingled with national political rivalries, class warfare, and ruthless private ambitions) emerged the religious pluralism and toleration of the United States.  page 232


Illustration Information ~
Portrait of Leo X
by Raphael
Oil on Wood, 61 in x 47 in

The Roots of American Order Book Club

 Chapter VI - The Light of the Middle Ages 


Reading along with Cindy and others, I hope our conversation informs and inspires.  


Here's my *orderly* synopsis ~


Origins = 

Gallia est divisa in tres partes: Normans, Anglo-Saxons, and Franks.  Toss seafaring Norse/Vikings into the mix and we can all trace our roots.  These folks conquered the island, if you will, and established a town.


Situated on a large navigable river, London became The Center not only for the administration of Roman authority in faraway Britannia, but also for the development of commerce:  a "nation of shopkeepers" spawning sailors, soldiers, lawgivers, and poets.



Rule of Law = The law, which is no respecter of persons, stands supreme.  This legality cannot be overstated.  The rule was hard-won, but it illuminated the Dark Ages. The Roman Corpus Juris, the English De Legibus Angliae, and Sir William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England are featured in this section.  Coupled with the development and refinement of common law, The Reign continues today, albeit encumbered.  Those who ignore the law harm society and themselves.  Sometime those who stand up for the law get hurt.

Declarations  = Documents like the Magna Carta and lesser writs addressing parliaments, impeachment, electors, contracts, and taxation gave birth to what is now known as representative government.  More Latin here - Quod omnes tangit ab omnibus approbetur - wise words with current application.  I hate to give Hollywood any credit for teaching history, but I have to mention the most recent Robin Hood movie (2010).  I really liked it because it dramatically drove home the plight of the people who sparked the signing of the Magna Carta.   Feudalism framed the vast canvas of this era.

Education = two English universities and three Scottish ones established during this period exist to this day.  Kirk's alma mater, St Andrew, boasts a small foundation writ large in America.  Providentially, I encountered Kirk at my alma mater, Hillsdale College.  The medieval university was an independent corporation unlike our modern ones whose hands are tied to government funding and whose policies promote diversity. Nowadays American institutions of higher learning do not resemble their origins.


Religious Crusaders = our squire-author is knight-errant himself in the fullest, most complimentary sense of both terms: a scholar and a gentleman engaged in adventure and tragedy (disappointment) whose object was to rescue his country and faith from invaders within and without.  Heroes from this era inspired American leaders like Sir Walter Raleigh, Captain John Smith, President George Washington, and General Robert E Lee.  These stories make interesting biographies.


We are at the halfway point, having read six of the twelve chapters.  Here's a link to our schedule.


Hope you will join the conversation (link).

The Roots of American Order Book Club

 Chapter V - The Genius of Christianity

Nothing drove home the message of this chapter more than viewing  Passages  (link to website) this past weekend. 


Passages (link to newspaper review) is an exhibition honoring the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible and is considered a 'tour de force' of the most-banned, most-debated, best-selling book of all time.

That's why I went twice and hope to go again.


Preserving the written revelation of God to man through human scribes is an arduous journey, as narrated by Kirk in this chapter and as demonstrated by  The Green Family of Hobby Lobby fame.


It's encouraging to see such concrete testimony to one of the roots of American order.


Furthermore, there is an associated speaker series  which may provide me the opportunity to hear culture-maker Andy Crouch on May 1st. 


Now for my acrostic ~ 


Origins = Jesus, The Incarnate God, is The Genius, if I can be so presumptious as to call Him such.  We (bookclubbers) all know He is incomparable, but Kirk relates how others came to know Him.  I always like reading about that, making this section particularly enjoyable.


Rebirth = Reordering the soul through the power of the Gospel created new beings with a fresh outlook on life.  It affected how they saw themselves and how they related to others in their society.  Because Kirk had explained previously how lack of order in citizens' souls contributes to the downfalls of civilizations, it was inspiring to read how the tap root of Christianity was planted; and to recognize how difficult it will be to uproot it.


