Today, JD Vance said Pope Leo has bad theology. It brought to mind something David Bentley Hart said years ago 👇
"Most Americans think of themselves as Christians, but the only religion in America that ever flourished was America. And it twists everything into its own image ... the American religion, which is about civil order, prosperity, capitalism, a moral code that is not premised on forgiveness so much as upon judgement."
And in the same paragraph, on converts 👇
"[L]ike converts everywhere, to everything, the version of the religion to which they converted they cling to more fiercely than people who were born Orthodox. For them it's an ideology they've adopted, so it must be pure. And because they're evangelicals, that also means simplified, inflexible and cruel."
JD Vance sharply responds to Pope Leo XIV:
“When the Pope says God is never on the side of those who wield the sword, there is more than a thousand-year tradition of Just War Theory in Christianity.”
“Just as I have to be careful when speaking about public policy as Vice President, the Pope should be very careful when speaking about theology.”
“If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, it must be anchored in truth. That’s what I strive for, and it’s exactly what we should expect from the clergy, Catholic or Protestant.”