“The Unintended Reformation” Reduced

Brad Gregory’s just-so story The Unintended Reformation is a tale in which evangelical religion is cast as something of a cross between between the Grinch and the Onceler, and the “sacramental cosmos,” the lost object of Catholic cathexis, is a sort of cross between Christmas and the valley of the Truffula trees. It has received a number of well-deservedly trenchant responses. We ourselves offered some glosses on Carl Trueman’s fine review of the book.  Immanent Frame has just posted two very worthwhile and withering reviews, one by Dr. Ian Hunter, expert in early modern Protestant political doctrine.  Dr Hunter is exactly right to point out how Dr. Gregory, like so many Catholic writers, uses “sacramental” as an overarching category without any real definition or critical reflection, and yet tries– very unsuccessfully– to make it it do a great deal of work.