Dogma  = confident Christian creed. Two were established during the time period:  the Nicene and the Apostles'.  Practically speaking, these helped codify the faith and cohere the followers.  Crucial!


Experience = eternal life - the promise of this immortality was the most appealing concept or powerful attraction for espousing the teachings of Christ.  Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, a product of old school, ancient philosophy and Roman high virtue wrote extensively.  His influential works, Confessions and City of God, excoriated the dilemma of how to live with one another and with the State.



Resurrection = Rome began to flourish again, to transcend the circumstances of time, mainly due to Christianity.  Church leaders (bishops/popes) came to this city eternalized by the martyrdoms of disciples Peter and Paul.  The classical world had a habit of referring to this city for direction.  Pope Gregory preached and pastored at the end of this time period.  Also known as Gregory the Great, his efforts built the bridge that allowed Christian patrimony to cross over, spreading faith and culture... all the way to America.


Reflecting on Kirk's efforts to preserve the roots of American order creates clearer vision for me.


I wonder if Scott Green has read Kirk.


Or Kirk Cameron?


Cameron's new film, Monumental, (movie link) scheduled for release next Tuesday, March 27th, appears to be another concrete testimony to American order.


Supporting these two cultural endeavors translates into watering our thirsty roots.


Let's do it!

The Roots of American Order:Chapter V
Favorite Quote 


In light of the current political climate, that is, a presidential election year, I read and re-read the final paragraph of The Genius of Christianity, because it gives me hope.

Christianity prescribes no especial form of politics.  The Church has co-existed with monarchies, autocracies, aristocracies, oligarchies, republics, democracies, and even some of the 20th century totalist regimes.  Yet if Christian belief be general among a people, then any political domination is affected by Christian teachings about the moral order.  That moral order works upon the political order.  Christian concepts of justice, charity, community, and duty may transform a society without any abrupt alteration of governmental framework.  The worth of the person, the equality of all men before the judgment-seat of God, the limitations upon all earthly authority - such convictions as these would shape the American Republic.

Like author Eric Metaxas recently gave President Obama copies of two of his books, Bonhoeffer and Amazing Grace (about Wilberforce), and like Russell Kirk supplied reading material to several presidents and presidential candidates,  I want to give to Mrs. Obama, Mrs. Romney, Mrs. Gringrich, Mrs. Santorum, and Mrs. Paul copies of The Roots of American Order.


Think I would be wasting my time and money?

The Roots of American Order Book Club

Chapter IV - Virtue and Power: The Roman Tension


This week's book club topic coincides with the Ides of March and I am entertained by that fact.  In celebration, I shall re-watch a recent film so named.*  As a former congressional staffer/campaigner, I can not only relate to the drama but also testify to its plausibility.

But first my acrostic of the assignment.

Origins = Etruscan kings whose subjects modeled high virtue, thereby conquering nations on 3 continents and establishing Pax Romana.

Republic = Cicero's famous writings that informed American Founders on juridical doctrine as they sought to write our American Constitution.  It was their required reading.


Divine mission was idealized by several Roman writers, especially Virgil whose key concepts of labor, pietas, and fatum sought to make Roman culture an ideal.  I struggled to read the Aeneid in high school Latin class, but my *sieve got wet.*


Exemplar = emperors, rulers and politicians who were examples, archetypes, of heroic leadership, especially Stoic Marcus Aurelius, a reforming conservative very familiar to our Founders.  The lists of suggested readings by chapter plus the footnotes and end notes alone make The Roots of American Order an invaluable resource.  Who knew Anthony Trollope wrote about Cicero?



Ruins =  reminders, beautiful and stately as they are, that failings in the order of the commonwealth coupled with certain deficiences in the inner order of the soul spell disintegration.  Kirk gives specifics in this final section that eerily correlate to current times.  May we not be doomed to repeat history.


Bonus photo is of my nephew and his beautiful wife who are stationed in Italy and had the chance to visit Rome.  

I'll bet those ruins are speaking loudly to this US Army soldier.


and


I wonder if he's read any of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations?





Perhaps watching Charlton Heston in Julius Caesar would be more fitting (instructive). 



Added Later:  I ended up watching the 1953 version with Marlon Brando.


And here's the link to our moderator's synopsis of The Roman Tension.




*warning-bad language

The Roots of American Order:Chapter IV
Favorite Quote 

Mankind can endure anything but boredom. 

Kirk's comment (pg 132) is very telling.


We all, especially mothers, should take note, and make sure to teach the fate of bores.


Bored, boring, bores, boredom ~ 


Here's a link to some of my *boring* thoughts.


Here's what Emily Post has to say about being bored.

There is no reason why you should be bored when you can be otherwise.

But if you find yourself sitting in the hedgerow with nothing but weeds,

there is no reason for shutting your eyes and seeing nothing,

instead of finding what beauty you may in the weeds. 

Last but not least, here's a link to Kirk's The Architecture of Servitude and Boredom from his book Redeeming the Time. 


It behooves us to understand the enemy called *Boredom*

The Roots of American Order Book Club


Chapter III - The Glory and The Ruin:The Greek World

Origins = Hellenes who at the height of their power had conquered and ruled much of the known world.  Not exactly Hollywood Elite, but establishes my theme.


Regimented = militaristic city/states (polis) requiring big budgets to maintain.  *Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous* comes to mind.


Deities = disorderly, raucous characters who really saved no one from any thing.  The residents of Mount Olympus could have staged a long-running soap opera/reality show.


Experience = cautionary tale:  American Founders learned *What Not to Wear* from the Greeks, like class conflict, internecine violence, private/public arrogance, imperial vainglory.


Recovery = litany of poet/philosophers all proposing better ways, all failing to save Greek culture/society/civilization.  Think of the credits at the end of a movie.  There really are too many to list, but I love pronouncing their names.


Of the five sections within Chapter III, I think the final one (Aristotle and Political Forms) might be the most instructive for us today because Kirk succinctly describes the Greeks' attempts at various forms of government, comparing and contrasting  their virtuous forms with their degenerate deviations.  


Whereas religious convictions undergird a society at the most fundamental level,  they play out differently when administered (manifested) by the civil authority, be it monarchy, oligarchy,  or democracy.  The Greeks never got the religion thing *right*.


"The Greek idea of political and social balance, as the Americans found it expressed by Aristotle and Polybius and Plutarch, was incorporated directly into the American Constitutions,"  says Kirk.


Unfortunately, we (inheritors of said document) are now way.out.of.balance.

On this Super Tuesday, I hope those exercising their right to vote have read some Russell Kirk.

His insight will help all of us understand the consequences of today's primaries.


Read how fellow book-clubbers are applying Kirk's advice.

The Roots of American Order:Chapter III
Favorite Quote 

I'm still trying to decide which/what Greek trait to emulate most often.

In the meantime, my favorite quote comes from the section entitled The Cave and the Dust-Storm.

The wisdom and virtue necessary

 for contending successfully 

against a sea of troubles

 rarely are found united in one man.

Book club hostess Cindy's favorite topic seems to be  *moderation* aka The Golden Mean.  Dont miss reading her commentary.




Illustration ~
Alexander fighting Persian king Darius III. 

From Alexander Mosaic

Museo Archeologico Nazionale

Pompeii, Naples

Order/Membership

This word *order* implies membership:  an order is something that one belongs to.

All American citizens are born into this American order, or else are formally naturalized into it.

Active participation in this order is both a right and an obligation, and whether this order improves or decays must depend upon the quality of that participation.

