Only One King
Sayers's The Man Born to Be King
At Regent College I’m teaching “Reading as a Spiritual Practice,” drawn from my Reading for the Love of God, but in particular from the bookmark on Dorothy L. Sayers and how she read the Bible. In preparation for the course, I was re-reading The Man Born to Be King, Sayers’s cycle of plays based on the life of Christ which aired on the BBC from Dec 1941- Oct 1942. There are many ways an artist could have approached an adaptation of the Gospels; for instance, The Chosen is likely different in theme from Sayers’s plays (I have to admit that I’ve never seen it). For Sayers, influenced by the war on the European continent with fascist dictators contending for power, she emphasizes Christ as KING.
If we consider the four Gospels, none of them stresses the antagonism between the worldly King Herod and the eternal King Jesus as much as Sayers does. Matthew begins with Jesus’ genealogy; Mark with John the Baptist, the last prophet; Luke briefly mentions “In the time of King Herod;” and John is rather poetic allusion to Genesis.
But Sayers opens her play with the world as the stage and a boy crying out, “God save King Herod!” Three kings (the magi) are on their way to visit Herod to locate the “King of the Jews” intimated by the star that they have followed. “We are Magi, humble searchers after the hidden Wisdom,” speaks the king named Caspar. They describe this Wisdom as a newborn prince, a priest, and king over all of Rome.
Herod advises the three kings to teach this new king: “You cannot rule men by love…. Only three things will govern a people—fear, greed, and the promise of security.” He sounds right to our modern ears. Just look at how ineffective the church is in culture. Look at how desperately citizens seem to need a strong ruler to put them in line. They need a champion, not a victim; a hero, not a lover.
The Magi visit the baby in the home of an inn keeper, describing it as more holy than King Herod’s Temple. All three recognize how different the atmosphere around where Jesus Christ has been born. They cry out—in opposition to the earlier scenes praising Herod— “Hail Jesus, King of the Jews! Hail Jesus, King of the World! Hail Jesus, King of Heaven!”
The Kingship of Christ will not be a worldly success. We already know the end of the story—his people will overthrow him; a coup led by one of his most trusted disciples will lead to his conviction as a Roman criminal, and he will be hung on a tree. Yet, he will establish a holy kingdom.
We have to choose daily which Kingdom is our inheritance, which King we desire to rule us. Voting may be every four years, but electing our King is a daily (maybe minute by minute) decision. While people may require leadership by fear, greed, or security to stay in line or serve obediently their appointed dictator, we can rebel, choosing instead a holy kingdom in which our hearts are ruled by love.
I recently posted on Twitter: “I wish I cared about politics.”
What I meant is that politics has become such a circus that demands way too much of our focus. I think we should attend more to the circles of influence where we can practice love and be formed by what’s worth loving. The world will try to suck us in to the machinations of Herod and get our emotions riled up by the warring parties. All I can recommend is that instead, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.”
Book Recommendations
As another school year begins, I wanted to recommend some campus novels. If you’re an academic, you may want to read a few of these satires about some of the silly things that accompany our profession: Straight Man by Richard Russo is a funny romp through an English departments’ politics; A.S. Byatt’s Possession is inspiring and beautiful—a romance between fictional nineteenth-century poets (think the Brownings); Death Comes for the Deconstructionist is a mystery that takes a supernatural turn (written by my friend Dan Taylor, and it’s book one in a trilogy); and Telephone by Percival Everett (my husband read it, and I didn’t but I enjoy Everett’s other novels). If you click on this image it will take you to my Twitter thread where people have recommended 50+ other novels about the academic life.
During election season, people are going to recommend all sorts of political books. JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy just made number one bestseller. Although I thought the memoir enlightening, I’d recommend books that supposedly influenced him, such as The Lord of the Rings and Walker Percy’s novels. I was quoted accurately in Politico, but incorrectly paraphrased (I have no thoughts on Vance’s politics regarding international involvement).
My favorite political novel would be Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men.
For nonfiction, I’d have to recommend Kaitlyn Schiess’s The Ballot and the Bible. I found the chapter about the American Revolution particularly thought-provoking, as I had assumed the biblical soundness of American Founders without considering the biblical soundness of those who remained loyal to Britain. This book will pull you out of the pressure mounted on this political moment and remind you of a larger story that you’re in, where Christians have been debating how to interpret and live out God’s Word throughout this history of this country.
What books about politics are you reading right now? Fiction or nonfiction? Old or new?
Upcoming Events
At Pepperdine right now, the library is exhibiting the work of Steve Prince, the illustrator for my Flannery O’Connor’s Why do the Heathen Rage? It’s beautifully done, and I’m so proud to work at a university that partners with me.
In September, I’ll be speaking in Indiana from my chapter included in the upcoming Habits of Hope. I’m writing on writing as a spiritual practice that encourages us in the virtues of hope, even in the world where AI tempts the majority of our students (and maybe our colleagues and pastors too). I know I’m going to learn so much from the other presenters.
In October, Davey Henreckson has planned a phenomenal conference at the Weyerhaeuser Center at Whitworth College, including Jonathan Tran, Beth Allison Barr, Malcolm Foley, James K.A. Smith, and Eric Gregory. I’m so excited!
And, it’s that time again—the CATHOLIC IMAGINATION CONFERENCE is being held at the University of Notre Dame in partnership with the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. If you’ve attended these before (they happen every two years), you won’t want to miss this one!
I look forward to seeing you this fall if you’re in New Jersey, Indiana, Spokane, or Southern California! God bless!