My Interview at Houston Belief

Menachem Wecker, a writer who focuses on arts and faith, interviewed me for his blog, Iconia, at the Houston Chronicle’s Houston Belief section (”Doubting the Manicheans: religion historian Brandon G. Withrow on a St.Thomas at the Museum of FIne Arts, Houston”). It went up this morning. Iconia is a great blog and well worth adding to your reader or your Facebook rss feed.  Any thoughts on the article, and the ideas I propose, please feel free to leave comments there.  I’m hoping it can make for some interesting conversation.

It is this last usage of the doubting Thomas story that may play into its role in the 13th century. Medieval Christianity experienced a revival of Manichean ideas in the form of the Paulicans and especially the Cathars, leading to a prominent crusade by the church in the 13th-century called the Albigensian Crusade. It could be that the Doubting Thomas motif offers the same sort of rebuttal for 13th-century Christians that it did for Augustine.  Read the whole article here.

To any remaining readers, sorry my blog has been bland lately, but this has been one busy school year.  The seminary is keeping me really busy, but I hope to pick up steam shortly.