Russell Kirk
In God's Own Good Time:
Reflections Upon American Order
The Intercollegiate Review, Spring 1973

The Roots of American Order:Perspective

Following are three clips from Chapter II of our online book club.

Keeping them in mind is helping me keep Kirk's landscape in proper perspective .

What picture, you say?

Remember the painting whose colors we are refreshing? (page 8 Chapter I)

The one on the right is of Dr. Kirk walking through a field....

it was painted in 1985, by a college friend of mine:

Deborah Melvin (now Beisner)





Although America is no Bible state, without some knowledge of the Bible, the fabric of American order cannot be understood tolerably well. (pg 22) 

All the more reason for all Americans, believers and non-believers to read The Bible in school.

Without venturing rashly here into the labyrinths of biblical scholarship, it is possible to describe the prophets' enduring significance for modern men, and to suggest how deeply interwoven with the fabric of American order this prophetic teaching remains. (pg 30)

This is why I am not so concerned about two Isaiahs or whether Micah or Hosea said it.

Historically speaking, such are the Hebraic roots of American order, whether or not the reader of this book wholly accepts the Law and the Prophets.  To undertake Jewish or Christian apologetics - that is, to undertake a theological defense of these beliefs on the basis of reason - is beyond our present purpose and beyond the limitations of space. (pg 38)

Kirk's purpose for writing Roots was to assist the renewal of the structure of America's order and improve it with love and prudence, in God's own good time.

For your further enjoyment, I am sharing a link to Gleaves Whitney's review of The Roots of American Order:Jerusalem.  Listed below are his main points associated with this city of symbolic of divine wisdom and the ways in which the Jews permanently changed the human estate.

1. The Hebrews' most basic insight:  religion is the bedrock of culture.
2. The Bible - the most influential assemblage of books in human history?
3. Moral Order
4. Monotheism
5. Human Rights of each individual
6. Freedom
7. A "chosen" with a Covenant and a "Manifest Destiny"
8. Judgment of the Nations
9. Remnant
10. Linear conception of time

Roots of American Order, book club posts, and Russell Kirk are peppering my everyday conversation and enlightening my take on current politics.

How about you?

The Roots of American Order Book Club
Chapter II - The Law and The Prophets

Welcome to my living room, ladies!


On this sofa is where I imagine some of you would sit, if we were gathering  physically in time and space for book club.


There is lots of room, seating for a crowd.  


So, dont be shy about speaking up aka commenting.


I decided to continue with an acrostic-like synopsis of the weekly assignment and plugged in some key words from Chapter II.


O - Origins
Levantine seeds from the Hebrews -> Israelites -> Jews were planted in new soil,  have germinated, flowered, grown and developed, producing a strong, healthy tree in a new land.

R - Revelation
The unveiling of truths that man could not have obtained from simple experience in this world is how we know.

D - Diety
There is only one.  He is just.  His name is YAHWEH -> Jehovah. He is for all people.

E - Establish
The Law - Decalogue, Pentateuch, Torah, The Bible - as articulated by seers who gave clear ethical meaning to human existence
R - Root
The high contribution of Israelites to modern society is the understanding that all true law comes from God; and that God is the source of order and justice.  The validity of this body of beliefs is determined by pragmatic evidence:  survival through the centuries and continuing relevance.


Americans inherited this understanding.


Without this legacy the human condition would be unendurable for many.


Therefore, I feel a duty to honor this foundation by sharing the message.


Read here about my favorite section from Chapter II.

The Roots of American Order

Chapter II - The Law and the Prophets

Comfort food might be an unlikely category for classifying this week's book club reading assignment, but that's where I place this section based on the way I felt after reading it.

I'm illustrating my commentary with a picture of what I prepared for Sunday dinner.

Shepherd's pie made from leftover venison pot roast
and sweet potato souffle,
freshly steamed broccoli,
buttered multi-grain bread
and a glass of Chilean red wine.

Am I keeping your attention?

