Peter James Leithart (born 1959) is an American
author
In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
,
minister, and
theologian
Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...
, who serves as president of
Theopolis Institute for Biblical, Liturgical, & Cultural Studies in Birmingham, Alabama. He previously served as Senior Fellow of Theology and Literature as well as
Dean of Graduate Studies at
New Saint Andrews College.
He was selected by the
Association of Reformed Institutions of Higher Education to be one of the organization's 2010–2012 Lecturers. He is the author of
commentaries on the
Book of Kings, the
Book of Samuel, the
Books of Chronicles
The Book of Chronicles ( , "words of the days") is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Chronicles) in the Christian Old Testament. Chronicles is the final book of the Hebrew Bible, concluding the third section of the Jewish Ta ...
, the
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...
, as well as a Survey of the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
. Other works include books on topics such as
Dante
Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...
's
''Inferno'',
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
,
Jane Austen
Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...
, and a biography of
Constantine. He is also the author of a book of children's
bedtime stories titled ''Wise Words'' based on the
Book of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs (, ; , ; , "Proverbs (of Solomon)") is a book in the third section (called Ketuvim) of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)/the Christian Old Testament. It is traditionally ascribed to King Solomon and his students. When translated into ...
.
Early life and education
Leithart was born on July 20, 1959, and grew up in a suburb of
Columbus,
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
.
He received a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in English and history from
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College is a Private university, private, Conservatism in the United States, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Women were admi ...
, a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degree in religion from
Westminster Theological Seminary
Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian theology, theological seminary in the Reformed theology, Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Prince ...
in 1986, a
Master of Theology
Master of Theology (, abbreviated ThM, MTh or MTheol, or ''Sacrae Theologiae Magister''; abbreviated STM) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a ...
degree from Westminster in 1987, and a
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...
degree from the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
in 1998.
Ministry
Leithart was ordained a
teaching elder in the
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Calvinist, Reformed in theolog ...
(PCA).
In June 2011, Leithart was tried by his
presbytery for
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy.
Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...
related to his views regarding the
Federal Vision. In October 2011 he was exonerated on all charges. Following his move to Birmingham in 2013, the presbytery with jurisdiction there denied his request to labor out of bounds (in a ministry not connected to the PCA) at Theopolis Institute.
He is now a minister in the
Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches
The Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), formerly the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches, was founded in 1998 as a body of churches that hold to Reformed theology. Member churches include those from Presbyterian, Reforme ...
and the Senior Theological Mentor for the St. Peter Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
Scholarship
His first book, ''The Catechism of the New Age: A Response to Dungeons and Dragons'' (1987), co-authored with pastor
George Grant, was related to the
''Dungeons & Dragons'' religious controversies, when certain religious groups accused
the game of encouraging sorcery and the veneration of
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including
f ...
s.
Joseph P. Laycock wrote that their book condemned role-playing as allowing too much freedom, which the authors regard as a gateway to critical thinking which in turn may result in heretical thought.
In his 2010 book, ''
Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom,'' Leithart takes issue with fellow theologian
John Howard Yoder's position that Constantine steered the Church in the wrong direction by abandoning Christ's doctrine of nonviolence, exemplified by his willingness to die rather than defend himself. Leithart argues that God did not want Christians to live as a powerless, oppressed minority. ''Constantine Revisited: Leithart, Yoder, and the Constantinian Debate,''
John D. Roth, editor, 2013, is a collection of essays by Christian pacifists criticizing Leithart's argument.
Publications
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* In this
verse-by-verse commentary, Leithart asserts that John, in
his epistles, is continuing themes that he began to write about in
his gospel, but which now have heightened in intensity and urgency as the
fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD approaches.
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References
External links
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Theopolis Institute for Biblical, Liturgical, & Cultural Studies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leithart, Peter
American Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Presbyterian Church in America ministers
Westminster Theological Seminary alumni
Living people
1959 births
People from Moscow, Idaho
Hillsdale College alumni
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
Bible commentators
20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
American bloggers
New Saint Andrews College faculty
21st-century American non-fiction writers
Christian reconstructionism
Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches