Althusius has done a commendable job of recreating the governance
model of the European Middle Ages within the reality that the universal Church
no longer existed as an institution of authority. I can only return
to my thought that this missing piece is the critical piece, as without such a
universal authority – one that had the respect of the kings and nobles – there
was no institution powerful enough to keep the tyrannical ruler in
check. Excommunication mattered.
The closest we can get
today? Christian leaders that start speaking as if they believe the
Bible and Christ’s message. Those who do will lose many, but from
what’s left perhaps an ethic can be restored.