Both endeavors required forethought, planning, labor, waiting, and consummation, leaving me with an intense feeling of satisfaction and strengthening.

It was worthwhile work.

Section Five Under God in Time and History was my favorite portion of the six sections in Chapter II because Kirk explained the Hebrew sense of time (psychic) in comparison to others or Greek (linear).  Which in turn explains how I can know that Christ knew my name when He was hanging on the cross and paying the debt for my sins, even though I was not yet born.

Furthermore, Kirk differentiated between sacred and secular histories, extrapolating the concept that it (experience and affairs) is not all about us, but all about Him (YAHWEH).

These two ideas comfort me (hence the categorization) because I recognize that I am part of the order of the people under the Covenant with God who will survive (the current presidential election process, if you will), even if America does not.

That's what matters.

So, repair to THE TAP ROOT created and nourished by the Old Testament aka the Law and the Prophets.

 for the purpose of

• understanding
• maintaining
• renewing

our country's moral order ~

*

* inscription of my copy of The Roots of American Order

The Roots of American Order Book Club


Chapter I - O.R.D.E.R., The First Need of All

Acrostically speaking I have outlined what I expect to learn by reading Russell Kirk's survey with Cindy's online book club.


O - Origins
Who, What, Where, When, and How - 
Granted I may already be familiar with the answers to these crucial questions, but it behooves me to revisit the stories.  Repetition is good.
R - Recognition
I don't want to miss the road signs (beliefs and laws) so I'm studying the map (worldview) again. And I wonder if I could give good directions to a fellow traveler.
D - Direction
While I've never felt aimless and lost like the example given by Simone Weil, I want to make sure my path and pattern are impervious to disorder.  Read Cindy's use of this term in her recent post on parenting. Also, remember Dr. Kirk suggests that understanding disorder is a way of grasping the meaning of order. 
E - Establish
Individual and societal arrangements are designed to be systematic and harmonious for the benefit of everyone.  Where do I get my sense of order?  In my own home how do I imitate order/orderliness?  Are the roots of these arrangements well-established, i.e healthy and growing? Or in need of fertilizer and/or water?
R - Refresh
Thinking of Lady Mary of Downton Abbey fame (when she's contemplating furnishing a new home with Sir Richard) and speaking figuratively myself, I'm fortunate to have an inheritance - the *picture* of these United States of America - and a role in a new chapter of our manor (country). 


As Kirk advises, it's time to clean up the painting: to remove the varnish*, preserve it's form and outlines, and thereby see the vision more clearly.


Only then can we discover the the light in the picture that will invigorate healthy growth.


Dr. Kirk's The Roots of American Order is a perfect guide.






*Postscript
In the 1940s, the varnish was removed from this famous Rembrandt painting that I'm using as an illustration for my commentary on this first book club post.  After hundreds of years believing the setting was at night, the art world had to revamp their thinking to militiamen gathering for a daytime march.


Click here for a visit to the Rijksmuseum's website and more information about erroneously known as the  Night Watch.

The Roots of American Order Book Club

Online book club hostessed by Cindy Rollins starts Tuesday, February 21st.

Secure a copy of this valuable book even if you can't participate.

Display it prominently in your home.

There are few books which so carefully explain the fabric of the society in which we live.

Andrew Kern says ~

"This may be one of the most important history/civics books for an American young person to read."

I say ~

The Roots of American Order is foundational to understanding our times and is crucial, no vital, reading for anyone who is voting in this year's Presidential election.

When I first heard the title and met the author in September 1975, I was overwhelmed with the breadth and depth of his knowledge.

That's why I am looking forward to revisiting Kirk's expostion of what holds America together.

Join us?



PS  Blue dust jacket is from my 1975 First Edition, 2nd Printing and does not include the forward by Forrest McDonald that is included in newer editions.  However, I can read it on my Kindle edition (read Happy Valentine's Day to me!)