https://wmbriggs.com/post/32712/Since we "talked a little treason" in today's reflection, this might make a good follow-up piece, albeit a bit dense. Catholic Integralism is not alone - there are reflexions of it to be found in the political Orthodox community (which takes a lot of cues from political Catholics) as well as in (largely) Protestant Dominionism.
It all boils down to questions of authority and the neighbour/enemy distinctions at the heart of Christian living. "He who careth not for his own... is worse than an infidel".
We as Christians have to choose how we will engage with the political order, and the degree to which we legitimize it. The American Bishops, Catholic and Orthodox alike, have shown they are largely prepared to completely legitimize the secular order. There are some outliers (like Bp. Strickland), but by and large both the Coronavirus panic and the race riots have been legitimized by the silence or endorsement of most ecclesiastical leaders in the English-speaking world. How do we deal with this? By considering the neighbour/enemy distinction.
